Gary Barnett

Gary Barnett (born c. 1956) is an American businessman. He is the president and founder of Extell Development Company, a real estate development firm involved in residential, commercial and hospitality properties, including several high-profile buildings in Manhattan, New York. Personal life Barnett was born Gershon Swiatycki on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His father, Chaim Swiatycki, was a rabbi and Talmudic scholar. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in math from Queens College and received a Master of Economics degree from Hunter College. He currently lives in Monsey, New York with his wife and ten children. Career Barnett began his career as a diamond trader in Antwerp, Belgium, during the 1980s. He returned to the United States in the 1990s to diversify into real estate, purchasing shopping malls and office buildings in the Midwest.