Power Lists
The 2024 Construction Power 100
The executives and officials building a better New York.
City & State presents the 2024 Construction Power 100. Alan Schein / Getty Images
New York is constantly evolving, and the construction industry stands at the forefront of the evolution. New York City’s airports are undergoing a transformation, taking them from being a dreaded pit stop to becoming among the best in the country. The city’s transit system is getting a new bus terminal, new subway cars, subway infrastructure improvements and a subway expansion up Second Avenue – much of it to be funded by a pioneering congestion pricing system. The real estate sector continues to plan new developments, remaking the city’s iconic skyline. New York’s clean energy transformation is working to address climate change and right environmental wrongs. All of this is creating hundreds of thousands of new construction jobs. Meet this year’s Construction Power 100 – the leaders who are making the plans, wielding the jackhammers, driving the change and keeping the construction industry buzzing across New York.
1. Rick Cotton & Derek Utter
Since 2017, Rick Cotton and Derek Utter have helped steer the Port Authority’s $32 billion capital plan to repair and modernize New York City’s outdated transportation hubs. That included two new terminals at Kennedy International Airport, an overhaul of LaGuardia Airport and refurbishing the George Washington Bridge. A $10 billion rehab of the much-maligned Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan was unveiled this year, including a proposal to top off the structure with two new office towers. The Port Authority also announced last summer that developers will build a residential tower on the World Trade Center site, with a third of the units set aside for affordable housing and for New Yorkers impacted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
2. Janno Lieber & Jamie Torres-Springer
In 2022, Janno Lieber was elevated to chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority after serving four years as president of MTA Construction & Development, the position that Jamie Torres-Springer now holds. Together they direct the MTA’s $55 billion capital plan program, the largest in the organization’s history, including subway station accessibility, replacing train cars and buses, bridge and tunnel maintenance and modernizing train track signals. Its largest single expenditure to date was the $11 billion East Side Access project to bring the Long Island Rail Road directly into Grand Central, which opened for service in February 2023. The MTA is also moving forward on the second phase of its extension of the Second Avenue subway line to East Harlem.
3. Gary LaBarbera
Gary LaBarbera represents over 200,000 unionized construction workers across New York state as president of both the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York – a New York City trade group – and its state counterpart, the similarly named New York State Building and Construction Trades Council. LaBarbera touts megaprojects like a proposed soccer stadium in Queens and the new stadium for the Buffalo Bills as economic stimulus for middle-class workers. He also equated a lower incidence of accidental death on construction sites with unionization.
4. Marie Therese Dominguez
As the state’s transportation commissioner, Marie Therese Dominguez is breaking ground on transformative projects as she oversees a $32 billion capital plan to improve roads and bridges. Last year, the agency kicked off a project to reroute the I-81 viaduct in Syracuse that divided communities when it was built in the 1960s; it has been heralded as an initiative that will reconnect neighborhoods and create new space. In August, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials named Dominguez chair of its Committee on Environment and Sustainability.
5. Richard Kennedy
Richard Kennedy, who has been with Skanska for 20 years, is making the company a vital part of rebuilding New York City’s infrastructure. The group consulted on the Second Avenue subway project, took on the rehabilitation of the Williamsburg Bridge and snagged a $1.24 billion contract to construct new roadways at Kennedy International Airport, part of the Port Authority’s $32 billion capital plan. Skanska is also building a new $448 million home for the New York City Public Health Laboratory.
6. Meera Joshi
As New York City’s deputy mayor for operations, Meera Joshi is responsible for crafting policy for a number of the city’s transportation and infrastructure agencies. Joshi, the city’s former top taxi regulator, has a long history in transportation planning at the federal and city level. She spent the first year of the Biden administration heading the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, leaving the trucking regulator post to assume the deputy mayoralty. Joshi’s transportation sphere of influence is due to expand, as Adams nominated Joshi to represent the city on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
7. Peter J. Davoren & Pat Di Filippo
Garnering a three-peat atop Engineering News-Record’s ranking of the top 400 contractors in the U.S., Turner Construction has $2.5 billion in projects going in New York alone, including the new 60,000-seat Buffalo Bills stadium and a new project to build student housing for Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Chair, CEO and President Peter J. Davoren is committed to advancing diversity within his organization and in small businesses. Pat Di Filippo, Turner’s executive vice president, is behind an industrywide effort to boost suicide prevention and awareness in construction, an issue that might go unnoticed given industry culture.
8. John Kovacs & Eric Reid
One of the oldest names in New York real estate, AECOM Tishman (formerly Tishman Construction) has reimagined the Manhattan skyline twice, once with the original twin towers and then again resurrecting One World Trade Center. The firm has also managed large defining initiatives in the Hudson Yards redevelopment project and near Bryant Park. Now, AECOM Tishman is part of the team to modernize Kennedy International Airport and New York State Thruway rest stops. Last year, AECOM made changes to leadership in its construction management arm, elevating John Kovacs and Eric Reid as executive vice presidents and co-leads of AECOM Tishman’s New York region.
9. Thomas Foley, Jimmy Oddo & Ydanis Rodriguez
Thomas Foley, Jimmy Oddo and Ydanis Rodriguez all sit at the center of construction and construction regulation in New York City government. A veteran of the Department of Design and Construction, Foley manages the city’s $30 billion portfolio of construction in buildings, grounds and infrastructure, with the department winning awards for its engineering work. Oddo, a former Staten Island borough president, is tackling building permits and inspections, building collapses and implementing an ambitious climate law. Rodriguez not only manages a 10-year, $33 billion capital budget and construction issues, including the future of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, he’s implementing the Vision Zero plan that is reimagining the future of pedestrian safety.
10. Elizabeth Crowley
A year ago, Elizabeth Crowley was elected as the new leader of the Building Trades Employers’ Association, the first woman to take on the role. Crowley succeeded Lou Coletti, who held the post for 26 years. Crowley brings both experiences as a tradesperson – she was a decorative painter on landmark projects like Radio City Music Hall – and as a New York City Council member to the role, representing over 1,200 union members that are part of New York’s largest collective of contractor associations. The BTEA recently joined others in the industry promoting suicide prevention for construction workers.
