Joanne Minieri, Executive Vice President & COO

What one factor is most important to success?

Communication. It can make the difference between winning and losing a deal.

What do you look for in an employee?

I look for an employee to have self-confidence and to be a self-starter. I want someone who takes direction, shows initiative and has a positive outlook. It’s about being a team player.

What’s the best way to save money?

The best strategy I have is to send someone back to the drawing board and to let them determine how they can achieve their objective more efficiently.

What’s the best way to spend money?

The best money spent is for research to gain information and understanding for a particular deal. At Forest City, we become as educated as possible about a project and then we decide with confidence on whether we should choose to move forward.

What’s your greatest pleasure?

My greatest pleasure in life is sitting on the beach between 4 and 6 p.m. It’s not too hot, there’s not too many people around, and it gives me the opportunity to catch up on my reading.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Make coffee and feed my pets. I also glance at the front page of The New York Times and the back page of the New York Post.

How do you deal with stress?

I try to find some humor in the situation and that starts to relieve the tension.

What one lesson do you hope to pass on to your children?

That lesson would be to have a strong balance between work, family and self. You need time for all of these things and it’s crucial to understand their significance.

How do you bounce back from adversity?

I try to understand what happened, why it happened and what I can do differently the next time. It’s easy to start pointing fingers at others, but that’s not effective. You can’t dwell on something or it becomes bigger than it is.

What’s your favorite thing about Queens?

The Corona Ice King! It has the best old-fashioned Italian ices.

Minieri, a Certified Public Accountant, joined Forest City Ratner Companies as Chief Financial Officer in 1995 and was promoted to her current position as Executive Vice President and COO in 1998.In 2004, she oversaw the company’s purchase of the New Jersey Nets, and currently oversees the business side of the team.Minieri manages the financial operations of Forest City Ratner’s developments, including The New York Times Building and Atlantic Yards, a $3.5 billion, 22-acre mixed-use development in Brooklyn with a 19,000-seat arena.

Previously, she worked for Kenneth Leventhal & Company, where she worked on the development of a number of New York City real estate projects. Minieri’s experience in the real estate and financial services sectors spans a broad range of professional accounting, tax and consulting services, which she has provided for both private & public companies. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Hofstra University.