Skip to main content

Officers & Governors

Chair

Elizabeth Velez

Velez Organization

Vice Chairs

Kelly Heuer

Ankura

David W. Marino

American Global

Christopher Shaw

LF Driscoll Healthcare

President

Carlo A. Scissura, Esq.

New York Building Congress

Treasurer

Mark Gregorio

TEI Group

Secretary

Suri Kasirer

Kasirer LLC

General Counsel

Michael K. De Chiara

Zetlin & De Chiara, LLP

Past Chairs

Cheryl McKissack Daniel

McKissack & McKissack

Milo Riverso, Ph.D, P.E.

Manhattan College

Jonathan D. Resnick

Jack Resnick & Sons

Frank J. Sciame

Sciame Construction

Dominick M. Servedio, P.E.

STV

Richard L. Tomasetti, P.E., NAE, HON. AIA

Thornton Tomasetti

Governors

Jeffery R. Capazzi

The Jobin Organization

Kenneth Colao

CNY Group

Patrick A. DiCerbo

Northwestern Mutual

Raffaela Dunne

VHB

Christian Esteban

A. Estéban & Company

William Mandara

Mancini Duffy

Anthony Mastrolia

The Durst Organization

Doron Netanel

Electra USA

Andrew Pearl

Swinerton Builders

Tricia Quan-Kep

Naik Group

John B. Rice, P.E., LEED AP

Legacy Engineers

Kirsten Sibilia, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

Dattner Architects

Andrew Simmons

A&S Rebar, Inc.

Michael L. Smithers, CRIS

Marsh USA Inc.

Thomas R. Spatafora

Posillico Inc.

Chris Terceira

Cumming Group

Palmina M. Whelan

PWSS

Governors Emeriti

Richard T. Anderson, FAICP, FCIOB, NAC, HON AIANY

RTA Advisory Services LLC

Jeffrey M. Levy

J.J. Ryan Associates

J. Robert Mann Jr.

About the Foundation

Mission Statement

Formed in 1998, the New York Building Foundation promotes the long-term growth and well-being of the New York City building industry and the wider community through an active program of research, education, and philanthropy. The Building Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that leverages the talents and vast resources of all sectors of the building industry to benefit New Yorkers and give back to the community.

History

The New York Building Foundation, the charitable arm of the New York Building Congress, was founded by a group of dedicated professionals to improve and better coordinate the building community’s approach to promoting the New York City construction industry. Over its 26-year history, the Building Foundation’s activities have included grants and scholarships for educational programs aimed at developing an interest in the industry among K-12 and college students; support for training organizations that assist adults from various backgrounds with joining the trades; programs to encourage clean, safe worksites; and research on issues impacting both the building industry and the city’s economic future. And in the times of greatest need, the Foundation has mobilized the building community with the establishment of the World Trade Center Memorial Fund in 2001 and the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund in 2012.

The Foundation strives to maximize talents, relationships, and partnerships to broaden its reach and strengthen its influence to bolster New York City’s built environment, encourage the development of the next generation of the industry’s workforce, and enhance the diverse communities that make up the city.

Grants & Philanthropy

The Building Foundation has historically provided grants to non-profit organizations related to the building industry or focused on the economic betterment of New York City.

The Building Foundation has historically provided grants to non-profit organizations related to the building industry or focused on the economic betterment of New York City. Some past grant recipients include:

ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York

Andromeda Community Initiative

BoBCAT

Design Trust for Public Space

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation

Harlem Commonwealth Council

IMPACCT

Manhattan College

New York Helmets to Hardhats

Nontraditional Employment for Women

Pathways to Apprenticeship

Rebuilding Together NYC

Salvadori Center

South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation

Staten Island Economic Development Corporation

Workers Justice Project

Additionally, the Building Foundation has harnessed the resources of the building industry during some of the City’s most devastating periods with the establishment of dedicated funds.

Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund

Established in November 2012 in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund raised more than $260,000, which was used to assist affected families, support selected recovery programs, and sponsor research on ways to improve infrastructure planning and design.

The Fund first focused on immediate recovery efforts by distributing individual grants of up to $2,500 to employees of Building Congress member organizations within the design, construction, and real estate industry in the New York area who sustained measurable damages directly related to the impacts of Hurricane Sandy. The Fund also contributed to the ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York to provide scholarships for students whose families were affected by the storm; the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, which funded minor-to-moderate non-structural repairs to one- and two-family homes damaged by the storm; and community-focused organizations, such as the Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund, Rebuilding Together NYC, and the Red Hook Initiative, to help rebuild and repair public facilities and personal property damaged by the storm.

World Trade Center Memorial Fund

In response to the tragic attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and the outpouring of offers of support from representatives of the design, construction and real estate industry, the Building Foundation established a World Trade Center Memorial Fund. The Fund raised more than $400,000 from member employees, firms, and other industry colleagues. Most of the donated funds were distributed to surviving family members of building industry workers and uniformed personnel who perished on September 11.

In addition, at the New York Building Congress Remembrance and Recognition Dinner in October of 2001, the Fund awarded checks for $25,000 to the United Firefighters Association’s 911 Fund, the Port Authority Police Department WTC Disaster Fund and the Building Trades Families Relief Fund. Also at the event, a $25,000 check was donated to a fund for the families of fallen New York City Police Officers from Building Foundation Governor Jack Rudin, Co-Chairman of Rudin Management Company, Inc., in memory of his late brother Lewis. A portion of the Fund’s remaining contributions were used for work site memorials given to each of the Building Congress member firms that lost employees in the attack.

Research

The Building Foundation has made research and analysis a central part of its activities in an effort to serve the industry and contribute to public debate on issues concerning design, construction, and New York City’s economic future.

In collaboration with its parent organization, the New York Building Congress, the Building Foundation has sponsored all installments of the New York City Construction Outlook series, an annual forecast and analysis on construction spending and employment. Throughout its history, the Building Foundation has contributed to the research of various special reports produced by the Building Congress. These include Building Innovation, Risk and Resiliency After Sandy, Building a Better NYC Capital Budget, and Building a World Class Tourism & Cultural Sector. The Building Foundation also supported ASCEND to Action, a supplemental report to the ASCEND conference on building innovation and technology which acted as a springboard to shift the culture of this industry and set a course for the next 50 years of innovation.

Support the Foundation