BCW Celebrates Visionary Leadership at Hall of Fame Dinner

More than 600 people were on hand Tuesday evening to salute the very best of Westchester’s business leaders at the BCW’s 17th Annual Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner. This year’s program, which was held at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, honored six visionary leaders whose business successes have contributed to the vitality of Westchester County’s economy.

“Visionary leadership is what all of this year’s winners have in common. These companies exemplify the transformational ability to actualize their companies’ goals. In other words, they inspired strategic change and evolved to meet the emerging trends of their industries,” said Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester.

“All of the Hall of Fame winners possessed an uncanny sense of what potential customers were looking for and stayed ahead of the curve by delivering their products and services through innovation and creativity,” said BCW Chairman Anthony Justic.

The names of this year’s winners will be added to a plaque on display in the waiting area of the Westchester County Airport.

The honorees in their respective categories were:

Corporate Citizenship – Pentegra: Accepting the award was John Pinto, President and CEO. Pentegra is a leading provider of retirement plan, institutional investing and fiduciary outsourcing solutions to organizations nationwide. Starting with less than 30 employees, Pentegra’s White Plains office, where it has been headquartered since 1974, has expanded to over 150 employees in the Westchester/NYC area. Pentegra is strongly committed to community service and is a Corporate Champion and strategic impact partner and supporter of Volunteer New York.

Entrepreneurial Success – Hudson Hospitality Group/Hudson Realty Investors Accepting the award was Louie Lanza, President. Hudson Hospitality Group owns restaurants throughout Peekskill while Hudson Realty Investors owns no fewer than 25 commercial or multi-family residential properties in Peekskill. After divesting his real estate and restaurant holdings in NYC, Lanza focused on Peekskill, founding both Hudson Realty Investors and Hudson Hospitality Group. Hudson Hospitality Group has changed the dining and hospitality scene in Peekskill and northwestern Westchester.

Family Owned Business Success: Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, LLC. Accepting the award were Managing Partners Jim Houlihan and Jim Coleman. Houlihan-Parnes Realtors is a privately owned, vertically integrated commercial real estate investment and management firm. Based in White Plains, the company’s portfolio spans multiple asset classes, consisting of over 8.5 million SF of office, retail, industrial and mixed-use space and approximately 25,000 multifamily units. Founded in 1891 and operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Houlihan family.

Small Business Success: Corporate AudioVisual Services Accepting the award was Joe Guilderson, President. Corporate AV, celebrating its 34th year, is an expert in cutting-edge audio, video, lighting, and staging solutions for live events, specializing in the corporate, hospital, and non-profit markets. In the last two years alone, Corporate AV has produced more than 1,200 events in over 1,000 different venues ranging from hotel ballrooms to airplane hangars. Corporate AV supports more than 100 fundraising events per year.

Women in Business Success: Stacey Tompkins, Tompkins Excavating Accepting the award was Stacey Tompkins, President. Tompkins Excavating began as a lawn mowing service in the early 1980’s and expanding into a full- service commercial and residential excavation company serving Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties. Stacey joined the company in 1991 and became president and owner in 2013. The number of employees has grown from five in 2011 to 20 in 2018 and gross revenue has grown from $750,000 to $3 million during that time.

Chairman’s Recognition Award: Walter’s Hot Dogs Accepting the award was Christine Warrington, Owner/Operator. Walter’s Hot Dogs is a fourth-generation, family owned and operated business. Founded in 1919 by Rose and Walter Warrington, Walter’s has been serving quality products for 100 years. In the 1950’s, Eugene and Gloria Warrington took over the business and expanded its menu, carrying it on for 65 years. The business is now expanding with the addition of third and fourth generation family members.