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22 May 2012 www.TheRealDeal.com A t the D esk of :h owArD L orber PHOTOGRAPH FOR THE REAL DEAL BY MAX DWORKIN H oward Lorber, 63, may be best known in the industry as the chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman, but he wears many other business hats. He’s also the CEO of the Vector Group, a holding company that owns the tobacco company Liggett Group as well as a major stake in Elliman. And he’s executive chairman of Nathan’s Famous, the famed hot dog chain. He’s also the CEO of real estate firm and Vector subsidiary New Valley, which has investments in Manhattan condo projects like the Toy Building, the Jean Nouvel tower at 100 Eleventh Avenue and HFZ Capital’s 11 East 68th Street. But the job that oc- cupies most of his time, he says, is Elliman, which he and Dottie Herman purchased in 2003 for $72 million. The firm, which sold $11.1 billion in homes last year , is the city’s largest residential brokerage with 3,600 agents in 62 offices, including Long Island, Westchester and Florida. Lorber’s office, on the top floor of 712 Fifth Avenue, includes a view of his Manhat- tan apartment at the Sherry-Netherland hotel , but also encapsulates his varied business interests. BY C. J. HUGHES A 1968 fraternity composite from Alpha Epsilon Pi at C.W. Post/Long Island Uni- versity. Lorber, then a junior, served as a second-in-command lieutenant master, but became president the following year. Madam, a springer span- iel who’s won 50 best-in- show awards over a two- year period. Lorber breeds dogs on Long Island and has a few as pets at his Southampton home. A mini version of the flagship Nathan’s restaurant on Coney Island. Explaining his investment in the company, which now has about 400 franchises worldwide, Lorber says, “What I like are great brand names with lousy management.” A paperweight made of parts of various wrist- watches, to honor Lorb- er’s own 100-piece wrist- watch collection. He wears a watch by luxury designer Patek Philippe on a daily basis. Stacks of papers are easier to nav- igate than filing cabinets, Lorber notes: “I can pick out anything be- cause I know where everything is.” He also owns two iPhones, a Black- Berry and a cell phone, which he oc- casionally carries all at once. Lorber usually has the TV in his of- fice turned to CNBC, but it’s recent- ly been showing “Million Dollar Listing New York,” the new Bravo series that features his son Michael Lorber, an Elliman broker. Lorber is a holder of New York Knicks courtside sea- son tickets, though he also regularly attends the Miami Heat’s games in Florida, where he has a home. When they play each other, “I root for the Knicks, generally speaking,” he says. Though Lorber would support Ray Kelly if he ran for mayor in 2013, he thinks Donald Trump “would be fantastic.” Presidentially, Lorber is a Mitt Romney supporter and has already raised money for him.