11. Carlo Scissura
As head of the New York Building Congress, Carlo Scissura advocates for the construction and real estate industry in New York City. The trade group’s widely quoted outlook report predicts construction spending in the city will grow to $88 billion in 2024 with increasing employment in the sector but will face headwinds over the next two years, including higher interest rates and increasing costs. They also say the end of an affordable housing tax exemption has stalled residential construction and widened the gap of urgently needed units even further.
12. Michael Elmendorf
Michael Elmendorf has led Associated General Contractors of New York State for the past 13 years, laser-focused on pushing improvements to the state's transportation and infrastructure. Prior to that he served as assistant to former Gov. George Pataki. Elmendorf has said that he fears federal funding allocated to repair New York’s roads and bridges will be eaten up by inflation – and he’s advocating for billions more to be added to the budget.
13. John LaRow
John LaRow joined Gilbane 30 years ago after graduating Boston University and spent his entire career at the global construction company, rising to become senior vice president of New York state operations in 2021 – and helping to establish the company’s footprint across the state along the way. With major projects under their belt like the joint venture to build the new NFL stadium in Buffalo, a new science complex for Siena College and New York City skyscrapers at Hudson Yards and downtown on Fulton Street, Gilbane continues to make a mark across the state.
14. Nina Kubota
The New York City School Construction Authority is tasked with building and renovating educational facilities in New York City, contracting with prequalified companies to do the work. Nina Kubota joined the agency over 25 years ago, rising through the ranks to become president and CEO in 2021. She is overseeing a five-year, $19 billion capital plan that is to run through 2025. This school year, Kubota attended the opening of 10 new buildings, including a rebuilt school in Queens that was damaged during Superstorm Sandy.
15. James Whelan
In his role as the head of New York’s oldest industry trade group, James Whelan has been actively engaged in guiding REBNY through a period of post-pandemic transition, vigorously advocating for the construction of vital new residential units in New York while cautioning that housing development might not get done in Albany this year. The influential group’s annual gala brings out Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with a bevy of other state and city officials, to talk housing policy and politics.
16. Robert Wessels
As executive director of the General Contractors Association of New York, Robert Wessels represents the interests of over 25,000 workers in the heavy civil construction industry who build the roads, bridges, tunnels, sewers, rail and transit systems in New York City. Wessels was appointed to a task force in 2022 by Mayor Eric Adams to advise the city on how to fix a broken process for its capital improvement projects plagued by delays and cost overruns. The group issued a report outlining 39 recommendations.
17. Michael Neary & Eric McGovern
Under the umbrella of STO Building Group, Michael Neary and Eric McGovern help run two subsidiary construction firms in the New York City metropolitan area. McGovern is responsible for Pavarini McGovern, an arm of the firm that deals with new construction. Projects include the flashy TSX Broadway in Times Square, a new headquarters for Rolex in Manhattan and a new residential building in Brooklyn. At Structure Tone, Neary – who has been with the company for over 40 years – manages the interior renovation for major projects, including the completion of the $75 million Hofstra University Science & Innovation Center on Long Island in October and the renovation of Tiffany & Co.’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
18. Ralph Esposito
After 24 years at global development corporation Lendlease, four years ago Ralph Esposito went to Suffolk Construction to serve as president of its Northeast and mid-Atlantic region. Suffolk, selected as one of the best places to work in construction by Fortune, has worked on some of the more interesting and iconic structures in New York City, including a pair of artistically twisted high-rises at One High Line and the renovation of the historic Waldorf Astoria. Esposito is the immediate past chair of the New York Building Congress.
19. Ronald Tutor & Gary Smalley
If there is a heavy duty infrastructure project in New York City, then odds are that Tutor Perini has had a hand in building it. One of the largest general contractors in the world, Tutor Perini has helped build the East Side Access rail tunnel into Grand Central, a 10-acre platform over the Long Island Rail Road tracks at Hudson Yards to support high-rise development above, and the AirTrain Terminal at Jamaica Station. Ronald Tutor, who first joined the company that his father founded in 1963, is stepping down next year from the CEO role, which he held for 16 years. In his place, the company elevated Gary Smalley from chief financial officer to president in the expectation that he will become its leader in 2025. Tutor will then become executive chair of the Tutor Perini Corp. board of directors.
20. Rich Cavallaro
With headquarters on Long Island and offices throughout the state, the recently rebranded LiRo-Hill provides construction management services to municipalities, state agencies and developers. As CEO, Rich Cavallaro oversees the company’s nearly 1,000 employees working on high-profile projects like the $425 million expansion of Stony Brook University Hospital, including its children’s hospital, special units for the Suffolk County, Nassau County and New York City police departments and building assessments to assist COVID-19 pandemic emergency response.
21. Elizabeth Velez
In addition to helming the construction company that her father founded over 50 years ago with over $200 billion in completed projects under its belt, Elizabeth Velez is a leader in the industry and the civic life of New York City. She has served on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and is chair emeritus of the New York Building Congress. Recently, she was elected chair of the New York Building Foundation and inducted into the National Academy of Construction, which recognizes leaders in the industry.
22. Maurice Regan
Founded in 1992 by its CEO Maurice Regan, J.T. Magen creates spaces in New York City for some of the most elite brands in the world including TikTok, Target, Nasdaq and Nike – building a stellar reputation and roster of top clients. The company seemed ahead of the curve when it completed one of the biggest office-to-residential conversions and restorations in New York City at One Wall Street in 2022.
23. Jerry Jannetti
Spending the past 30 years at WSP, Jerry Jannetti first helped build up the construction engineering firm’s footprint in the New York market. Now, as east region president, he guides strategy and manages company leadership up and down the East Coast, a position he took on less than a year ago. WSP was recently honored with several awards from Engineering News-Record New York, including for the renovation of the Long Island Rail Road concourse at Penn Station and for the renovation of Tiffany’s. WSP has also been named the professional engineer for the Sunrise Wind Farm off the coast of Long Island.
