Russell W. Galbut

Early life

Russell W. Galbut was born in Miami Beach, Florida circa 1954. His paternal grandparents, Abraham and Bessie Galbut, settled in Miami Beach in 1931. His father, Hyman P. Galbut, who served as a captain in the United States Navy, was a lawyer. His mother, Bessie Galbut, was a philanthropist; the Bessie M. Galbut Daughters of Israel Mikvah Center in Miami Beach is named in her honor. Galbut has three brothers: Dr. Robert Galbut, Dr. David Galbut and Abraham Galbut.

Galbut graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in 1974. He received a JD from the University of Miami School of Law in 1980.

Career

Galbut started his career at Laventhol and Horwath, an accounting firm which went bankrupt in 1990. Meanwhile, he became a real estate developer in Miami where he built apartment buildings and shopping malls. He later built a chain of retirement facilities in South Florida. In 1983, he acquired The Shelborne, a hotel in Miami.

With his cousin Bruce Menin and business partner Sonny Kahn, Galbut co-founded Crescent Heights, a real estate development company, in 1989. In Miami Beach, they built "the Alexander, the Decoplage, Carriage Club, and the Casablanca". They also built "35,000 residential units" across the United States. In 1991, he argued that Miami Beach should have topless beaches to attract European tourists.

Galbut serves on the board of directors of Norwegian Cruise Line.

Philanthropy

Galbut serves as the chairman of Colel Chabad, a non-profit organization which runs soup kitchens in Israel. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California.

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.

Personal life

Galbut resides in South Beach, a neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida.