Manhattan, NY Among the 10 awards presented to commercial property management professionals at the Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) 15th Annual Commercial Management Leadership Breakfast held on May 31st at the New York Hilton Midtown Grand Ballroom, Theresa Morzello was honored as the Commercial Management Executive of the Year. Morzello is the first woman to receive this award since its inception in 2003. 

In 2010, the award was renamed The Edward Riguardi Commercial Management Executive of the Year Award in honor of its first recipient, Edward Riguardi, who passed away in March 2018. Riguardi, known as the “dean of property management” in New York, was widely respected for his work in safety regulations, city codes, the rehabilitation of properties, and adding value to a client’s property.

As managing director for CBRE’s Asset Services, Morzello oversees services ranging from property management to project management, and activities ranging from due diligence to accounting. She also provides hands-on leadership for more than 65 properties totaling more than 28 million s/f.

“Not only is our Commercial Management Executive of the Year Award winner a woman, but half of this year’s awards were presented to women,” said John Banks, REBNY president. “We are gratified that more women in our industry are being recognized for their outstanding professional accomplishments, and thank all of the honorees for their dedication to our industry.”

Additional 2018 honorees were:

• Best Engine Room Award: Hines’ 1585 Broadway;

• John Griffin Community Service Award: Avi Itzikowitz, director of operations for ATCO Properties & Management, Inc.;

• On-Site Manager of the Year: Sandra Hahn, VP and GM at JLL;

• Portfolio Manager of the Year: Diane Fields, portfolio manager at Empire State Realty Trust;

• Rising Star of the Year: Massiel Santana, property manager at Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.;

• Small Building Engineer of the Year: Michael Johnson, chief engineer for Forest City Ratner Cos.’ Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech;

• Large Building Engineer of the Year: Ron D’Amato, chief engineer for SL Green Realty Corp.’s 1185 Avenue of the Americas;

• Security Professional of the Year: Jose De La Cruz, building security/concierge for Waterman Properties, LLC; and

• Porter of the Year: Maria Dedvukaj, forewoman at ABM.

The event, held in the Grand Ballroom at the New York Hilton Midtown, included a keynote speech by Owen Thomas, Chief Executive Officer and a Director at Boston Properties LP. In his address, Mr. Thomas discussed technology, co-working, and sustainability.

Platinum tier sponsors for REBNY’s 15th Annual Commercial Management Leadership Breakfast included: ATCO Properties & Management, Inc., Boston Properties LP, CBRE, Inc., Fisher Brothers, Platinum, Silverstein Properties, Inc., SL Green Realty Corp., and Vornado Realty Trust. 

The awards presentation was hosted by Gaston Silva of Vornado Realty Trust, co-chair of REBNY’s Management Division Board of Directors, and Louis Trimboli of CBRE, Inc., co-chair of REBNY’s Commercial Management Council. The award presenters included: Michael Griffin, representing the Griffin family; Howard Styles and Kuba Brown, IUOE Local Union 94; Héctor Figueroa, 32BJ SEIU; and Thomas Hill of Boston Properties LP, co-chair of REBNY’s Management Division Board of Directors.