Stephen Ross, self-made American real estate billionaire and sports mogul, does not plan to retire. The 75-year-old chief executive of Related Cos. lives by the painting in his Manhattan office that he has bought two years ago which reads: "I'm busy for the rest of my life," a report from The Globe and Mail stated.
Ross founded Related Cos., a private US real estate development firm in 1972. He remains Related's chairman, where he pours out all his efforts on some of the most ambitious projects of his career.
Three years ago, Related, in partnership with Oxford Properties Group, broke ground on Hudson Yards with a huge mixed-use development on 28 acres (11.3 hectares) of Manhattan's far-west side. Hudson Yards will encompass 17 million square feet of office, retail and residential buildings and is expected to cost $25-billion (US) and will take around nine years to complete.
The sports mogul also keeps himself busy with his sporting investments. He bought a 95-percent share in the Miami Dolphins National Football League team and its stadium, and is looking to buy Formula One racing. Through Related's venture capital partner, RSE Ventures, the sports mogul is also into virtual reality broadcasting and drone racing.
He launched Related in 1972 and among his most amazing achievements is the fact that Related, is among the largest developers in New York City despite being privately owned. Related also provides everything from financing to construction expertise.
Ross is also into public housing and in fact, he got his first break in 1980, when Related won the bid to develop a mixed-use project called Riverwalk along Manhattan's East River. On the other hand, among his most high-profile projects was the Time Warner Center overlooking Central Park. Time Warner Center has won Ross awards from architectural critics as well as criticism that some of its wealthy international owners and tenants have ties to organized crime.
Ross has plans to reshape Manhattan's far west side. He said that the Hudson Yards will be the most extravagant redevelopment project Manhattan has seen since the Rockefeller Centre, with a $200-million public square which will be larger than London's Trafalgar Square.
A sculpture designed by renowned British designer Thomas Heatherwick will become its centerpiece that Ross says "will become to New York what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris."
Hudson Yards' design is a heavily guarded secret which will be unveiled on the US Independence Day, July 4, 2016.
