Women owners and executives of some of the largest companies in the construction industry will gather on Wednesday evening, October 21 at 6 p.m. to honor their colleagues who have made exceptional contributions in their fields at the third annual "WBC Champion awards 2009" at the Bank of New York Mellon. The awards ceremony is hosted by the Women Builders Council, Inc. (WBC). The dinner is attended by top executives from some of the most prominent companies in the area such as Tishman Construction Corp., Bovis Lend Lease LMB, Inc., Plaza Construction Corp. and Turner Construction Co. Emceed by former NBC and CNN anchor Mary Alice Williams, the evening's honorees will include Susan Bass Levin, deputy executive director of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Connie Crawford, senior VP and chief engineer, MTA New York City Transit; Janice Tuchman, editor-in-chief, McGraw-Hill Construction; Iris Weinshall, vice chancellor for facilities planning, construction & management, City University of New York; Joseph Ienuso, executive VP, Columbia University Facilities, Columbia University in the City of New York; Denise Richardson, managing director, The General Contractors Association of New York; Carra Wallace, managing director of executive initiatives, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York; Dr. John Palmer, Ph.D., executive director, Harlem Hospital Center; and Christine Donaldson Boccia, executive manager, Donaldson Traditional Interiors. There will also be special tribute in memorium for former WBC board member, Carolyn Griszell, national director of supplier diversity management programs at Bovis Lend Lease. "Women builders, engineers, and architects are having more and more impact on New York's construction industry, which is vital to the City's economic engine," said WBC president Sandra Wilkin. "However, women do not get the recognition that they deserve and our organization aims to spotlight the accomplishments of these outstanding women as well as those executives who encourage and support women builders." Nationally, women builders account for about 9% of the workforce in the construction industry. The mission of the five-year-old Women Builders Council (WBC) is to seek and implement solutions to the challenges, obstacles and concerns of women in the building industry by providing advocacy, technical assistance and training. WBC provides regional strength to impact public policies, allowing for change to enhance the growth of small businesses, including minority and women business enterprises. WBC reaches beyond mentoring to assist women business is in achieving the highest possible standard of success. Devoted to providing an influential voice in the legislative process for women architects, engineers, contractors and subcontractors, WBC welcomes public and private sector women and men from every building and construction industry discipline, working at every level from executive staff to management. WBC provides a dynamic forum that advances industry knowledge, addresses the barriers that prevent women from growing and facilitates solutions for policymakers and industry leaders. For more information about purchasing tickets to the event, please contact (212) 367-2130 or visit www.wbcnyc.org.