The Greater New York Chapter of IFMA, International Facility Management Association
About the Chapter
IFMAGNY Past Events
2008 Annual Awards Banquet
The 25th Annual GNY IFMA Awards Dinner
On January 17, 2008 ‘The International Facility Management Association of The Greater New York Chapter’ held their 25th Annual Awards Dinner at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. As guests arrived, cocktails and appetizers were served in the grand ballroom for an hour of glorious mingling. Guests were then led to the main hall where a spectacular three-course dinner was served and the nominees for the Awards were announced.
Welcome remarks were given by Carole Green, President of IFMA/GNY. She thanked the Awards Committee, the Awards Dinner Committee, and sponsors for making this event happen, and honored David Ushery, Co-Anchor of NBC’s NewsChannel 4. David Ushery spoke about what a humbling honor it was to receive The Visionary Award. As a pre-eminent newscaster, David has given his time to serving the community by volunteering for different charities, such as helping tutor pre-teen students in Harlem.
Carole also introduced Edward Norton, Executive Director of US Real Estate for CIBC World Markets, and IFMA/GNY past president and founding member. Edward thanked the Greater NY Chapter and expressed what an honor it was to be here to celebrate the 25th Anniversary. He took a look back at when IFMA/GNY first started with the decision of creating a local chapter in 1980. A committee, IFMA/GNY, was formed by the founding members who were Steve Binder, Rob Hamilton, M C Rossoff of Citibank, and Edward Norton. With the help of Carol Farren and Debbie Jaslow Shatz, the newly founded chapter established goals and compiled a list of 200+ facility managers and sent them postcards promoting the chapter. It was in 1983 that IFMA/GNY was recognized as an official chapter and that membership opened up to everyone in the five boroughs, with January marking the chapter’s anniversary month. All types of events, such as luncheons, dinners, boat rides, and the big Annual Conference were held. By 1987, IFMA/GNY won The Chapter of the Year Award, having the highest membership and best newsletter. They won this again in 2005! Edward thanked the Board and the past presidents for all their hard work in helping the IFMA/GNY Chapter win this award.
Ellen Hains of Humanscale, Awards Committee Chair, thanked Tiffany’s for all their help with the crystal awards. She thanked everybody in the Awards Committee, and Kathy Schnabel, Chapter Administrator of IFMA/GNY, for all their tremendous hard work. Ellen mentioned that each of the nominees demonstrated the finest example of professionalism within the organization, and contributed to the chapter. Moreover, she stated that this year’s decision was especially difficult because the nominees invested a significant amount of time, energy, and support into the chapter. Each award was then presented by one of the Awards Committee members.
Below are the winners of the Awards for the different categories based on their accomplishments, diligence, commitment, and hard work:
- The Distinguished Associate Corporation Award went to The Mohawk Group for being the host of IFMA/GNY’s breakfast networking meetings, executive board meetings, and toolbox luncheons. This award was presented by Matt Poveromo of Waldner's.
- The Distinguished Associate Member Award went to Nadine Cino, President of Tyga-Box Systems and Programs Committee Chair. She has been tremendously dedicated and helped bring record attendance, especially in toolbox luncheons. Without her, IFMA/GNY would not be what it is today. This award was presented by Stephanie Chippas of Perkins Eastman Architects.
- The Distinguished Professional Member Award went to Laura Gimpel, NY Facility Manager for Google and Membership Co-Chair. She has greatly increased the membership of facility managers, and was instrumental in organizing the IFMA/GNY Google tour. This award was presented by Dominick Chieco of Milrose Consultants.
- The Facility Management Achievement Award went to Brian Ostrowe, CFM of BlackRock, Inc. Brian has been an IFMA member for 17 years, and has spent the past 10 years overseeing Corporate Services for BlackRock. Brian was highly successful in re-organizing and restructuring the entire Corporate Services Department. His initiatives have helped save BlackRock an impressive $25m in annual costs. This award was presented by Mindy Williams of IA Interior Architects.
- The Distinguished Educator Award went to Marjorie Dorin who has been a great teacher to facility management students at NYU. She has taken over the curriculum since 2002 and has recently added an additional course to her syllabus. This award was presented by Ellen Hains of Humanscale.
- The Environmental Awareness Award went to InterfaceFLOR Commercial that has adopted green as part of their corporate philosophy and standard operating procedure. They now have adopted ‘Mission Zero,’ a program to eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by the year 2020. This award was presented by John Leitner of Environmental Building Solutions.
- The Design of a New Facility Award went to Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. The office space has a stunning nine-story open staircase designed by ‘Mancini Duffy,’ elegant lighting designed by ‘Maryanne Hay,’ a beautiful pantry area, and amazing art work that all make this an exceptional place. This award was presented by Michael Sweeney of Sweeney & Associates.
- And last but not least, in continuing the tradition of honoring the memory of IFMA’s beloved former member, Anthony Cornacchia, The Anthony J. Cornacchia Distinguished Service Award Award went to Steven J. La Valley of InterfaceFLOR Commercial. Steve stands out in terms of his contributions, hard work and dedication to IFMA/GNY. Steve has chaired the Associates, Retention, and the Golf Committees, and has served on the Executive Board two terms as VP, two terms as Secretary, and one term as Assistant Treasurer/Secretary.
After the Awards were given, raffles were auctioned, and then guests were escorted outside to the ballroom where desserts were served. This proved to be a great chance to network for the second time and congratulate the winners. What a fabulous finish to a spectacular evening!
By Gabriela de Oliveira of Global Arch, LLC & Liz Arauz Chang of ThinkSpace NY -IFMA/GNY Public Relations Committee Chairs