As the Founder and Principal of Charney Companies, Sam Charney has transformed a boutique startup founded in 2013 into a vertically integrated real estate firm, spanning development, construction, brokerage, and property management, with more than 50 professionals.

Since launching Charney Companies in 2013, he has led transformative projects across the city, including his first solo development, The Jackson at 11-51 47th Avenue, which received the Queens Chamber of Commerce Award for Best New Multifamily Building. 

Charney Companies is one of the most active developers in the city, with over 3,000 units in development, including more than 1,000 affordable housing units, and over three-million square feet of residential and commercial projects. In the past year alone, the firm has seen $1 billion in total capitalization. 

The firm is most active in Gowanus, where their projects account for 40% of all new residential units. Union Channel, the first completed building of the Gowanus Wharf campus, opened last year. The four-building residential campus includes 2,200 residences across more than 2.2 million square feet, and the remaining three buildings will be opening later this year.

This past year, the firm closed on 175 Third Street in Gowanus, making it the largest development transaction in New York City in 2025. The project will deliver 1,100 apartments and New York’s largest Life Time. 

Other projects in development include 95 Rockwell Place in Fort Greene, a condominium project that will feature interior design by Public Service, a branch of Public Records. Court Square, also in development, is a 55-story condominium in Long Island City. The firm is also working on renovating 99 Claremont, a student housing project in Morningside Heights.

Charney’s work has received several distinguished accolades throughout his career, including the Brooklyn Building Awards in 2006 for the West Elm Corporate Offices and the Waterfront Media Headquarters at 45 Main Street, and an additional award in 2008 for the national historic registry renovation of 164 Atlantic Avenue. In 2012, he received NYU’s Bart Lawson Award for Humanitarianism for his work with blind athletes. In 2025, he was named Developer of the Year at the RED Residential Awards, recognizing his leadership and contributions to the industry.

Charney serves on the Construction Committee of The Brooklyn Public Library and on the board of The Brooklyn Museum and the Queens Museum. Sam’s collaboration with city agencies has helped streamline processes to expedite affordable housing approvals. He was recently named to City & State’s Brooklyn Power 100 list, as well as City & State’s Queens Power 100 list. Charney lives in New York with his wife and two children, and serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum, Queens Museum, Pursuit, and the Brooklyn Public Library, and is an avid art collector.

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