Lindsay Greene on Making the Brooklyn Navy Yard an Engine of Innovation
On this episode of The Matthews Podcast, host Matthew Wallace speaks with Lindsay Greene, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre hub driving innovation in modern manufacturing, clean tech, and inclusive economic development.
With experience spanning Goldman Sachs, New York City’s Economic Development Corporation, and the Mayor’s Office, Lindsay brings a unique perspective on how industrial real estate can be transformed into an engine of innovation, job creation, and community resilience.
Finance to Innovation-Driven Growth
Lindsay’s path to real estate wasn’t traditional. After years in investment banking and entrepreneurship, she pivoted into public service, eventually leading to her current role at the Navy Yard. That zig-zag journey gave her both capital markets expertise and a community-building mindset. The combination she now applies to position the Yard as a leader in innovation.
Industrial Real Estate as an Engine of Opportunity
The Brooklyn Navy Yard is home to 550+ businesses employing more than 13,000 people and generating over $2.5 billion in annual economic activity. From robotics and advanced manufacturing to clean technology, fashion, and food production, the Yard demonstrates how legacy infrastructure can be reborn as an innovation ecosystem.
The Power of Partnership
Greene stresses that innovation isn’t just about technology, it’s about collaboration. At the Yard, success comes from nurturing public-private partnerships built on a shared vision of job creation and industry growth. By aligning policy, capital, and community goals, the Navy Yard continues to attract cutting-edge businesses while ensuring opportunities are accessible to local communities.
Challenges of Modern Manufacturing
Revitalizing historic naval buildings for 21st-century industries is no small feat. High-tech tenants require specialized infrastructure — from advanced power and water systems to heavy machinery support making modernization costly and complex. Yet, Greene views these challenges as strategic investments in innovation capacity, ensuring the Yard remains competitive for decades to come.
Leadership Lessons
For Greene, leadership is rooted in adaptability and authenticity. From managing the chaos of COVID-19 during her first week in city economic development to steering through tariff and supply chain turbulence, she has learned that innovation requires resilience, flexibility, and collaboration.
Her advice: find what you “nerd out about” and build around it. Curiosity drives resilience, and aligning passion with purpose creates space for authentic leadership.
Top Takeaways for CRE Professionals
- Innovation is a competitive edge. Industrial real estate can become a driver of jobs, growth, and resilience.
- Legacy assets can be reimagined into future-ready hubs for clean tech and advanced manufacturing.
- Partnerships are the fuel for innovation, and aligning policy, capital, and community ensures sustainable outcomes.
- Leadership in innovation means adaptability, curiosity, and striking a balance between mission and performance.
From historic naval yards to the industries of the future, Greene is rewriting the script, showing how industrial real estate can move beyond property value to become an engine of innovation and inclusive growth.
