Sam Friedman is the founder of Full Value Potential, a strategy and development practice in New York. He has been in business since he was a kid selling lemonade in Rockaway Park, and over the years he has started companies, scaled an ice cream brand to national retail, advised Wall Street banks and foreign governments, and built food relief operations for his city. The instinct behind all of it is the one he brings to clients now: look at what exists, find what could work better, and build the path to get there.
Where it comes from
Sam was born and raised in New York City, and comes from a family of small business owners. He grew up working in their companies across specialty metals, produce distribution, HVAC, and property management, among other things. He saw how each business ran, what worked, and what could work better. That instinct became his career.
He studied entrepreneurship at SUNY Albany, and from 19 on he built companies and advised others, often at the same time, across different industries. He started a trade exchange company and advised governments and exporters on international trade. He consulted for Wall Street banks on sourcing, procurement, and demand forecasting systems. He built an ice cream brand and carried it from the Rockaway boardwalk to Whole Foods and Sprouts nationwide. He helped create a Swiss financial instrument to fund agricultural innovation in Brazil.
Showing up for the community
Alongside the businesses, Sam kept showing up for his community. After Hurricane Sandy, he matched schools that had lost supplies with school communities ready to donate them. During COVID, he built a food relief operation that distributed thousands of food boxes to New Yorkers in need. He has mentored hundreds of startup founders pro bono. He was doing public-interest work long before it had a title.
Strategy, development, and the public sector
At 33, Sam joined Urban Strategies, a civic-minded government affairs firm, as a strategic development advisor. He works closely with the firm's principal, Mike Klein, on a team that treats situational awareness as a core philosophy. The firm serves a wide range of clients, from affordable housing developers, centuries-old institutions, and nonprofits to telecom, aviation, energy, real estate, and technology companies.
Sam builds things, and he helps other people build them better. Find the potential, then do what it takes to reach it.
Relationships are the constant
A wide range of entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders have come to trust Sam over the years, in the private and public sectors alike. When a client needs the right introduction, Sam usually knows the person to call, and that person usually picks up.
Beyond the work
Sam is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alum. He stays active in New York's civic life through the Association for a Better New York, the New York League of Conservation Voters, City & State NY, the Building Congress, and the Long Island Food Council. He lives in Rockaway Park, and his favorite role is being a devoted father.
