BOMA Westchester holds 25th Annual Hall of Honor Awards; Keystone and EF Education First win top award

Shown (from left) are: BOMA Westchester president William Bassett; Gottlieb; and former BOMA Westchester president Anthony Lifrieri, who served as program emcee.

Tarrytown, NY More than 150 members of Westchester’s commercial real estate industry were on hand May 19 for the 25^th Annual Hall of Honor Awards Dinner of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Westchester (BOMA) held at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill.

This year’s Hall of Honor Award, which is given to those who support and encourage economic growth in Westchester County, was presented to Keystone Property Group and EF Education First.   

Keystone Property Group acquires, develops, leases and manages real estate, working with office, flex and industrial spaces in major markets throughout the U.S. Keystone’s portfolio of five office properties in Westchester includes 555, 565 and 570 Taxter Rd. outside Elmsford and the Talleyrand Office Park at 200 and 220 White Plains Rd. Accepting the award for Keystone was Richard Gottlieb, senior VP and operating partner.

EF Education First has had a presence in Westchester for decades through its educational tours, cultural exchanges and academic degree programs. EF acquired the former Marymount College campus in Tarrytown and redeveloped it into an EF International Language Center. In 2014, EF acquired the 97-acre former IBM Research Facility in Thornwood and redeveloped the campus into an EF Academy International Boarding School. Accepting the award for EF were headmaster Brian Mahoney and executive director Philip Johnson. 

Shown (from left) are: BOMA Westchester president William Bassett; EF Education First headmaster Brian Mahoney; EF Education First Executive Director Philip Johnson; and former BOMA Westchester president Anthony Lifrieri, who served as program emcee.

The BOMA President’s Award, which is given to an individual or institution that has made a long-term contribution to the wellbeing of the community, was presented to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS, which has its national headquarters at Reckson Executive Park in Rye Brook, is one of the largest voluntary health organizations dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients. Accepting the award for LLS was Rosemarie Loffredo, executive VP, chief administrative officer and CFO.  

This year’s Best of BOMA Award winners were:

Comeback Building of the Year was awarded to Purchase Professional Park. Located in the heart of the I-287 office corridor at 3000-3040 Westchester Avenue, Purchase Professional Park features 220,000 square feet of state-of-the-art medical and professional office space. The four-building office park recently completed a major renovation and modernization of existing buildings and common areas. It has become the foremast location for medical practices in Westchester. Accepting the award was Patricia Simone, President of Simone Management Group. Simone Development Companies developed the park in partnership with Fareri Associates.

Signature Building Team of the Year was awarded to Cushman & Wakefield as managers of The Gateway Building in White Plains. Built in 1984, The Gateway Building is a premier office tower in downtown White Plains providing its tenants with the convenience of having an optimal location across from the White Plains Metro-North Train Station. The building is managed by the onsite team of Caroline Malloy, Senior Property Manager; Kevin Ullrich, Assistant Property Manager; Robert Melly, Chief Engineer, and Joseph Roccuzzo Assistant Engineer. Melly accepted the award for the C&W team. 

BOMA Westchester is the county’s leading professional organization dedicated to meeting the needs of building owners, property managers and allied professionals and tradespeople. BOMA Westchester is an affiliate of BOMA International --- the oldest and largest association of the office building industry, with over 100 federated associations in the United States and around the world. The 17,000-plus members of BOMA International own or manage more than 9 billion square feet of commercial properties in North America and abroad.