5 Minutes With The One Clinton Team

One Clinton, Awards for Excellence in Market-Rate Housing Development Finalist 

David Kramer, CEO, The Hudson Companies

Who has had the greatest influence on your career and what was the best advice he or she gave you?  

I think my wife had the greatest influence on my career because she had high expectations for me. I’m not sure if this was advice or a threat, but she said if we move to New York, you have to be successful. We moved back to New York and in my first job, I got paid hourly. One morning, I was trying to sleep in after a late bachelor party evening, and she kicked my feet until I got up. A sleep-in was not going to fly. Marital fear is an excellent motivator.  

As a ULI NY Awards nominee, what makes you most proud of your project?  

I live six blocks from One Clinton, so this project was personal. I knew I’d be walking and jogging by this building for the rest of my life, taking my dogs to Cadman Park caddy-corner, looking up at it. Not all projects turn out as you expect, but from the very beginning, our hope was to fill the space with an iconic, triangular, beautiful building that would enhance the City’s skyline. And I’d like to think we pulled it off.  

What is your favorite off the beaten path New York location or activity? 

I’m an active biker and enjoy exploring the City through its bike lanes. The other day, I biked from brownstone Brooklyn to the Rockaways by way of 12-13 distinct neighborhoods, always keeping an eye out for a glimpse of a Hudson project along the way. I enjoyed a coffee and donut on the boardwalk, taking in the ocean view, and then took the ferry back to Sunset Park and headed home on Fourth Avenue. A perfectly recreational way to appreciate the City.