CJ Follini is an American businessman. He is the founder of several alternative investment funds in commercial real estate, fine art, and private credit. He is also the founder of the nonprofit financial education platform Noyack Wealth Club.

Career edit

The son of Italian immigrants, Follini career began when his father, the chief executive officer of a large construction company, suffered a serious stroke and he had to take over the firm.

From 1988 until 2020, he was chief investment officer of a investment syndicate of 9 ultra high-net worth families that focused on alternative investments. He speaks regularly regarding commercial real estate, edtech, venture capital, and consumer packaged goods. In 2020, he sponsored Noyack Logistics Income Trust, real estate investment trust.[1]

Follini redeveloped former St. Agnes Hospital Campus in White Plains, New York, purchased at a foreclosure auction for $22,000,000. In 2007, he announced one the largest active adult housing developments in North America. The 730,000-square-foot (68,000 m2), $250M campus includes assisted living and medical office buildings.[2]

He built and sold a $300M Noyack Medical healthcare real estate portfolio, returning a 23% IRR.[3] He founded Guns for Hire Production Centers (GFH).[4] Follini conceived and designed GFH's 700,000+ square feet of digital media centers in New York, Miami,[5] Vancouver, Toronto, Austin, and Los Angeles, winning the 1998 Crain's magazine Small Business Award.[4] He redeveloped One Hanson Place,[6] and was named GlobeSt.com Real Estate Forum Industrial Influencer of 2021.[7]

Content production edit

Follini's first film production, Sling Blade, won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 69th Academy Awards.[8]

In 2011, Follini created and directed Art/Trek NYC , which was broadcast on cable by NYC Media and Ovation. Art/Trek is a television documentary that explores New York City's five boroughs to showcase emerging artists. Traveling in the show's signature mobile art gallery – a converted recreational vehicle, nicknamed the ArtV – Follini, also the host, joins a different borough-specific co-host in each episode to meet a rising artist who's on the verge of breaking into New York City's art scene. Each artist puts together an impromptu art show in the ArtV and invites residents from their neighborhood to view the work and share their opinions about it on camera. One of the five artists is selected to have their own gallery show, which is featured in another episode.[9]

In 2008, Follini was the executive producer for the documentary Burning the Future: Coal in America, the story of mountaintop removal mining and its disastrous effects on the environment.[10] It was a finalist of the International Documentary Association's 2008 Pare Lorentz award.[11]

In 2000, Follini produced the short film Bullet in the Brain,[12] which was the winner of the 2001 Universal Studios/Hypnotic Film Award.[13]

Recognition edit

Follini was co-chairman of the board of directors of the HERE Arts Center in SoHo, which honored him with the HEREmanitarian Award in June 2014.[14] He was the winner of 1998 Crains Small Business Award for Gun For Hire Digital Media Centers.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Kirk, Patricia (October 19, 2021). "How One Investment Fund Manager Plans to Capitalize on the Future of Real Estate". Wealth Management.
  2. ^ Jordan, John (July 10, 2007). "$250M Senior Project Gets Key Approval". GlobeSt. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  3. ^ "Noyack Capital Partners". Noyack Capital Partners. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.[unreliable source?]
  4. ^ a b c Croghan, Lore (January 3, 1999). "Take 2: Film Firm Expands in Village; Gun for Hire Leases More Space as Demand Grows Faster than Expected". Crains New York Business.
  5. ^ "Gun For Hire production center settles in Miami Beach". South Florida Business Journal. October 20, 1999.
  6. ^ Dolce, Natalie (May 19, 2008). "Noyack Medical Partners Snags Office Condo". GlobeSt. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Morphy, Erika (September 8, 2021). "Industrial Influencers". GlobeSt.
  8. ^ "1997 Academy Award Winners". Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Art/Trek NYC (TV Series 2012– )", IMDb, retrieved November 27, 2023
  10. ^ Scheib, Ronnie (February 28, 2008). "Burning the Future: Coal in America". Variety. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  11. ^ "IDA's 2008 IDA Documentary Awards Competition Nominees Announced". International Documentary Association. October 28, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  12. ^ "Bullet in the Brain (2001) - Full Cast & Crew", IMDb, retrieved November 27, 2023
  13. ^ Carey, Patricia M. (October 12, 1998). "Triumphant in Technicolor". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  14. ^ Skutsch, Carl (June 20, 2014). "CJ Follini accepting the HEREmanitarian Award". Flickr. Retrieved October 5, 2021.[unreliable source?]

External links edit