For Go-Getters Only: Memoir of a Real Estate Developer

For Go-Getters Only is a unique, previously untold history of 20th century Long Island through the eyes of real estate developer Wilbur F. Breslin.A Newsday survey revealed that Wilbur F. Breslin’s prowess as a real estate broker and developer was responsible for luring 75 percent of the nation’s leading retail brands to Long Island, making an indelible mark on its retail landscape, which shaped how people live and shop. A renowned and engaging storyteller, Breslin recounts the past 65 years of his career, starting with his boyhood years in Hempstead, NY and his first job at his father’s fruit and produce store. He went on to develop small strip centers and, with vision and tenacity, expanded to larger shopping plazas, residential complexes and other commercial properties on Long Island and elsewhere, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Louisiana. His significant role to protect vast swaths of environmentally sensitive acreage led to the Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act.Wilbur F. Breslin shares his personal encounters with such celebrities as Donald J. Trump, Frank Sinatra, Walmart’s Founder Sam Walton, Vic Damone, Peter O’Toole, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Joe E. Lewis, Brook Shields and Jimmy Breslin. He also befriended and worked with numerous high-ranking politicians, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, U.S. Representative Peter King, New York Senator Patrick Moynihan, New York City Mayor Ed Koch and New York Senator Alphonse D’Amato.Richly illustrated with photographs, For Go-Getters Only highlights moments and events in Breslin’s life and his climb to prominence as one of the most successful real estate developers in the United States. Read more