In commercial real estate, few portfolios speak as loudly as Vornado's. The company has spent decades shaping some of the most iconic addresses in the world — Fifth Avenue, Times Square, and the Penn District. In this episode of Space Makers, Glen shares what it's actually like to steward a portfolio of this scale, why New York City keeps defying its critics, and what nearly thirty years at one company teaches you about cities, cycles, and the long game.
✨ One Company, One Career
Glen has spent nearly his entire career at Vornado — which in an industry full of dealmakers who jump from firm to firm is almost unheard of. His path wasn't the result of a carefully laid plan. It was the result of relationships, reputation, and a deep belief that loyalty compounds over time.
As Glen puts it: "It's all about the people." The deals you do, the way you treat people, and the reputation you build over decades — that's the real asset. It's a philosophy that has defined his career and shaped how he leads.
🔄 Navigating the Cycles
New York City has tested everyone who has bet on it. Glen has lived through 9/11, the financial crisis, and the pandemic — each one a moment that could have broken the market, and each one a moment that ultimately didn't. Navigating those cycles hasn't just shaped his professional outlook; it's reinforced his conviction that the fundamentals of this city are more durable than any single crisis.
"You have to feel safe," he says — and that sense of safety, both physical and economic, is something Vornado has worked deliberately to create across its portfolio.
🏙️ Lessons from Steve Roth
Working alongside Steven Roth — one of the most influential and unconventional figures in commercial real estate — has shaped Glen's entire worldview. Roth is known for making big, contrarian bets and holding them with conviction long after others would have walked away. Glen shares what it's like to operate under that kind of leadership, and what the most important lesson Roth taught him about how to think about real estate.
The answer, like most things Glen says, comes back to people.
🚉 The Penn District: A Long-Term Bet on New York
The Penn District is arguably Vornado's most ambitious and closely watched project — a years-long effort to transform the area around Penn Station into a genuine destination. For most of its history, the neighborhood was defined by what it lacked: quality retail, public space, and a reason to linger.
Glen walks us through the vision: how office, retail, and transit interact, why the experience of arriving in New York matters as much as what happens once you're there, and how bringing in over 70 new food and beverage operators was just the beginning. "We wanted to create a new soul for New York in the epicenter at Penn Station," he explains.
The bet is a long one. But Glen has never been afraid of the long game.
🛍️ Fifth Avenue, Times Square...the Art of Curation
Not every landlord thinks like a curator — but Glen does. Fifth Avenue has seen a remarkable resurgence post-pandemic, with new tenants and revitalization efforts bringing renewed energy to one of the world's most recognizable corridors. Times Square, meanwhile, remains a tourist and retail powerhouse — a place where signage and visibility drive value in ways that don't apply anywhere else in the city.
It's not just about who's paying rent. It's about who belongs there, what they bring to the surrounding environment, and how the pieces fit together into something greater than the sum of its parts.
🤝 Deal He's Most Proud Of
Landing Meta at the Farley Building wasn't just a big lease — it was a statement about what the Penn District could become. Glen shares what that deal meant, what it took to get there, and why it signaled something important about the resilience of New York City office demand at a moment when many had written it off entirely.
🤖 AI and the Future of Office
The narrative that AI will hollow out demand for office space is one Glen pushes back on directly. Human interaction, he argues, isn't just a feature of office life — it's the whole point. The energy, the collaboration, the spontaneous conversations that lead to real decisions: none of that happens on a screen.
We dig into where the skeptics are wrong, where even Glen holds some genuine uncertainty, and why the companies building the AI future are themselves among the most aggressive office tenants in the market right now.
📋 The Evolving Lease
Lease structures are changing. Flexibility is increasing, shorter terms are becoming more common, and tenants have more leverage than they've had in years. But Glen pushes back on the idea that long-term leases are going away — for the right tenant in the right space, the fundamentals of a traditional lease still make sense for everyone involved. The key is knowing which situation you're in.
👏 Reputation Is Everything
Glen closes with the thing he comes back to most: reputation. In an industry built on relationships and handshakes, how you treat people — tenants, brokers, partners, colleagues — follows you everywhere. His advice for anyone trying to break into real estate is simple: "Work your ass off." Show up, do the work, and let your reputation do the rest.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Glen's story is a compelling reminder that great real estate isn't just about owning the right buildings. It's about understanding cities, reading cycles, building trust over decades, and having the conviction to make long bets in a market that rewards patience.
For developers, operators, and real estate professionals, the lesson is clear: the fundamentals never really change. Work hard, protect your reputation, and never underestimate New York.
🏆 Nominations
Nominate a guest (or yourself) for an upcoming episode of Space Makers. Email us at realestate@stufstorage.com!