Afford Anything · Friday, September 11, 2026
Michael Hingson explains that his company, Fonum Corporation, secured office space on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. This prime location was made possible by a favorable lease agreement negotiated after the 1993 bombing, which had caused some tenants to move out.
“I worked for a company called Fonum Corporation, which was a Fortune 500 company at the time. And I was hired to open an office in New York City because Wall Street likes manufacturers to actually have a real physical presence in the area.”
“So we opened the office. I never thought I would open it in the World Trade Center. But there was a bombing in 1993 that wasn't serious, but it caused a lot of people to move out. And so when I went searching for office space and talked to the Port Authority real estate people, they, as I love to put it, made a big mistake by expressing that kind of a weakness to a sales guy who's trying to negotiate a rate. And we got a wonderful rent and, uh, we ended up moving into the World Trade Center on the 78th floor of Tower One.”