Jerry Snyder

J.H. Snyder & Co.

Age: 66

Specialty: Retail and commercial development

Recent Deal: Granada Hills Town Center project

Jerry Snyder might be L.A.’s quintessential developer.

In the 1950s and 1960s, he fed into California’s housing boom by building large suburban developments in Orange County and the San Fernando Valley. In the 1970s, as home prices skyrocketed, he expanded by building high-rise condominium complexes like the Ocean Towers development in Santa Monica.

Through the 1980s, Snyder turned to commercial developments where some say he truly made his mark. He acquired Prudential Insurance Co.’s former head office along the Miracle Mile now known as Museum Square in 1979.

Other Snyder developments include the Water Garden office campus in Santa Monica, the E! building, the Channel Gateway mixed-use complex near Marina del Rey and the 1 million-square-foot Wilshire Courtyard office complex.

When the recession put a damper on new office projects, Snyder turned to retail. He completed eight Ralphs- or Alpha-Beta-anchored centers over the last two years.

How does he do it? One secret is working closely with neighbors before construction even begins.

“We go to the neighborhood groups and work with them, not ignore them. There’s no sense in getting involved in prolonged fights with neighbors,” he said.

Snyder has most recently worked with neighbors in building the 150,000-square-foot Granada Hills Town Center in the San Fernando Valley. He is also under contract to purchase a site within the San Diego (405) Freeway-front Howard Hughes Center mixed-use business park in Westchester.

Joe Bel Bruno