Will Blodgett is an empathetic and passionate entrepreneur focused on making a difference.

Obsessed with data, innovation and collaboration, Will is constantly pushing the limits of possibility whether it be as an investor, developer, father or board member. A former Division I college football player, Will brings a competitive and enthusiastic spirit to everything he does while prioritizing teamwork to get the job done.

More about Will

Will has secured his place among the visionaries forging a path forward to create the next era of real estate in America. He appears on the Commercial Observer's 2024 Power 100 list and was named "Innovator of the Year" by the same publication in 2020. Will has also been recognized as one of the most powerful people in real estate by Crain's New York Business and City & State

He serves on the board of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition and is a Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission.

A champion of the underdog, Will is deeply committed to causes that support underserved youth and especially those that emphasize the connection between sports and academics. He is proud to serve on the board of The American Institute for Stuttering (AIS), the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM), and New Heights Youth, Inc., a basketball-based youth development and education organization.

Will is married to Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, the Founder & CEO of Next 3 Ventures and the lead owner of NJ/NY Gotham FC, the professional women’s soccer team. Previous to Next 3 Ventures, Carolyn was the former Head of Global Marketing at Peloton, a brand she helped build from a little known fitness startup into a household name. Since 2012, Will and Carolyn have directed their personal giving through the Will and Carolyn Blodgett Foundation. The two met at Yale and, together, they have three beautiful children.
Career Highlights

Over the course of his career, Will has led the acquisition and development of more than 25,000 units and $6 billion in real estate across the United States.

In 2021, Will founded Tredway, a real estate development firm that opens doors to opportunity by developing, revitalizing and preserving affordable, workforce and mixed-income housing nationally.

Prior to Tredway, Will was a founding partner of the real estate development firm Fairstead. During his eight-year tenure, Will grew Fairstead into one of the nation’s largest owners of multifamily housing and set the vision for the firm's affordable housing strategy, bringing innovation to the industry through the use of data, empathy and technology.

Will got his start at The Related Companies where he managed the acquisition, financing, and development of over 4,500 units in the firm’s Affordable Housing Group. He also served as a Special Advisor to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), where he gained valuable insight into the functioning of North America’s largest housing authority and positive impact of public-private partnerships.

Throughout this life, Will has been a successful early-stage investor, partnering with forward-thinking self-starters who share his dedication to catalyzing growth and empowering tangible change.

Will holds a BA from Yale and an MBA from MIT.

Early Years

A first generation American on his mother’s side, Will has humble roots in the midwest city of Chicago. Bullied for having a stutter, his childhood friends consisted of kids who lived in public housing; kids who came to his aid when no one else would.

As Chicago set about demolishing this housing stock, Will’s friends were forced out of the neighborhood. Mired in problems both at home and in school, he entered his teenage years with a chip on his shoulder and a reputation for getting into fights.

His parents, worried about their eldest son’s future if he stayed in Chicago, moved the family to Southern California with the help of a relative. A fish out of water, Will was flunking out of Laguna Beach High School until the school’s football coach convinced him to join the team, showing him a path to college. Will began spending all of his time in the gym or in the library, ultimately earning a scholarship to Deerfield Academy, as a postgraduate, and subsequently, Yale University.

At Yale, Will earned varsity letters as a wide receiver on the football team, and also participated in club hockey and basketball. To help pay for school, he held various odd jobs including working in Yale's gym facility office and as a groundskeeper at the school's golf course.

After college, Will went to work in the public sector before going to business school at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. At MIT, Will headed the school’s real estate club and ran the renowned Sloan Sports Analytics Conference under the direction of Daryl Morey, current president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers. It was with the support of Mr. Morey, along with mentor Professor Bill Aulet, founder of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, that Will began to think about how to translate his values into a business that solves real-world problems.

Homes that open doors.

Founded in 2021, Tredway is the culmination of Will’s belief in the promise of the American Dream. Our bold approach is guided by impact and seeks to foster upward socioeconomic mobility in the lives of our residents while generating better outcomes for the planet and better returns for our stakeholders. 

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Giving Back

In addition to his board affiliations with The American Institute for Stuttering (AIS), the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM), and New Heights Youth, Inc., Will is proud to support charitable organizations engaged in a number of causes that are close to his heart.

Boards

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