Professional Women in Construction holds awards reception March 25.

On March 25, Professional Women in Construction (PWC) dedicated its 23rd Annual Awards Reception to AOL Time Warner Center, the largest real estate project to be built in New York City in over 30 years. Granting the organization's W/MBE Community Outreach Award to AOL Time Warner, PWC president Lenore Janis offered "our particular praise and applause" to the media giant for achieving outstanding community outreach results in contracting out over 18% of its work to woman- and minority-owned business enterprises (W/MBEs).

Janis gave the Project of the Year award to developer Columbus Centre LLC and the project team of Bovis Lend Lease LMB, Inc.; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP; Cantor Seinuk Group, P.C.; Cosentini Associates, LLP; and The Sunshine Group, Ltd., noting that "it takes a truly dedicated team working in concert" to accomplish challenging goals.

Said Janis, "This is a private development project of great magnitude that reached out and utilized the resources of many small, women and minority companies from our community." The 2.8 million-SF, $1.7 billion complex at Columbus Circle housing AOLTW's corporate headquarters, Lincoln Center Jazz, the Mandarin Oriental hotel, condominiums and retail space, is set to open in the fall of this year.

Janis introduced Greta Davis, AOLTW's national director of supplier diversity, and a recipient of the W/MBE Community Outreach Award, as "an innovator and trailblazer whose community outreach efforts are meaningful and effective." In accepting the award, Davis spoke frankly. "We're not here as a 'show.' Supplier diversity is important to our company. It is the right thing to do and it is a business imperative, "said Davis. She noted that the achievement was the result of "a team effort" and that "everyone has worked extremely hard to commit to our W/MBE goals." Davis also expressed her appreciation of AOLTW's newfound "partnership with PWC."

Philip R. Pitruzzello, vice president for real estate projects at AOL Time Warner, also accepted the award, thanking "our partners who helped us achieve the principles we run our business by." Pitruzzello gave special thanks to the AOLTW team, Turner Broadcasting, and to Steve D'Iorio, Ken Gwinner and Art Jackson.

Janis praised Bruce L. Warwick, president and chief operating officer of Columbus Centre LLC, "a leader with know-how, vision, energy and passion," and congratulated him on his success.

Warwick voiced his commitment to putting women and minorities in business and helping them succeed, and thanked the members of the project team: Steven Sommer, project director/senior vice president Bovis Lend Lease LMB, Inc.; Igor Bienstock, P.E., senior vice president, Cosentini Associates, LLP; T.J. Gottesdiener, partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; Silvian Marcus, executive vice president, Cantor Seinuk Group, P.C.; and Louise M. Sunshine, chief executive officer, The Sunshine Group, Ltd.

The new president of the New York Women's Agenda (NYWA), Gina Bolden-Rivera, senior vice president, community with Capital Bank, gave NYWA's Certificate of Appreciation to PWC "for helping us become a voice for women." Said Bolden-Rivera, "We thank you, we appreciate you, and we're here to stand by you."

The event sponsors were: Turner Construction Company; AOL Time Warner; Columbus Centre LLC; Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority; Forest Electric Corp.; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP; Quartararo & Associates; and The Sunshine Group.