| Russell W. Galbut | |
| Birth Name: | Russell William Galbut[1] [2] |
| Birth Date: | 20 October 1952[3] [4] |
| Birth Place: | Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Cornell University University of Miami School of Law |
| Occupation: | Lawyer, real estate developer, philanthropist |
| Spouse: | Ronalee Eisenberg |
| Parents: | Hyman P. Galbut Bessie Galbut |
| Relatives: | Bruce Menin (cousin) Julie Menin (cousin-in-law) Jared Galbut (nephew)[5] |
Russell William Galbut (born October 20, 1952) is an American lawyer, CPA, real estate developer and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Crescent Heights, a real estate development company.[6] [7]
Russell W. Galbut was born to a Jewish family in Miami Beach, Florida circa 1953.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] His paternal grandparents, Abraham and Bessie Galbut, settled in Miami Beach in 1931 where they opened a 24-hour drugstore-restaurant which became the go-to place for local politicians.[13] His father, Hyman P. Galbut, was an attorney who also served as a captain in the United States Navy,[14] and as a city commissioner. His mother, Bessie Galbut, was a philanthropist; the Bessie M. Galbut Daughters of Israel Mikvah Center in Miami Beach is named in her honor.[14]
Galbut has three brothers: Dr. Robert Galbut, Dr. David Galbut and Abraham Galbut.[14] He is a graduate of Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy.[15]
In 1974, he graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.[11] In 1980, he received a JD from the University of Miami School of Law, and also earned his CPA certification in Florida.[12] [16]
Galbut started his career at Laventhol & Horwath, an accounting firm which went bankrupt in 1990.[11] Meanwhile, he became a real estate developer in Miami where he built apartment buildings and shopping malls.[11] He later built a chain of retirement facilities in South Florida.[11] In 1983, he acquired The Shelborne, a hotel in Miami.[11]
With his cousin Bruce Menin and business partner Sonny Kahn, Galbut co-founded Crescent Heights, a real estate development company, in 1989.[11] [13] In Miami Beach, they built The Alexander, The Decoplage, Carriage Club, and The Casablanca.[13] They also built 35,000 residential units across the United States.[13]
Galbut served on the board of directors of Norwegian Cruise Line,[17] and is a member of the American Arbitration Association.[18]
The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce awarded Galbut the Champion of Business Award in 2014.[19]
Galbut serves as the chairman of Colel Chabad, a non-profit organization which runs soup kitchens in Israel.[11] Additionally, he serves on the board of trustees of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California.[20]
Galbut serves on the advisory board of the Center for Real Estate and Finance in the School of Hotel Administration at his alma mater, Cornell University.[11]
Galbut resides in South Beach, a neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida.[21] His father-in-law is Miami Beach commissioner Sy Eisenberg.