24. Steven Sommer
Over a 36-year career at Lendlease, Steven Sommer has led some of the company’s most notable projects in New York, including at Grand Central, Columbia University and the Jacob K. Javits Center. In 2020, when he was elevated to president of their New York construction business, Sommer was tasked with growing its already formidable $3 billion construction pipeline. Last year, the company broke ground on a mixed-use project in Brooklyn that will be the largest building powered solely by geothermal energy in New York.
25. Kathryn Garcia & Nivardo Lopez
Veterans of New York City government, Kathryn Garcia and Nivardo Lopez are now key power players for construction issues in state government. Garcia, the former city sanitation commissioner, oversees the day-to-day operations of state government for Gov. Kathy Hochul. Garcia’s portfolio also includes overseeing over $17 billion of infrastructure improvements to the state’s transportation network. Hochul’s top transportation policy adviser, Nivardo Lopez joined the state after serving as Bronx borough commissioner in the New York City Department of Transportation. Lopez is using his background working on crosswalk and bridge accessibility and expanding bus lane cameras to implement Hochul’s ambitious transportation agenda.
26. Kris Kolluri & Alicia Glen
The Gateway Development Commission is in charge of facilitating one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the New York City metropolitan region. Kris Kolluri, the commission’s CEO, and New York Commissioner and Co-Chair Alicia Glen are overseeing the Hudson Tunnel rail project, which will double the number of tracks under the Hudson River, replacing the Portal Bridge and expanding Penn Station. Kolluri previously served as New Jersey’s transportation commissioner and helped fund Gateway’s predecessor. An urban development expert, Glen was with Goldman Sachs as director of their urban investment group and served as New York City’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development.
27. Hope Knight & Andrew Kimball
Hope Knight and Andrew Kimball are focused on developing and growing the New York economy, including directing funds that go toward the projects focused on improving and revitalizing communities. At Empire State Development, Knight directs a number of economic initiatives, including a recent $60 million grant program for local governments to transform blighted properties into usable developments across the state. Kimball is head of the New York City Economic Development Corp., which invests in community projects citywide, including affordable housing developments in the Hunts Point peninsula of the Bronx promising 740 units and 2,500 units in Willets Point, Queens.
28. James McKenna
In December, general contractor Hunter Roberts celebrated the topping out of a 50-story mixed-use tower in Queens called The Italic, adding much-needed residential units to Long Island City. Not only does James McKenna lead the company as president and CEO, he is also a co-founder and a civil engineer himself, with construction experience in the metropolitan area. Hunter Roberts manages all phases of construction from design to close out on unique projects like the creation of Little Island in Manhattan and a 600-space garage and community space near the government campus in Queens, part of the city’s proposed borough-based jail system.
29. David G. McWilliams
With 30 years of construction experience in a number of different roles, David G. McWilliams has been with JRM Construction Management since it was founded back in 2007. The company ranks among the top firms of its kind in a number of different commercial real estate sectors. Projects JRM helped bring to fruition in New York last year, including the renovation of 92NY, the headquarters for premium liquor brand Rémy Cointreau and a food retailer in the new Moynihan Train Hall.
30. Chris Larsen & Paul Atkins
When the transit system around New York City is under construction, you’re likely to see a Halmar crew working. The company has had a hand in almost every major civil renovation project in the metro area, including the third track expansion on the Long Island Rail Road and traffic capacity improvements to the Van Wyck Expressway. Led by Chris Larsen and Paul Atkins, who both joined in 1990 when Halmar began a decade of work at Kennedy International Airport, the company is back again after winning a $1.2 billion joint bid for parking, roads and utilities upgrades.
31. Joseph Azzopardi & Davon Lomax
A number of finishing specialists fall under the umbrella of IUPAT District Council 9, including painters, decorators, metal polishers, glazers, drywall tapers and other associated trades. Joseph Azzopardi runs the organization, negotiating in collective bargaining agreements and promoting the union, including through new member recruitment and training. Davon Lomax worked his way up in the union, first as an organizer and then taking on the role of political director in 2014. He has advocated for the hiring of more people of color – who are disproportionately affected by the health risks of pollution – in New York’s clean energy movement.
32. James Sanders Jr. & Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. and Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn have been hard at work in Albany to protect the rights of workers in the construction industry and promoting parity for minority- and women-owned businesses. Sanders and Bichotte Hermelyn passed legislation to increase the discretionary spending threshold for noncompetitive city and state contracts in order to expand opportunities for MWBEs. Sanders, the Senate Banks Committee chair, passed legislation to increase access to capital for MWBEs. Bichotte Hermelyn chairs the Assembly Subcommittee on Oversight of MWBEs, and she worked with Sanders to pass Carlos’ Law – named in memory of a 22-year-old laborer who died in a construction site accident – which strengthened regulations to hold construction companies more accountable for workplace safety.
33. Thomas Iovino
Iovino Enterprises was founded in 2006 by Thomas Iovino to bring together a family of heavy construction service companies under one roof. The enterprise frequently works on big jobs for a number of civil infrastructure and transportation authorities in New York City as well as private commercial projects. Iovino has been a part of major works, including a joint venture in the $1.5 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project, an initiative to help raise and protect Manhattan’s sinking coastline.
34. Howard Rowland & Daniel Williams
EW Howell has a reputation for longevity – founded in the late 1800s, it is the oldest contracting company on Long Island. Howard Rowland, who graduated high school and college on Long Island, joined the company in 1983 as a project manager, serving in various roles as he rose to become CEO in 2022. Daniel Williams has been with EW Howell for over 15 years and became president when Rowland moved up, keeping his chief financial officer title and having previously served as company controller. The firm worked on major projects in the region, including Blue Point Brewery’s headquarters, NYU Langone’s ambulatory care facility and a new 12-story self-storage facility in Queens.
35. Peter Palazzo
Peter Palazzo joined LRC Construction 18 years ago, bringing his experience not only building complex high-rises in New York City but working on construction projects around the world. The company has been involved in some prominent outer borough projects like the two-tower residential complex at Coney Island in Brooklyn adding 461 units to the neighborhood along with retail space and a 27-story tower with affordable housing in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx.
