BERNARD "BERNIE" GLIEBERMAN:

President and sole shareholder, Crosswinds Communities Inc. of Novi. Glieberman has been responsible for the construction of more than 10,000 homes throughout the United States. At 21, he was a full partner in a Detroit residential-commercial development and property management firm. Ten years later, Glieberman bought out his partner’s shares and expanded into the building business. In 1971, he established Crosswinds Communities. He serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Home Builders, is a former president and a 30-year member of the Building Industry Association, and is a member of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies policy advisory board and the Michigan Housing Trust Fund. He also chairs the Michigan State Housing Development Authority that provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income Michigan residents.

WHERE BORN: "Detroit."

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: "My father, of course, because I ended up in the same type of business, and my mother."

LAST BOOK READ: "The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini."

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: "I think of myself as a visionary – I try to always be on the bleeding edge with ideas and new methods."

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: "Heading sideways right now because of the over exuberance in the industry within the last 15 years. It will move laterally for the next couple of years."

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: "My computer."

FAVORITE PLACE: "New York."

FAVORITE HOBBIES: "My hobby is my business."

FAVORITE FOOD: "Chicken."

MY HIDDEN TALENT: "Intuitiveness."

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: "As a person who, through charitable work, changed people’s lives. People ended up with a better life as a result of things I was able to do and give through charities."

On April 27, 2007, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.

Article source: http://www.ltu.edu/leaders/