Jed Walentas

Walentas grew up watching his father, David, transform a windswept patch of factories and warehouses between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges into one of the priciest neighborhoods in the borough.

Now, the younger Walentas is a hoodie-wearing scion shaping the next generation of Brooklyn real estate. At the helm of Two Trees Management, the firm founded by his father, he has redrawn Williamsburg’s skyline and repositioned the neighborhood as a live-work for wealthy Millennials.

At the former Domino sugar refinery on the Williamsburg waterfront, the firm has turned its trophy office development, The Refinery, into a clubhouse for tech and AI companies. Its newest condo project, One Domino Square, is averaging more than five deals per month.

Back in Dumbo — Walentas’ original proving ground — more than 150 design and architecture firms now call the neighborhood home, fueling a new wave of retail and office demand. Two Trees executed more than 380,000 square feet of commercial deals in 2025, and its residential portfolio is running near full, with occupancy hovering around 99 percent.

–Elizabeth Cryan

Walentas also serves as chair of REBNY, the city’s top real estate trade organization.