36. Lance Franklin & Frank Reich
Lance Franklin and Frank Reich founded Triton Construction in 2002 and act as co-CEOs of the company, which won Engineering News-Record New York’s 2023 Contractor of the Year award. The company is currently at work on a 69-story building that will be the tallest structure in Queens once it’s completed, and it has been newly attached to a long-stalled project for a commercial building across from the High Line in Manhattan. Triton’s work includes area public works projects including libraries, fire departments and educational facilities.
37. Christine Boccia
With women making up just 10% of the construction workforce, the Women Builders Council seeks to empower women already in the industry and inspire others to join them. Christine Boccia took over as president of the organization in 2022, which has put the focus on women in various parts of the industry as well as providing strategic training at all levels of construction. In addition to her duties at the Women Builders Council, Boccia is also owner of the WBE-certified drywall subcontractor, JD Traditional Industries.
38. William J. Haugland & Billy Haugland II
Long Island-based Haugland Group works on large-scale infrastructure projects like the $200 million job to build conduit for onshore transmission lines from Sunrise Wind off the coast of Long Island and snagged a new contract for a construction support facility at Kennedy International Airport. Founder and chairman William Haugland has been a force on Long Island, having built and managed some of the largest energy and infrastructure companies on the island. Billy Haugland II started in project management at his family’s company and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2022. He also sits on numerous boards for local economic and environmental organizations, as well as in the construction industry regionally and statewide.
39. Ana Barrio
Water is essential to life – and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection is responsible for making sure city residents have access to a clean and reliable water supply. Ana Barrio is the point person in making sure New Yorkers have water flowing out of their taps. Her work includes a $1.6 billion project to protect the Gowanus Canal from wastewater sewage and the completion of a 50-year effort to build the city’s No. 3 water tunnel. Barrio previously served as acting commissioner of the city’s Department of Design and Construction until 2018.
40. Marc Herbst
Representing 170 companies in the Long Island Contractors’ Association, Marc Herbst fights for the interests of the region’s heavy construction industry. Herbst is outspoken about the issues, like defending sand mining in the Hamptons that employs member workers and calling on legislators to put a schedule in place to eliminate the scourge of Long Island roadways: potholes. Herbst, a former state legislator, was recently confirmed by the state Senate to represent Suffolk County on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. He is also president of the New York Roadway and Infrastructure Coalition.
41. Daniel Ruiz Andujar
Daniel Ruiz Andujar took over as CEO of OHLA USA in 2022 having previously served as chief operating officer. OHLA USA’s heavy civil construction business in the Northeast is represented by Judlau Contracting, which has worked on large-scale projects like Grand Central Madison and the rehabilitation of the historic West 79th Street Rotunda Complex in Manhattan. It also built the first new Long Island Rail Road stop in 50 years to connect passengers to the new UBS Arena in Belmont Park and will be making 13 MTA subway stations compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
42. Laura Bush
Laura Bush leads the New York metropolitan region of Consigli Construction, coming up in the field through some of the largest firms in the business. Consigli’s many ongoing projects all across New York City include the greening of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House in Manhattan. Bush is also an advocate for women in the industry; she served on the board of the Women Builders Council and was president of the Greater New York and Long Island chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction.
43. Joseph K. Posillico
Long Island-based Posillico has been expanding its business and adding new engineering solutions to its slate of services for over 75 years, growing from a small trucking company in the 1940s to a large civil construction firm with clients across the country. The company has completed major infrastructure and transportation projects for municipalities all over Long Island and New York City. Joseph K. Posillico is one of the fourth-generation family members who now lead the company, and he serves on the board of the Long Island Contractors’ Association.
44. Dave Bolger, Mike Hellstrom & Michael Prohaska
There are 10,000 members of Laborers Local 79 working on construction sites all across New York City. Mike Hellstrom, who is an international vice president for LIUNA, recently negotiated a new wage floor for New York City construction workers as part of ongoing talks regarding the 421-a replacement. He also weighed in one of the most competitive congressional primaries in the region, announcing a LIUNA endorsement of New Jersey Rep. Rob Menendez for reelection over Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla. As business manager, Michael Prohaska helps push legislative priorities like raising the minimum wage, child care access and the expansion of unemployment benefits for undocumented workers, as well as protesting for worker safety and organizing nontraditional workers to join together. Dave Bolger, business manager for the Mason Tenders District Council, has stated he wants a project labor agreement for New York union construction workers to complete projects for the SUNY system. He said SUNY has a history of using out-of-state firms, which he said have a history of Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations for projects.
45. Selvena Brooks-Powers
New York City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers is an active proponent for construction. She oversees city transportation, infrastructure and construction agencies as chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and brings big development to her district, recently negotiating the development of a 100% affordable housing project for Far Rockaway. She also assembled a task force for the construction of a trauma center there. Brooks-Powers has been vocal on efforts to increase the use of MWBEs on city building contracts to 30%, calling for an audit on procurement.
46. Joseph Geiger
Helping to ensure that the 20,000 members from nine New York City carpenters unions get proper protections and representation, Joseph Geiger’s purview at the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters covers contract negotiations, crafting policy and guiding the direction of the organization. Last summer, Geiger lent his voice to protesting members calling on the New York City Economic Development Corp. to keep its promise of employing skilled union workers at the massive Willets Point affordable housing project.
47. William Banfield
William Banfield’s job is to help advocate for over 30,000 carpenters in the unions his council represents, promote the carpentry trade and connect workers to the contractors who need them. Last year, Banfield, who is out of Local 279 in Orange County, found himself fighting protesters who were against dumping treated nuclear wastewater into the Hudson River as the Indian Point nuclear power plant goes through decommissioning, saying the process is safe and union workers would lose jobs if the project was halted.
