Annual Report

Annual Report

Annual Report 2011


Message from the Chairman and President


The New York Building Congress is no stranger to challenge. Over its 90 years, and particularly in the last decade, the organization has addressed an enormous economic and societal transformation in New York City. But even with that history as a backdrop, 2011 could test New York's building community as never before.

Current budget battles at the national, state, and local levels will require the industry to produce more with less funding. Ongoing labor management negotiations seek more productivity and resourcefulness from all parties to make projects work. And the tenuous economic recovery adds uncertainty and instability to further complicate development and urban renewal.

But the organization's history also illustrates the means to overcome these challenges. Though project delivery methods and financing have changed dramatically since the 1920s, the value of the Building Congress is just as relevant today. In 1931, then President Robert D. Kohn summarized the first 10 years this way, "The Building Congress has grown to be more than a combination of its many committees; it has developed a leadership in the building industry second to none. . . . It is looked upon as an organization for the development of sound and progressive measures for the benefit of no one group, but of the entire industry." It is exactly this leadership on behalf of the collective building community that can help craft solutions to today's challenges. What's more, growth in membership and voluntary financial support over the decades speaks to the effectiveness of this approach.

The last 10 years have seen this responsibility and role expand greatly. The devastation of September 11, 2001, sent shockwaves through our City and our industry, prompting new visions for a revived and diversified New York economy and new growth of Lower Manhattan. The building community and the Building Congress also were transformed by that experience and were, perhaps, made stronger by the opportunity to re-imagine the City and our role in its resurgence.

Now, thanks to the dedication and involvement of its members, Building Congress advocacy, events, and programs, described in this report, have never been stronger. The organization is poised to help further promote the industry and its essential contributions to the City. It is equipped to support public and private visionaries with proposals that can enhance New York's role in an evolving world economy.

The value of the Building Congress reminds us of the primary responsibility before us, building a better City of New York. We ask your help to continue that mission and usher in another decade of accomplishment and service.

Peter A. Marchetto
Chairman
  Richard T. Anderson
President

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