Matthew Bordwin grew up with a strong sense that hard work and success come with a responsibility to give back. His parents led by example. His father, Moe, helped pioneer the field of bankruptcy real estate and supported many charitable causes, often anonymously. His mother volunteered every Thursday at a soup kitchen in their hometown of Glen Cove, Long Island, where Matthew also helped out.
Those values have shaped Matthew’s approach to his career and his community.
Matthew’s professional path didn’t begin in real estate. After law school, he pursued a longtime ambition to work in professional sports, holding positions with the Nets and Mets organizations. He loved the work, but eventually decided it was time to join the family business.
Today, Matthew serves alongside his older brother Harold as Senior Managing Director of Keen | A Gordon Brothers Company. Together, they advise clients navigating complex real estate matters in bankruptcy, restructuring, and other distressed situations.
The work often begins when a company is facing extraordinary financial pressure. Clients may be struggling to make payroll, manage expenses, or keep their businesses operating. Drawing on decades of experience, Matthew and his team help them develop a roadmap through difficult decisions, whether selling properties or restructuring leases to reduce costs. Their goal is to take one significant challenge off a client’s plate so they can focus on the others.
The recent acquisition of Keen by Gordon Brothers marks an important new chapter. Matthew is excited about the broader platform and expanded services now available to clients, while acknowledging the bittersweet nature of ending a successful twelve-year partnership with Summit Investment Management. He remains grateful for those relationships and looks forward to the opportunities ahead.
Matthew’s involvement with CitizensNYC began through his longtime friend and event chair Paul Deutch, whose commitment inspired him to do more. For years, Matthew has helped rally support from colleagues across the restructuring industry, a professional community whose generosity continues to impress him.
“The support in our field blows me away every time,” he says. “People step up all the time, both professionally and personally.”
He has seen that generosity benefit CitizensNYC and many other charitable causes. Matthew recognizes that while some people contribute their time directly to community organizations, others play an important role by bringing supporters together and helping provide the financial resources that make the work possible.
A recent visit to a CitizensNYC grantee partner’s food pantry in Queens gave Matthew a firsthand look at that impact. He saw New Yorkers from many different backgrounds coming together, both to receive support and to volunteer their time.
There, he met Steven, a young volunteer who had recently moved to New York City. Knowing few people in his new neighborhood, Steven searched online for ways to get involved and found his way to the food pantry. The two struck up a conversation about life and the future, with Matthew offering some advice along the way.
For Matthew, the encounter reflected what makes New York extraordinary: its mix of cultures, the connections people form across different backgrounds, and the willingness of neighbors to help one another.
“Everybody needs help no matter who you are,” Matthew says.
It’s a belief reflected in his work helping clients navigate difficult circumstances and in his support for CitizensNYC’s neighborhood leaders.
As CitizensNYC honors Matthew at the 2026 All In for New York City Fall Cocktail Reception, we celebrate his generosity and his commitment to bringing people together in support of their communities.