48. Cheryl McKissack Daniel
Cheryl McKissack Daniel is a fifth-generation builder at the oldest family-run, Black-owned architectural and construction company in the country. McKissack Daniel, who took the reins of the business from her mother, moved it from Nashville to New York, where she had already established herself professionally. McKissack projects include hospitals, college campuses and renovations at both Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia Airport. McKissack Daniel is also a director of the New York Tri-State chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors and a founding member of the Women Builders Council.
49. William Goodrich
It seems fitting that Rochester-based LeChase Construction Services would win an award for constructing the Legoland theme park in Goshen, based on toys that have inspired millions of children to build. The company also made the top 10 New York construction forms on Engineering-News Record’s list for New York companies last year pulling $803 million on state-based work. CEO and Managing Partner William Goodrich has been leading the firm for almost 40 years, expanding its domain across the Empire State through a number of acquisitions.
50. Robert Rodriguez
A former state legislator from East Harlem, Robert Rodriguez now wields regulatory and funding authority over construction as New York’s secretary of state. Rodriguez has been touring the state to check in on how local communities are spending the Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds, a program overseen by the Department of State that assists local governments transform and revitalize downtown neighborhoods. Rodriguez also oversees enforcement of the state’s Uniform Fire Protection and Building Code as well as the Energy Conservation Construction Code, both of which govern construction statewide.
51. Gregory A. Kelly
Under Greg Kelly’s leadership, STV has been expanding and growing, bringing in heavy hitters to its board and rebranding itself, recently moving its headquarters into one of New York City’s most iconic, the Empire State Building. An engineering and construction management firm with major infrastructure projects in its portfolio across North America, STV has been shoring up Harlem Hospital with a $112 million flood wall, overseeing renovations at South Brooklyn Health Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital and working on an addition to a Queens public school.
52. Peter Tully
For three generations Peter Tully’s family-owned construction company has been building the foundation of modern-day New York City, having a hand in every major airport, roadway, bridge and tunnel in the region. The company was involved with the 1939 World’s Fair and the original World Trade Center, even coming in to play a major role in restoration efforts after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. More recently, Tully projects include the Van Wyck Expressway interchange to Kennedy International Airport and 96th Street Station, part of the Second Avenue subway project.
53. Fred Hiffa
As a past first deputy commissioner of the state Department of Transportation and Republican state legislative staffer, Fred Hiffa brought his knowledge of the politics of transportation to former U.S. Sen. Al D’Amato’s government relations firm, Park Strategies. Among Hiffa’s clients are Rebuild NY Now, a group lobbying for increased infrastructure investment in the state, and New York Construction Materials Association, a trade association representing companies that make the materials used in construction.
54. Bill McCarthy Jr. & John McCarthy
Just this year, Bolton-St. Johns announced that brothers Bill McCarthy Jr. and John McCarthy were both made partner, a title once held by their late father at the same firm. Bill McCarthy Jr., who joined the lobbying powerhouse in 2018, brought deep experience working closely with state government over his career, first as an assistant attorney general and then as assistant general counsel at the New York Racing Association. John McCarthy, whose previous work had him involved in labor and employment matters, helps engineering firms, trade associations and unions navigate legislative matters at the state and city level.
55. Lisa Flores
Lisa Flores serves as director and chief procurement officer at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, coming from the comptroller’s office, where she worked on contracts. Flores has had the hefty job of managing and reviewing New York City’s massive procurement system for a decade – a manual and extremely burdensome task. Recently, the city started rolling out PASSPort, a digital procurement application to help ease the process, which will help broaden the scope of MWBE vendors. That’s a big piece of the pie, since the city spends about 35% of its budget on procured goods and services.
56. Suzette Noble
Suzette Noble stepped up to the role of CEO at LaGuardia Gateway Partners in October, but she’s no newcomer, having served as chief operating officer prior to that. She helped the company stick the landing of Terminal B, the new $5 billion, 35-gate terminal, heralded as transformative for an airport that was once the butt of jokes and has since been rising to the height of innovation. Noble – who spent over 20 years at Disney – thinks of airport users more as guests than passengers.
57. Jennifer Aument
Jennifer Aument is the recently appointed leader overseeing the $9.5 billion project to create a new Terminal One at Kennedy International Airport, a major part of the airport’s sweeping $19 billion renovation. Aument comes to New York from Virginia with extensive construction experience, including as chief executive of AECOM’s global transportation business and as president and CEO of Transurban North America. Aument was part of the executive team that led the largest commuter rail expansion in the Washington, D.C., area. She also served for a decade as a commissioner of the Virginia Port Authority.
58. Derek Thielmann
Derek Thielmann is working to transform New York City’s airports. As Kennedy International Airport is transformed into a modern passenger facility, Thielmann is responsible for leading the team at Vantage Airport Group subsidiary JFK Millennium Partners, the company selected by the Port Authority to reimagine Terminal 6. The $4.2 billion redevelopment promises that a minimum of $840 million of its contracts will be directed toward MWBEs. The project broke ground last year and is expected to be completed by 2028. Thielmann also led the LaGuardia Airport Terminal B renovation for Vantage.
59. Michael Zetlin
Michael Zetlin’s background in both engineering and law makes him a formidable litigator on construction matters across every market sector, representing owners and construction companies on contract structure, negotiations and project phasing. He has authored a book on New York construction law and is recognized as one of the top construction attorneys practicing in the country today. Zetlin is also general counsel for the New York Building Congress and the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
60. Carmine D’Amato
The 6,500 workers that Carmine D’Amato represents as business manager of Laborers Local 731 do much of the heavy lifting on construction sites in and around New York City. The union members work on large projects like the renovation of Kennedy International Airport and the second phase of the Second Avenue subway extension, which is set to get underway thanks to a $3.4 billion federal infusion. D’Amato is also an executive board member of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
61. Stephen Curro
Over the past 80 years, the Dormitory Authority has expanded beyond its initial mandate to construct dormitories for state colleges. This year, the agency’s workload also includes managing the construction of a new residential building for inpatient care at an Orange County mental health facility, administering funds for a program to expand child care in the state, and a program to design and construct cannabis retail dispensaries for state license holders. Stephen Curro, who joined DASNY in 2001, manages its construction group, which has over $10 billion in ongoing projects.
