“It is important that we as an industry stay together and that we commit ourselves to participate in task forces and recovery efforts. We are faced with the same kinds
of long-term commitments the President talked about and we will need patience,” said Building Congress Chairman Jeffrey M. Levy.

PetMore than 1,000 representatives of the building community gathered to honor three industry leaders – Jack Rudin, Edward J. Malloy and Robert S. Peckar – during the New York Building Congress 2002 Industry Recognition Dinner at the Grand Hyatt New York on October 24.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg served as the keynote speaker and Tishman Construction Corp. President and CEO Daniel R. Tishman was Dinner Chairman.The annual gala event recognizes the brilliant careers and dedicated civic leadership of New York City's foremost members of the design, construction and real estate industry. “New York City is defined by the daring and grace of its public and private developments,” Mayor Bloomberg noted, before applauding the industry for its heroic efforts at Ground Zero over the past year. “The people of this nation have gained a new appreciation for what you mean to this City. No other City in the world could have rebounded so quickly from the appalling devastation (of 9/11).”

AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney and Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York, then joined Mayor Bloomberg in presenting an Industry Recognition Award to Rudin Management Company Chairman Jack Rudin. Of Rudin, the Mayor noted, “No one does a better job of bringing people together - from labor to management, people with different beliefs – for the good of New York.”

In accepting the award, Rudin expressed pride in sharing this year's honors with Ed Malloy and said, “It is a wonderful industry. We learn by doing. My father had a theory that labor is our partner, and so it's a pleasure to accomplish as a team what we are doing.” He added, “We want to help the Mayor rebuild this City and keep on building it.”

During his presentation of an Industry Recognition Award to Edward J. Malloy, President of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, Tishman said, “Everyone in this industry knows Ed Malloy. He not only participates in many organizations, he usually leads them. He commands widespread respect and always is a considerate and thoughtful voice for the best interests of the New York City building industry. Ed's effectiveness has grown each year to the point where he may be the most influential industry leader in New York City.”

Malloy used his acceptance to praise Cardinal Egan for his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church and the City during a difficult period, and Jack Rudin for his devotion to New York's skilled trades people. “Labor has no greater friend than Jack Rudin. I deem it an honor to stand in his shadow. On behalf of all labor, he has earned our enduring respect and our enduring love.”

Syska Hennessy Group Chairman and CEO John F. Hennessy III and Turner Construction Senior Vice President Peter J. Davoren presented a Special Recognition Award to Robert S. Peckar, Senior Partner of Peckar & Abramson, P.C. Davoren noted, “As General Counsel of the Building Congress for many years, Bob has demonstrated his leadership time and again. In meeting after meeting, I can recall Bob being the one that cut directly to the heart of the
matter and built consensus.” Added Hennessy, “The Building Congress is what it is today in large part due to Bob's efforts.”

“I know my father is particularly proud this evening," said Peckar, whose family has been a part of the industry for decades. “As a kid, he would take me around to his construction sites in New York City.” It was during these visits, Peckar added, that he developed a fondness for the men and women involved in all aspects of building and a desire to act as a consensus builder.

The Building Congress also received a surprise visit from U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, who told the assembled crowd, “I wanted to stop by and sing the praises of three great men. Each is a builder not just of buildings but of coalitions, of friendships, of loyalty and of our New York.”

Building Congress Chairman Marilyn Jordan Taylor summarized the mood
of the evening best, “We represent more than heroic rescue efforts and debris clearance. In very different ways, all of us can and should accept some measure of recognition. Nonetheless, we must limit our accolades to the select few. And this year's cast is exceptional.”

STV Group Chairman and CEO Dominick M. Servedio served as Executive Co-Chairman of the dinner. Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein of the Central Synagogue, which was rebuilt by the industry's finest architects, engineers and contractors after a disastrous fire several years ago, delivered the invocation.