Simone Development maintenance tech Aguilar wins BOMA Westchester 2023 Unsung Heroes award

Yonkers, NY Simone Development Companies announced that Jose Aguilar, a maintenance technician at the firm’s Boyce Thompson Center mixed-use medical and retail development, has been awarded the BOMA Westchester “Unsung Hero” award for his dedication and service to tenants and visitors.

“Jose consistently goes above and beyond to ensure the satisfaction of our tenants and seamless operation of our Boyce Thompson Center,” said Joe Simone, president of Simone Development. “Jose's positive attitude, exceptional teamwork, and his willingness to take on any challenge have made him an invaluable member of our team.”

The award was presented recently during BOMA Westchester’s 31st Annual Hall of Honors Awards dinner in Tarrytown, NY. In accepting the award, Aguilar recalled a chance meeting with the late Joseph Kelleher, a long-term Simone Development senior executive who was playing a guitar gig at a restaurant where he was working. The pair immediately hit it off and Joe offered Jose a maintenance position at the then newly opened Boyce Thompson Center. When Jose questioned his qualifications for the position, Kelleher replied "Can you screw in a light bulb? If so, we can teach you the rest." 

“What I like most about my job is helping people, both with the tenant’s needs and their customers,” Aguilar said, recalling his ongoing relationship with an elderly woman who visits a medical tenant and is afraid to ride elevators alone. Jose made it a point to learn her schedule and now always meets her during appointment days to ride the elevator with her.

“Jose is a testament to our company’s ongoing devotion to the businesses who call our properties home and the people they in turn serve,” said Simone. “We are extremely proud of him, his dedication and all the service and maintenance professionals that make Simone Development stand out in the world of commercial real estate.”