62. Nelson Ferreira
Starting with one dump truck as a 19-year-old kid, Nelson Ferreira built a construction empire with over 1,000 employees consisting of affiliate firms in areas from heavy municipal construction work to pile and foundations to solar power. The company also boasts the installation of the highest solar array in the world atop Wall Street’s Deutsche Bank building. The construction arm of Ferreira’s firm has worked on public projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, state Department of Transportation, Con Edison and PSEG Long Island.
63. Michael Capasso
The heavy construction company founder, President and CEO Michael Capasso said he brings a boots on the ground mentality to his management style mixing with his workers in the field, landing his firm on the Crain’s New York Business 2023 list of best places to work in New York City. C.A.C. Industries was just awarded a $180 million contract to relocate utilities in advance of the second phase of the Second Avenue subway line extension into Harlem, the first contract to be given out by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the project.
64. Felice Farber
After becoming the first female executive director of the Subcontractors Trade Association, Felice Farber’s initial priority was addressing the pressure that a spike in material costs has put on subcontractors. A second concern was the lack of equitable adjustment in pricing, squeezing some subcontractors out of business. Farber celebrated a recent state law her association had long advocated for that helps speed final payments by limiting funds contractually held back until work is complete to no more than 5% on jobs costing over $150,000.
65. Kevin Collins
Kevin Collins is a native New Yorker who transplanted to Seattle for 24 years before being brought back east to lead the New York region of transit construction firm HNTB from its offices in the Empire State Building. The company has a number of areas of expertise, including construction management, architecture and design-build for big infrastructure projects that have transformed New York. These include overseeing construction on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the JFK Redevelopment Program for the Port Authority at Kennedy International Airport.
66. Ehab Shehata
Ehab Shehata leads a cooperative of three different companies that he founded in 2016 to bring engineering, architecture and construction management services under one roof at the Bravo Group. The company has had a number of contracts with clients in the New York metropolitan area, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard expansion, public schools and subway stations around New York City and upgrading the largest maintenance shop for Metro-North Railroad.
67. Sandra Wilkin
Sandra Wilkin aims to build the role of women and minorities in the construction industry. The founder and chief executive officer of Bradford Construction Corp./Bravo, Wilkin is also co-founder of the Women Builders Council. She helped pass New York City’s Local Law 1 of 2013, which has been transformational for MWBE procurement in city government. Wilkin is the vice chair of the CUNY board of trustees, where her committee assignments include serving as vice chair of the Facilities, Planning and Management Committee and chair of the Diversity, Inclusion and MWBE Subcommittee.
68. Minosca Alcantara
As executive director of the state Bridge Authority, Minosca Alcantara is responsible for the maintenance and operation of five bridges that cross the Hudson River, as well as the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. Alcantara joined the authority in 2021 after a stint as chief of capital project scheduling in MTA Construction and Development. The Bridge Authority has a five-year, $198 million capital improvements program in place that runs through 2028. Recently, advocates have called on the Bridge Authority to install fencing to prevent bridge suicides.
69. Alex Young & Colby Krug
Last July, Col. Alex Young assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District. A war veteran with extensive engineering experience, Young is positioned to shape the future of New York City’s waterfront and regional climate change protection. He is overseeing a review of the Corps’ proposed climate protection plan, initiated by state officials following objections to the original $52 billion plan, which proposed sea walls and storm surge gates. Lt. Col. Colby Krug, a Buffalo native, took command of the Corps’ Buffalo District in 2022. Krug, a combat veteran and decorated Army engineer, oversaw the completion of the first phase to create a new wetland ecosystem in Buffalo’s Outer Harbor. He is now managing the remediation of storage sites containing Cold War radioactive waste, which President Joe Biden proposed $57.5 million toward in this year’s budget. Krug serves as the American on the International Niagara Board of Control’s working committee, part of the governance system of Niagara Falls water, including for hydroelectric energy use.
70. Jeff DiStefano & Mark Klingbeil
A top bridge construction firm, Harrison & Burrows has been working on a number of top highway and bridge projects across the state. The firm received a $84.2 million contract to reconstruct pavement and a ramp, rehabilitate two bridges and replace a bridge on a five-mile section of the New York State Thruway in Onondaga County. Gov. Kathy Hochul celebrated the completion of a Harrison & Burrowes project to replace a bridge on state Route 28 in Ulster County, and the company improved two bridges on I-90 in Albany. Jeff DiStefano recently transitioned to the chair emeritus role and Mark Klingbeil serves as the company’s president.
71. Brian Sampson
As president of the Associated Builders and Contractors Empire State Chapter, Brian Sampson coordinates the organization’s political agenda and promotes the interests of its member construction firms. Sampson has sparred in the press with others over project labor agreements that he said will leave nonunion workers out of the workforce and could jeopardize the state’s clean energy goals, noting the project labor agreements in place for the new Buffalo Bills stadium, the I-81 project in Syracuse and airport projects. He has also raised the alarm on economic issues like rising costs that threaten contractors.
72. Barbara Armand Kushner
Barbara Armand Kushner, founder and CEO of construction management firm Armand Corp., launched her firm in 1991 when Black women in construction were a rarity. Armand Kushner has received accolades for the growth and advancement of her company, which has completed projects like the renovation of the Red Hook Library in Brooklyn and program management for the American Airlines terminal redevelopment at Kennedy International Airport. Her company is also helping manage archaeological efforts at the Harlem African Burial Ground, an important historical site in New York City.
73. Vanessa Ajdinova
Vanessa Ajdinova helps Jacobs manage large projects like the Long Island Rail Road third track expansion, the Grand Central Madison project and New York City’s marine infrastructure inspection and maintenance. Jacobs’ reach also extends to the arts. Recently, the company helped the Port Authority suspend the Orpheus and Apollo sculpture, which once hung at Lincoln Center, inside LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B. In October, Ajdinova was promoted to executive director of operations for Canada and the Northeast.
