BOMA/NY holds its 2015 Pinnacle Awards at Chelsea Piers

"Transformation and Innovation are the watchwords of the 2015 BOMA/NY Pinnacle Awards," said awards chair Angelo Grima on opening the gala, Oscar-style ceremony on the evening of February 26th. Held at Chelsea Piers and hosting an enthusiastic audience of 550 leaders of commercial real estate, the BOMA/NY Pinnacle Awards honored individuals in eight building categories as well as the Outstanding Local Member and Manager of the Year categories. The transformation theme prevailed in every building category, from pre-war landmarks that had undergone comprehensive renovation into contemporary, headquarters-quality, Energy Star and LEED office structures, to notable class A, 80's-era buildings that were repositioned at the very top of their markets, and a new construction winner that pioneered trophy building quality in an emerging commercial market. Even those vying for the awards presented to individuals all demonstrated transformative qualities, Grima said, adding that "the Pinnacle process drives you to raise your own bar." The awards, which require a comprehensive written submission and extensive on-site tour, were described by BOMA/NY president Thomas Hill, RPA as "validation from your peers that you are at the top of your game in the most competitive marketplace in America. The competition also validates the company's reputation—it's ROI for everyone...It's the benchmarking of the best." Taking up that challenge, more ownership and management firms entered the competition than in previous years and awards were given across a wide spectrum of the commercial real estate community. The winners are: * Outstanding Local Member of the Year: John Brandstetter, The Brandstetter Group. Disaster and recovery professional Brandstetter has been a guiding force behind BOMA/NY's leading pro-grams in resiliency. Most recently he created BOMA/NY's Response & Recovery: It's All About the Money seminar, spearheaded its Superstorm Sandy Lessons Learned task force, and formed, and now chairs, BOMA/NY's Weather Subcommittee, which produces advisories during violent weather events. His firm is a consultant to key real estate firms in the tri-state area. * Historical Building: The Argonaut; building owner - M1 Real Estate; management firm - Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.; and property manager - Ron Hagen. The former crown jewel of New York's historic "Automobile Row," The Argonaut Building has been restored by its owner to its former Beaux Arts splendor, while being transformed by its sole occupant, the Open Society Foundations, into an innovative 21st Century workplace. The massive exterior and interior renovations of the 170,000 s/f NYC landmark at 227 West 57th St. have re-created the best of its history while meeting Energy Star and LEED Gold benchmarks. * Government building: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York; owner - New York Convention Center Development Corp.; management firm - New York Convention Center Operating Corp.; and property manager - Kenneth Sanchez, VP, operations and facilities management. Recently renovated with an eye on service and sustainability, the Javits Center has dramatically upgraded its 80's-era systems and facilities into a state-of-the-art convention center to become the "Crossroads of the World." Now the busiest convention center in America, Javits is home to the second largest green roof in the world, the spectacular Crystal Pavilion and 840,000 s/f of exhibition space, where management deftly coordinates hundreds of trade shows and exhibitions a year. * New Construction: 51 Astor Place; owner/manager - Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Inc.; and property manager: Brian Zall, RPA/LEED GA. Groundbreaking design in a groundbreaking neighborhood—every aspect of 51 Astor Place speaks to creative ingenuity, from its distinctive pentagonal footprint and sheer curtainwall that melts into the Manhattan sky, to state-of-the-art green credentials encompassing green roofs and keypad climate control technology, among other features. As a result, this dynamic LEED Gold structure is now leased to information technology leaders whose own innovations match the creative force of 51 Astor. * Earth Award: 1325 Avenue of the Americas; owner -1325 Avenue of the Americas, L.P.; manager - Paramount Group, Inc.; and property manager: Jim Sammon. Elegant, stylized and sustainable, 1325 Avenue of the Americas achieved its green credentials through careful, comprehensive analysis and a commitment to bring every operational practice, building system and piece of equipment to its highest and best use. As a result, 1325 has achieved LEED Silver and an Energy Star Score in the 80's. The mission is carried on by tenants who have built their spaces to LEED standards, while the building team continues to push operations to the next level—LEED Gold. * Manager of the Year (3-10 Years of Experience): Jennifer Ciccotto, RPA, 100 Church St., SL Green Realty Corp. "Fearless...formidable...and the most professional manager I have worked with..." are just some of the accolades accorded Jennifer Ciccotto, RPA. Known as a superb communicator graced with confidence, versatility and leader-ship skills, her accomplishments, particularly in the