Annual Report 2012

Message from the Chairman

In this my first year as Chairman of the New York Building Congress, I am reminded of the importance of the organization's mission and its core objective - to bring together the large and diverse building industry in one of the greatest cities and regions in the world. Despite the Great Recession and its impact on us all, New York City and our industry continues to thrive. Even in difficult times, those of us in design, construction, and real estate, as well as our partners in government, understand that the needs of our growing region cannot be neglected. We know that roads, bridges, mass transit, schools, hospitals, and investments in new business sectors must be maintained for the City to avoid decline and keep moving forward. Building Congress member organizations support all of these efforts in multiple ways. And the Building Congress itself serves its members by marshaling our collective strength to advocate economic development, infrastructure investment, building innovations, sustainability, and ethical business practices.

I've long believed that some of the most important benefits of the Building Congress are its ability to unite industry professionals from all sectors, facilitate communication and understanding, and help the building community raise its standards while also improving relationships with the communities we serve.

But even more than that, the Building Congress provides important opportunities for us to partner with public servants at all levels of government. With the imprimatur of an organization that has been working for 91 years to enhance industry practices and spur growth in New York, we are able to engage in productive and meaningful discussions with officials in Washington D.C., Albany, and City Hall. More importantly, these dialogues often result in measurable improvements for the City, our clients and our businesses. This is the hallmark of the Building Congress and should be the impetus for greater and greater industry involvement.

In the pages of this Annual Report that follow, you will see recent examples of Building Congress activities, publications, research, and philanthropy. If you are already a member, you should congratulate yourself on a wise business decision. If you are not a member, I hope you feel compelled to join us. No other organization in New York can match the unique and comprehensive industry coalition that is the Building Congress. Our challenge is to become stronger and even more effective, which we can do by involving more and more businesses, more and more voices, from every sector of the building community.

I invite you to add your voice.

John M. Dionisio Chairman