Nora Fay, LEED AP is a principal with Lehr Construction Corp., a major New York City construction management/general contracting firm. Since joining LEHR almost three years ago, she has developed many key accounts with LEHR in the new business development area of the firm. She is also responsible for maintaining long term existing accounts the company has entrusted to her. Additionally, she created and oversees the LEED Consulting Services division at LEHR.
Prior to joining LEHR, Fay resided in Los Angeles where she held a national position as vice president of corporate accounts for Cooper Industries, a Fortune 500 manufacturer of electrical products, tools and hardware. She was, at the time, one of a handful of executive level women in a company of 28,000 employees worldwide.
"I have had the good fortune of working for excellent companies my entire career. Collectively they have helped me in my efforts to service clients and maintain relationships over the course of 20 plus years. The only way I can promote a product or a service is to really believe it's the best in its category. It is also important for me to enjoy where I work, to respect and genuinely like the people I work with, and have a real sense of a team pulling toward the same goals of delivering a great product for our clients. Never has this been truer for me since joining LEHR. And I think I can safely say from my partner's perspective, they appreciate and respect my efforts on the company's behalf. My enthusiasm is fueled daily by working with individuals who are totally dedicated to making our projects successful for our clients," said Fay.
"Joining LEHR helped broaden my field of expertise to include all aspects of construction. It has been incredibly interesting and fun for me. From a business development perspective, our industry is unique in that you can work in different areas of the industry yet be consistent with your network of contacts. It's refreshing (and good for you) to learn new things. Children challenge themselves daily, yet adults tend to get comfortable especially with regard to their careers."
It was partly that philosophy along with a lifelong interest in the environment that prompted Fay to pursue becoming a LEED accredited professional. "Finally I thought, being an environmentalist and a contractor doesn't have to be mutually exclusive!" Last April she passed the LEED for New Construction exam on her first try.
While attending a USGBC preparatory technical review course for LEED she hosted a study group where she demonstrated to her classmates how she was managing to absorb the breadth of information they were expected to know for the exam. They encouraged her to share this information so last fall Nora approached the NYC Chapter of CoreNet Global, an organization she has been involved with since 1996, about offering this unique LEED Study workshop to the membership. Last October's workshop was so well received that she was asked by CoreNet Global to be part of their CoreCurriculum Program giving all chapters an opportunity to benefit from her "natural learning" study methods. Since then, other workshops "generously hosted by Herman Miller at their LEED CI (Commercial Interior) Certified Gold showroom" (the first project to achieve this in NYC and proudly built by LEHR) have proven "immensely helpful" and "instrumental" in helping a number of industry professionals including architects, project managers and others become LEED accredited.
With her passion for construction and green building, she volunteers at NEW (Non-traditional Employment for Women) where she talks to students about the exciting and rewarding career path they've chosen and the opportunities for women in the construction industry. Students at NEW go through a 6 week program where they learn skills including electrical, plumbing, drywall and carpentry, which prepares them to enter the trades as apprentices. Fay covers the newest developments in green building and how a green or LEED project is different from a traditional construction project.
Last November Fay was a panelist in a roundtable discussion hosted by Real Estate New York magazine on the "Pulse of the Green Building Market" held at the Penn Club. An article summarizing the event appeared in the December issue of Real Estate New York.
Fay has accepted an invitation to participate in another panel on green construction in a commercial space at the upcoming Green East expo March 26-28 at Pier 92 in NYC.
She has been a guest lecturer at NYU School of Continuing Ed. She is also a member of AREW (Association of Real Estate Women), USGBC NY Chapter (United States Green Building Council) and PWC (Professional Women in Construction).
In 2007 she was the guest of honor at the Annual Capuchin "Women of Valor" luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria and in 2008 she received the Executive Achievement Award from Professional Women in Construction. Tags: