Clockwise from top left: John Burton, Marvin Bush, Giuseppe Cecchi, Mai and Jim Abdo, and Marc and Jacqueline Leland.
developing genetic tests (he brought one to market that can help women determine if they are at risk of developing cervical cancer). In a move that surprised industry insiders, Jones retired last year, giving him and wife Cindy more time to spend at their lovely $15 million property in Nantucket. The Joneses support the Washington Ballet, among other local causes.
JACK KAY The Kay fortune was built in the peace and home-sweet-home of post-war America. Not only was Jack building houses for the returning G.I.s, but he was heavily involved in the relocation of Jews from Cyprus to Palestine with the aid of refurbished freighter Exodus. This passion for Judaica – and for the improvement of the lives of Jewish people – led to Jack Kay’s establishment of a hospice in Jerusalem (Hadassah Hospital) and a donation of $1.5 million to Israel Studies at the University of Maryland.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
ROBERT C KETTLER A third-generation builder, Kettler’s massive real estate empire is ranked among the top 20 multi-housing developers in the nation, and he’s one of the largest land developers in metropolitan Washington. The Kettler Capitals Iceplex is not a departure for the development dynamo – his company, the erstwhile Kettler, specializes in “mixeduse” projects, where retail, commercial and industrial spaces co-exist in one structure. In 2007, Kettler announced the purchase of 19.6 acres in Pentagon City for approximately $220 million, giving him a long-term stake in one of the area’s most dynamic urban neighborhoods. Kettler supports the Washington Metropolitan Area Boys Club, St. Patrick’s School,The Potomac School, George Mason University, and Northern Virginia Community College.
NATHAN LANDOW Anybody who has been to Bethesda recently
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– and who remembers the Bethesda of the mid-1990s – knows that big things have been happening to this once nondescript ’burb. Landow and Co. was a key player in developing many of the area shops, restaurants and luxury condos. Landow also develops the Democratic Party; a former chairman of the Maryland D.P., he was a staunch supporter of both Al Gore and Bill Clinton through thick and thin. The thin was most apparent during the scandal years of Clinton’s tempestuous time at the White House, when Paula Jones’ attorneys accused Landow of trying to influence testimony in favor of the President. He took the Fifth.
MELVIN LENKIN Despite spending much of his time these days in sunny Boca Raton, Lenkin’s fortune is firmly grounded in Washington. During the real estate recession of the ’90s, he managed to stay in the game, leading a group of investors who purchased Columbia First Federal
Savings and Loan ... and then promptly resold it for about three times as much. Son Eddie is now in charge of most of the company’s operations. Melvin Lenkin and wife Thelma give back locally to a variety of Jewish causes. They also support Parkinsons Disease research through their Thelma & Melvin Lenkin Family Charitable Foundation.
MILTON PETERSON This Northern Virginia developer’s U.S. pet projects are homes and hotels along the Potomac; he’s already sunk $100 million into the region. National Harbor, his $2 billion Prince George’s County complex development, which he calls “a marathon,” opened recently. The project’s anchor will be the $565 million Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center.
DONALD RUMSFELD Rumsfeld served as both the 13th and the 21st secretary of defense. The former Navy
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