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.

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. Other projects in development are located in Fort Greene, Long Island City, and 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. In 2026, Charney was named to City & State’s Brooklyn and Queens Power 100 lists; additionally, Forbes named him International Developer of the Year, recognizing his leadership and contributions to the industry.

Charney lives in New York with his wife and two children; serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum, Queens Museum, Pursuit, and the Brooklyn Public Library; and is an avid art collector.