Paramount Group honored by BOMA/NY with Grand Pinnacle

2016 Pinnacle winners, shown  (from left, seated) are: Louis Conti, RPA, Vornado; BOMA/NY executive director Roberta McGowan, CAE; Carla Rooney, Paramount; BOMA/NY president James Kleeman, RPA; Rosemarie Krol, RPA, CBRE; and Ralph DiRuggiero, Paramount.
Shown (from left, standing) are: BOMA/NY Pinnacle Awards committee chair Angelo Grima; James Kelly, RPA, Edward Minskoff Equities; Mitchell Grant, RPA, RXR; Rock Harding, Boston Props.; Michael Flatley, CEM/LEED AP/CPMP, Steven Winter Assoc.; Andre Camacho, C&W; Stephen Mosca, CFM, N.Y. Convention Center Operating Co.; and BOMA/NY Pinnacle Awards committee vice chair, Tom Krol, LEED/AP

Manhattan, NY BOMA/NY’s Pinnacle awards ceremony lived up to its theme as a night of firsts, inaugurating the Grand Pinnacle award for the highest scoring building in any category. The 2016 competition was distinguished by the largest number ever of buildings competing with Energy Star/LEED certifications, landmark designations and repositioning credentials. Overall, 20 nominees competed for 11 awards. The event was held Feb. 25 at Chelsea Piers.

The BOMA/NY Pinnacle Award is the local round of the BOMA International TOBY (The Outstanding Building of the Year) competition, which is the most prestigious award world-wide in commercial building ownership and management. Winners are determined by an anonymous, peer-judging review system. Judges evaluate the nominees’ written submissions and on-site inspections determine the winner, using more than 100 international standards of excellence.

The honorees were:

The Grand Pinnacle Owner: 900 Third Ave., L.P. Management firm: Paramount Grp. Property Manager: Carla Rooney

Though 900 Third is LEED Gold, Energy Star-certified with programs in all judging areas, Team 900 was not satisfied. Throughout the Pinnacle competition, it raised its Energy Star score, evaluated new ways to achieve Platinum LEED, and rededicated itself to excellence through new mentoring and training programs, ranging from recognizing staff performance to team brainstorming sessions. It instituted communications in which Team 900 values and goals were shared with tenants and deepened its neighborhood outreach by collaborating with the local BID. For every tenant event, there was a special twist that added communal—and community—value. The judges’ highest praise? “Every single team member owns their responsibilities—the sense of contribution is exceptional.”

Historical - 500 Fifth Ave. Owner: Spaulding and Slye Investments, Management Firm: Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., Manager: David Leest

New Construction - 250 West 55^th St. Owner/Management: Boston Properties, Inc., Property Manager: Rock Harding 

Outstanding Local Member of the Year – Michael Flatley, CEM/LEED AP/CPMP Senior Building Systems Consultant, Steven Winter Associates, Inc. 

Manager of the Year 3-10 Years – Rosemarie Krol, RPA 130 West 42^nd St., CBRE

Earth - 712 Fifth Ave. Owner: 712 Avenue, L.P, Management Firm: Paramount Group, Inc., Property Manager: Jim Sammon

Renovated – 330 West 34^th St. Owner: Vornado Realty Trust, Management Firm: Vornado Office Management LLC, Real Estate Manager: Louis Conti, RPA

Manager of the Year Over 10 Years of Experience – Stephen Mosca, CFM Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York; New York Convention Center Operating Corp.

Operating Office Building 250,000 - 499,999 s/f – 101 Ave. of the Americas Owner/Management: Edward Minskoff Equities, Inc., Property Manager: James Kelly, RPA 

Operating Office Building 500,000 - 1 million s/f – 900 Third Ave. Owner: Third Avenue, L.P., Management Firm: Paramount Group, Inc., Property Manager: Carla Rooney

Operating Office Building Over 1 million s/f – Starrett-Lehigh Building - 601 West 26^th St. Owner: RXR SL-Owner LLC, Management Firm: RXR Realty Property Manager: Mitchell Grant, RPA