BP MARKOWITZ MOURNS PASSING OF GILBERT RIVERA

“All of Brooklyn mourns the passing of visionary entrepreneur Gilbert Rivera, a proud son of Brooklyn. His great pride in his Puerto Rican heritage, his love for Brooklyn, and his generosity with his resources, time, and creativity made him a role model of citizenship.

Gil founded his first business in Bedford-Stuyvesant two decades ago, turning a small hardware store on Park Avenue into one of the most successful building supply companies in the nation. As his company grew, providing materials for landmarks like the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, the new Museum of Modern Art, and Brooklyn’s new Federal Court House on Jay Street, Gil continued to invest in Central Brooklyn, recently opening a 132,000 square-foot headquarters on Atlantic Avenue in Ocean Hill-Brownsville, which will spur our local economy and create jobs.

His legacy as a Hispanic-American success story is an inspiration to us all. He will be deeply missed, and his loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers.”

—Borough President Marty Markowitz