Riso of The Briarwood Org. to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Vincent Riso, a prominent real estate developer and Queens community booster, has been selected to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Queens Chamber of Commerce. "The Queens Chamber of Commerce has selected Riso for this award because of his vision and dedication to making Queens a borough of choice," said Mayra DiRico, the chair of the chamber's building awards committee. "Queens continues to thrive because of leaders such as Vincent Riso." The award is presented to individuals who are outstanding in their field, community and support of the Queens Chamber of Commerce and its business initiatives. Riso will be honored at the chamber's 96th Annual Dinner & Building Awards Presentation on December 3. "I'm deeply touched that the Chamber has chosen me to receive this award," said Riso. "The real honor has been doing what I could, where I could to serve the Queens community over the years." Riso is a principal at The Briarwood Organization, a family-owned real estate group that develops, builds and manages property throughout Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. Outside of his role heading Briarwood, Riso has donated his time and efforts to numerous civic and charitable causes. In 1995, he was appointed to be the sole Diocesan trustee on the members board of the Nehemiah II Project for the Diocese of Brooklyn. He was honored by the Arthritis Foundation at the Queens Leaders' Award Reception in 2001, and has served as an honorary chairman for the foundation ever since. In 2006, he received an East Harlem Community Service Award from Hope Community for contributing greatly to making East Harlem a better place to live and work. Vincent has also dedicated his time to serving countless professional boards and organizations, including the New York State Association for Affordable Housing, the Queens and Bronx Building Association (founding member and past president), the New York City Building Commissioner's Industry Cabinet, the Department of Environmental Protection's Advisory Cabinet, and the Citizens Housing and Planning Council.