Will Telesca, KBE-NY

Name: Will Telesca, PE

Title: Senior Vice President/Director of Preconstruction

Company Name: KBE-NY

List 2-3 real estate associations or organizations that you are currently a member of:

• ABC Empire State

What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of?

So many of my projects over the years started with a business relationship, a connection I was able to forge with an owner or architect, and which often led to new opportunities. Projects like the Koch Theatre renovations that I worked on some years back, which resulted in a more recent renovation. Four of the projects KBE-NY has underway—a residence tower in Jersey City, a major renovation in Phoenix, the luxury residences at 124 Columbia Heights and 155 Withers St. in Brooklyn—each came from long-standing relationships. That’s really what I’m most proud of—creating a project experience that leads to a lasting connection.

Top three things on your bucket list:

Deep-sea fishing in Costa Rica; retiring on a Carribbean island and never taking off my flip-flops; and having the luxury of time to think about a bucket list.

How do you contribute to your community or your profession?

I’ve always made it a point to teach and mentor the staff at KBE-NY and throughout my career, whether it’s practical guidance about navigating their careers to sharing the technical knowledge needed to estimate and plan a new construction project. I had a lot of people teach me along the way – and I’m still learning from others. So, it’s really important to me to pass along what knowledge I can offer.

What led you to your current profession?

My educational background and training is in civil engineering, but when I started down that path after college, I found the work to be redundant and just not as interesting as I had hoped. In construction, on the other hand—everything is different, everything is a challenge, and the projects and the experience change up all the time. There’s definitely the thrill of working in the city—you have to think through every aspect of a project and address the many variables and unique constraints. And there are a lot of personalities to work with. It’s certainly never dull.

Favorite quote:

I am not sure about my favorite but I like “Life is full of choices, make the most of them.”