BOMA gives Pinnacle awards.

Leaders of the real estate industry and New York City's uniformed services joined together on the evening of February to celebrate the city's best-managed buildings with the BOMA/NY Pinnacle awards and to pay tribute to the outstanding accomplishments of their members in the Sept. 11 tragedy.

Moving between joyous celebration and solemn respect, the evening began with immediate former president Edward Rytter and president Vincent Fantauzzi conferring honorary memberships on every member of the New York Police Department, Fire Department, and Port Authority uniformed services who had lost their lives on Sept. 11. A special tribute was paid by a U.S. Navy Honor Guard from the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, who presented arms. Accepting the honors were Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and Chief Harold Meyers, of the Fire Department of the City of New York, and Chief Leonard Mackesy, of the Port Authority Police Department.

Acknowledging the close cooperation between the uniformed services and BOMA/NY in ensuring the safety of New York's famous skyline, the dignitaries expressed their gratitude for the honorary memberships and applauded the work of all those who sacrificed their lives that day. Looking to the future, Chief Meyers pointed specifically to the fire preparedness training that BOMA/NY members carry out in the office buildings, and cited in particular, the fire drills. "These are life savers," he stressed, and "your emphasis on them, and the practices you run, are essential."

With Rytter at the podium, the awards proceeded with eight winners in all, including former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani who was the recipient of the Henry J. Muller Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding vision, accomplishment, and service to the City. Giuliani was championed for his leadership after Sept. 11, when he "gave solace to millions at home and across the world, and told the world that we will be strong, we will rebuild, and that nothing will keep our skyline from shining brighter than any other in the world."

Other award winners included Steven W. Ford, of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. as the "Outstanding Local Member," 30 Rockefeller Plaza as the "Historical Building of the Year," 5 Times Square as the "Best New Construction Project," "One Hudson Square as the "Renovated Building of the Year," 475 Riverside Drive as the "Office Building of the Year," and Henry Street Settlement as the "Civic