Howard Lorber is the chairman of Douglas Elliman, a residential brokerage in New York that has national reach. He is also the president and chief executive of Vector Group Ltd., the NYSE-listed parent company of the brokerage. That firm is also the holding company for several tobacco businesses.

Lorber and business partner Dottie Herman bought control of Douglas Elliman for nearly $72 million in 2003. In 2011, Vector Group partnered with the Witkoff Group to buy 1107 Broadway from Lehman Brothers for $190 million.

Lorber, who was born in 1948 in the Bronx, grew up in Paramus, New Jersey, and attended Long Island University, also serves as the executive chairman of food company Nathan's Famous, known for its hot dogs. He is married to Thea Hallman, and his son Michael Lorber is a real estate broker at Douglas Elliman.