field of emergency preparedness, now serve as case studies for her colleagues at SL Green. Her problem-solving ability and overall management expertise led SL Green to select her to spearhead a new corporate training curriculum and as EVP Edward Piccinich says, "she is a consum-mate professional who goes above and beyond to solve the problem at hand." * Manager of the Year (More than 10 Years of Experience): Herb Gonzalez, 200 Fifth Ave., L&L Holding Co., LLC Both his tenants and co-workers laud Herb Gonzalez for the leadership strength he displays in juggling assign-ments, which over the past two decades have included some of New York's most challenging developments and renovations. He balances that skill with dexterity, resourcefulness and a solid command of the many skills needed to achieve successful daily operations. L&L Chairman David Levinson calls his ability to turn around building per-formance and profitability, while overseeing complex construction projects, "seamless." And as his tenant Grey Advertising says, "without Herb, many of our goals would be impossible to achieve." * Renovated Building: 452 Fifth Ave.; owner - 452 Fifth Owners, LLC; management firm - CBRE; and real estate manager, Annabella Molina. The $50 million program to reposition this 80's-era corporate headquarters into a multi-tenant, global destination encompassed new design and system upgrades from the streetline to the roofline. Highlights include a new light-filled entrance, which has tripled in size and opens onto a greatly expanded, soaring, new stone-clad lobby. Infra-structure was rebuilt to install new elevator service, cooling towers, telecom systems, retail space and more, while operating improvements raised the Energy Star score to 71. As the tower enters its third decade, its renovation success is in full view of the worldwide real estate market. * Operating Office Building (250,000 to 499,999 s/f): 1359 Broadway; owner/manager - Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.; and property manager Wendi Gibb. Ownership's sensitive repositioning of the pre-war trophy at 1359 Broadway restored its historic heritage, while engineering new infrastructure and interiors for today's tenants. Features range from the Lobby centerpiece—a coffered ceiling hidden by a previous renovation—to upgrades of elevator, HVAC, power and telecommunications systems that enabled it to compete as an Energy Star rated, fully-modernized office building. The former manufac-turing building now boasts 486,470-sf of contemporary office space, occupied by leaders in media and technology. * Operating Office Building (500,000 to 1 million s/f): 340 Madison Ave.; owner - Broadway 340 Madison Fee, LLC; management firm - RXR Property Management, LLC; and property manager - Victor Spivak, RPA. Transformed in 2006 from three structures into a stunning class A modern office tower, 340 Madison Ave. is one of the Grand Central marketplace's more elegant office structures. The 746,461s/f building is noted for its high-performance glass curtainwall façade, state-of-the-art infrastructure and highly efficient floorplates of 40,000 s/f each. Ownership's emphasis on sustainability and management team dedication achieved an Energy Star score of 92, one NYC's highest. In addition, management has made innovative operations and tenant relations its mission. * Operating Office Building (Over 1 million s/f): One Hudson Sq.; owner/manager - Trinity Real Estate, Parish of Trinity Church; and property manager - Peter St. John, LEED AP. Twice repositioned and renovated, the 1.2-million-sf New York landmark at One Hudson Square is now an Energy Star® rated, LEED Silver headquarters center for creative and new media industries, with operating practices and a sustainability profile that would have been unimaginable three decades ago when it began transitioning from a light industrial building to office space. It now serves as the cornerstone of the burgeoning Hudson Square busi-ness district—where ownership spearheaded the development of a BID—and has continually upgraded infrastruc-ture and management practices to become the standard-bearer of excellence in delivering tenant services and amenities in this trend-setting marketplace. BOMA/NY is the local New York Association and the largest in the BOMA International Federation, the world's largest real estate trade group. It promotes programs to enhance and advance the professional skills of those en-gaged in the commercial real estate, and serves as a resource for more than 750 company members by providing a vast range of educational opportunities, from professional designations to cutting edge topics; taking a pro-active role in government affairs, particularly regarding local codes and legislation; creating an environment for infor-mation networking; providing state-of-the-art information through committees in such areas as emergency pre-paredness, energy conservation/sustainability, codes and regulations and related industry issues and trends; and by upholding standards for excellence of operations through administering the Pinnacle Awards, the local level competition of The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) Awards, and the most rigorous competition honoring ownership and managerial excellence in the industry. -end-