74. Edwin Christian
Operating engineers run the heavy equipment vital to building the structures New York City residents live, work, travel and play in every single day. As business manager at IUOE Local 14-14B for the past 10 years, Edwin Christian represents the workers who pull the levers inside those big machines. He’s also a trustee of the union’s fund. Christian serves on the New York City Workforce Development Board, advising City Hall on work contracts, and is president of the New York City Coalition of Operating Engineers.
75. Andrew D’Amico
At Urban Atelier Group, Founding President and CEO Andrew D’Amico likes to make a statement, whether it’s a bold new building in one of New York City’s boroughs or its inspiration of purpose-driven design in a boutique workshop culture. Urban Atelier Group’s portfolio speaks to its founder’s vision in projects like the nautically inspired Olympia condominium high-rise in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, a 100% affordable housing development in Far Rockaway, Queens, or multiple projects in the Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning region.
76. Matthew Schimenti
Matthew Schimenti founded Schimenti Construction in 1994, and since then he has worked with some of the top retail brands in the country on projects all over New York, counting Nike, Sephora and Swarovski among his clients. The company built a 650,000-square-foot facility for FreshDirect in the South Bronx, Starbucks’ 40th anniversary flagship store in Times Square, and recently, Petco’s flagship store in the notorious Tammany Hall building in Union Square. Last October, Schimenti announced it was going to transition to an employee-owned company.
77. Robert Haelen & Mohamed Attalla
New York’s public higher education systems consist of hundreds of buildings, planned expansions, new construction, deferred maintenance plans and thousands of acres of grounds – and Robert Haelen and Mohamed Attalla are in charge of overseeing the capital planning for SUNY and CUNY, respectively. Haelen is in charge of the $1.5 billion annual capital budget for SUNY’s 64 campuses, including the design and management of construction for both academic and hospital facilities. Attalla came to New York City from Illinois in 2021 to oversee the five-year, $5.44 billion capital plan for CUNY. Attalla’s focus includes updating CUNY’s aging facilities on its 25 campuses citywide.
78. Patrick Purcell
A coalition of over 20 different labor union locals around the state, the New York State LECET provides resources, education and lobbying for members. Patrick Purcell leads its efforts on a statewide level, advocating for workers. It frequently puts its collective voice behind projects that will employ its workers, supporting the state’s plan to build affordable housing units to connect its members with jobs and homeownership themselves.
79. Les Hiscoe
Les Hiscoe, the CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction, is being honored from coast to coast, named a notable leader by Crain’s New York Business and a C-suite visionary by the Los Angeles Times. Last year, the $1.6 billion firm capped a 10-year effort to grow its New York business by taking on new digs at 488 Madison Ave. Shawmut built a reputation in the sports industry with projects at MetLife Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Barclays Center. The company is currently constructing a new health sciences center for St. John’s University in Queens.
80. Samuel Padilla
After 10 years working in management at Con Edison, Samuel Padilla launched his own heavy construction and utility consultancy in 1993. Padilla’s company helped build the pavilion at Manhattan’s first public beach, did repairs to the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk after Superstorm Sandy and assisted in the relocation of the bronze Sphere sculpture by Fritz Koenig, which survived the Sept. 11 terrorist attack at its original location between the twin towers. Padilla is treasurer of the National Hispanic Business Group, which expands opportunities for Hispanic entrepreneurs.
81. William Cote
CEO William Cote founded Hudson Meridian in 2002, which now provides a range of construction management and general contracting services on some of the largest projects in New York. At the Port of Albany, Hudson Meridian is expanding the port’s facilities to prepare for the first offshore wind tower manufacturing facility in the U.S. The group also built a brand new three-tower, market-rate residential development in the Bronx, one of the largest private investments in the borough, and converted a 13-story office property for residential use in White Plains.
82. John T. Evers
For the past few years, John T. Evers has been president and CEO of American Council of Engineering Companies of New York, representing the interests of over 500 of the state’s engineering firms and providing a unified voice on legislative issues, education and supporting partnerships. Evers, a leader with legislative and lobbying experience, helped assemble New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Capital Reform Task Force report, which made over a dozen recommendations regarding the capital project process. He is also aligned with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s five-year plan to grow capital construction work statewide.
83. Zenaida Rodriguez
Zenaida Rodriguez leads the Regional Alliance for Small Contractors, created by a partnership between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and other industry players to help small, minority- and women-owned construction businesses in securing contracts. The alliance provides financial and technical assistance, advocacy, marketing and business support, and promotes diversity in leadership positions. Rodriguez came to the organization with a background of working with large agencies focused on diversity issues, previously serving as deputy chief diversity officer at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
84. David Meade
The basic building blocks of the construction industry are the skilled workers who operate the machines, carry the materials and swing the hammers. Through the nonprofit Building Skills New York, David Meade is a key workforce development leader helping connect employers with a much-needed labor force, encouraging underserved and underemployed New Yorkers to join the construction industry and providing certified training. Meade initiated a program with LaGuardia Community College in Queens to bolster the clean energy workforce with HVAC skills.
85. Kieran Ahern
Kieran Ahern has been at the center of the restoration of some of the most iconic structures in New York City. Ahern’s firm, Ahern Painting Contractors, recently completed the repainting of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and prior to that took on the renovation and painting of the Brooklyn Bridge. The 60-year-old company also works on the repainting of bus and train terminals and elevated subway tracks in the city. Ahern is also president of the New York Structural Steel Painting Contractors Association, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and was active in creating a National Steel Painting Contractors Association.
86. Nayan Parikh
The owner of general contracting and construction management company, Ashnu International, Nayan Parikh’s civil construction firm caters to various federal and state agencies and private clients. Parikh, who was a civil engineer in India until he immigrated to the United States and later founded Ashnu International in 1998, is executive vice president of the National Association of Minority Contractors. He was also a member of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Capital Process Reform Task Force.
87. Dan Tishman
A scion of the New York real estate empire that transformed the city’s skyline and built some of the country’s first 100-plus story skyscrapers, Dan Tishman said he tried to avoid following in his father’s footsteps – but fate had other plans for him. Under his tenure Tishman Realty & Construction rebuilt ground zero after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, constructing One World Trade Center, reimagined a strip of Times Square into smaller retail parcels called E Walk and is said to be finally moving ahead on a long-planned mixed-use building near Manhattan’s Union Square.
