NJBIZ Power 50 #4 Christopher J. Paladino #8212 New Brunswick Development Corp.

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Don’t be surprised to see Paladino at No. 1 at some point down the road. No, we’re not jumping ahead to next year’s list — that’s just the opinion of more than one leading developer.

He keeps finding new ways to tell the story of New Brunswick’s revival, the latest being the fast-moving, sweeping transformation of Rutgers University’s College Avenue campus. And that connection will only continue to benefit Devco, which is also rehabilitating a historic skyscraper in Newark that Rutgers will use as student housing.

“Think about what he’s done in garnering Urban Transit Hub tax credits from the Christie administration for the redevelopment of New Brunswick,” said one fellow developer. “And every year there’s at least two major projects coming out of Devco that continue to create a model for urban infill redevelopment.”

Paladino still has his hands full when it comes to Atlantic City. But insiders continue to hope his two decades of experience in New Brunswick will eventually bear fruit in the struggling resort town.

“I think he could be (No. 1) two years from now,” one observer said. “If all of these things he’s working on come together, he’d have a good claim to fame.”

Notable
Asked for a prediction about the industry, he offered this: “Over the next five years, cities, corporations and, therefore, real estate professionals will need to respond to a new generation of decision makers as startups, entrepreneurs and innovators, more often than not, will want to live and work in dynamic communities.”