JG
When Julissa Gutierrez was appointed New York’s chief diversity officer last summer, she was tasked with registering more MWBEs and reaching the state’s ambitious 30% MWBE contract utilization goal – which New York nearly did, with the state announcing in December that 29.51% of its contracts had been awarded to firms owned by women or minorities in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. An expert on Latino issues and civic engagement, Gutierrez previously held key roles with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund.
2. Jonnel Doris & Dynishal Gross
Commissioner; Deputy Commissioner, Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity, New York City Small Business Services
Construction companies may soon face additional hurdles to work in the city.
A new City Council bill would create a new licensing program for all general contractors, shifting away from a system that only requires them to register with the Department of Buildings.
To obtain a license, contractors would need to submit the same information needed for registration including the names of major owners of the company, and proof that the firm is financially solvent and in “good standing” but would also be required to demonstrate safety training and industry experience.
The new requirements would include 62 hours of training for applicants to receive a “Site Safety Training Supervisor Card.” Applicants would also need either a bachelor’s degree in construction management or related field; at least five years of experience in the industry; or they must be a licensed engineer or architect.
Suffolk Construction
Suffolk Construction is one of the top industry players in Boston, where it’s headquartered, but it has also been steadily expanding its presence in New York, where Charlie Avolio has been leading the charge. Avolio, who previously worked at Turner, joined Suffolk Construction in 2016 as the company opened a new office in New York City and launched its bid to gain a share of the local market. He works closely with Will Whitesell, New York’s chief operating officer.
22. James C. McKenna
President and CEO, Hunter Roberts Construction Group
A civil engineer by training, James C. McKenna founded Hunter Roberts Construction Group in 2005 and built it into what is now a top 10 construction firm in the New York area. The company, which also has offices in Philadelphia and New Jersey, is the construction manager on Barry Diller’s conversion of Pier 55 into “Little Island” park jutting out into the Hudson River. The company has also been a partner on an ar
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Turner Construction CEO Peter Davoren (front) and Michael Bloomberg with 120 Park Avenue (left) and 919 Third Avenue, Bloomberg buildings where renovation costs were inflated in exchange for kickbacks, authorities say.
A small Queens glass company sent out a letter in 2017, alerting clients that it had fired three of its employees. It did not say why, but that became clear soon enough.
Authorities had discovered an alleged bribery scheme centered not on little-known Jonathan Metal & Glass but on Turner Construction and Bloomberg. Executives from the two giant firms were charged with accepting millions of dollars’ worth of payoffs in exchange for inflating interior construction contracts.