88. Thurman Thomas
Former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas is now president of construction company 34Group, which happens to have been the Hall of Famer’s jersey number. Unsurprisingly, 34Group is part of a joint venture to build the new Buffalo Bills stadium. The firm also subcontracted for some of the most visible projects in Western New York and beyond, including the Albright-Knox’s AK360 project to expand and renovate the historic art museum, the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport and the renovation of the Lake Placid Olympic Center.
89. Trenton Price
In July, Trenton Price moved on from a 10-year career in leadership roles at the New York City Department of Education to become executive director of Salvadori Center, an innovative program that uses construction methodologies in STEAM education for school-age children. The hands-on projects use the buildings, bridges and parks students see around them every day to make lessons more relevant to them. The program is even regarded by construction companies as a way to instill the skills needed for future generations of builders.
90. Leah Rambo
A sheet metal worker by trade, Leah Rambo has broken barriers and now she works to make sure they stay broken for other women to follow her. She was the first female member of the executive board of the Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 28 and served as deputy director of the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau. In February, she was hired to run the nonprofit, Nontraditional Employment for Women. According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, women make up just 10% of the workforce in construction – hopefully to change as the group helps train and place women in the trades.
91. John O’Hare
As managing director of the Building Contractors Association since 2017, John O’Hare represents over 200 unionized construction businesses from across New York City, providing a unified voice for contractors in negotiations with organized labor. O’Hare serves as a collective bargaining agent for management in negotiations with a number of unions, including the Mason Tenders’ District Council, the Teamsters and New York City District Council of Carpenters. He also serves as management trustee for five joint welfare and pension funds, with collective assets of over $14 billion.
92. Joe Pizzurro
A rail transportation expert and civil engineer, Joe Pizzurro has managed on some of the biggest projects in the New York City region, including Long Island Rail Road’s Jamaica Station and Yankees East 153rd Street station for Metro-North. After over 11 years at construction consulting firm HNTB, Pizzurro joined VHB as managing director of its New York City office. Since then, the office has almost doubled in size and snagged large contracts, such as a joint venture to help the MTA manage its capital improvement plan.
93. Schillivia Baptiste
Schillivia Baptiste, the chief executive of Laland Baptiste and the president of Professional Women in Construction’s New York chapter, is a civil engineer with an expertise in environmental review, land use and drainage and waterfront structures. Among the projects undertaken by Laland Baptiste are working with the New York City School Construction Authority on building repairs and restoration following Superstorm Sandy, construction management for the renovation of the historic Surrogate’s Courthouse in Manhattan, restoration for a 68-acre wetland at Saw Mill Creek on Staten Island and engineering management for Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn.
94. Sean Clune & Nancy Chin
In January, Clune Construction announced new leadership at its New York office, promoting Sean Clune to president and Nancy Chin to executive vice president. Both Clune and Chin bring decades of industry experience to their respective roles. Clune came to the company’s New York office a decade ago as a managing director, establishing its presence and building relationships. Chin had been overseeing high-profile projects for the office, growing the company into a major player, training new staff and mentoring talent. Clune Construction has tackled major New York-area projects, including Delta’s terminal in LaGuardia Airport encompassing ticketing areas, the grand corridor and 11 retail food spots.
95. Richard Humann
Richard Humann has engineered an entire 36-year career at Long Island-based H2M, starting as an intern and climbing the ladder to become CEO. With Humann at the helm, the 90-year-old company is still growing and innovating. Last year, it unveiled a virtual reality program for clients to “walk through” designs, will utilize 3D-printed construction tech on a new development and sees trends for adaptive reuse, like the conversion of a former department store into a so-called medical mall for Stony Brook Hospital.
96. Elena Barnett
A small Midwest company that has grown to complete projects in all 50 states and internationally, HDR’s transportation work in New York is led by Elena Barnett, who has over 25 years of project management experience in transportation infrastructure construction. Barnett served as design project manager on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and is in charge of the company’s project to make 24 subway stations ADA compliant. The company also designed improvements for the busy Kew Gardens Interchange in Queens.
97. Rohan de Freitas
For 23 years, Rohan de Freitas has led the Peekskill-based company he co-founded to provide consulting services to the construction industry, ensuring compliance with MWBEs, equal employment opportunity, diversity and integrity monitoring programs. With offices in New York City as well, Crescent Consulting works on compliance for projects of all sizes at all levels of government. De Freitas is also vice chair of the National Hispanic Business Group and a member of the Peekskill Industrial Development Agency.
98. Gary Bichler
Gary Bichler heads up his Buffalo-based construction company, helping with the Rust Belt region’s renaissance – especially at some of Western New York’s most iconic and vital locations. At Silo City, the company was called in to assess work at the historic grain mill, where a warehouse is being converted into a mixed-use building. The team also built the American Institute of Architects award-winning residential building on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo, revitalizing a former brownfield site, and is expanding the Western New York Children’s Psychiatric Center in West Seneca.
99. George Rifenburg
A family of companies that includes construction, excavation and equipment sales and rental, Rifenburg was founded in 1958 by current CEO George Rifenburg’s father. With 350 employees and over $90 million in annual projects, the family-owned company based in Troy contracts with municipalities, state agencies and private companies performing work on highways, bridges and airports. As part of the Lake Placid Olympic Center rehab, Rifenburg worked on the $8.5 million Olympic Ski Jumping Complex reconstruction in preparation for the 2023 Winter World University Games.
100. Georgi Ann Bailey
As executive vice president of AIA New York State, Georgi Ann Bailey leads the trade organization for architects, providing support, education and lobbying for almost 9,000 members statewide. The AIA recognizes members for excellence in architecture and promotes smart environmentally sustainable building design. This year, the national organization of AIA bestowed Bailey with an honorary membership for work strengthening the New York chapter’s government relations, training programs and relationship with surrounding state chapters over the past 20 years.
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