BCW Honors ‘Change Makers’ at Annual Business Hall of Fame Dinner

Seated, from left, Chris Combe, Chairman, Combe, Inc; Bud Hammer, President, Atlantic Westchester, Inc; Lisa Hammer, CFO, Atlantic Westchester, Inc; Gerri Pell, CEO, Pell Wealth Partners, and Thomas LaPerch, Commercial Group Director, Houlihan Lawrence. Standing, from left, Hall of Fame Dinner Co-Chair James Giangrande, Managing Director & Partner, Altium Wealth; Akshay Shetty, Co-CEO, Combe, Inc; BCW Chairman Anthony Justic, Partner, Maier, Markey & Justic, LLP; Marsha Gordon, President and CEO, BCW; Robert Schaeffer, President & CEO, D&D Elevator; Nunzio Meccariello, Treasurer, D&D Elevator, and Michael Bonardi, Vice President, D&D Elevator. Not pictured, Seth Pinsky, Executive Vice President and Investment Manager, RXR Realty

More than 600 business leaders were on hand April 24^th for the Business Council of Westchester’s 16th Annual Hall of Fame Awards Dinner. This year’s program, which was held at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, honored six “change makers” who have transformed their industries and added to the economic vitality of the region.

The honorees in their respective categories were:

Corporate Citizenship – Houlihan Lawrence: Accepting the award was Stephen Meyers, CEO.  Houlihan Lawrence is the leading real estate brokerage serving New York City’s northern suburbs. The family run company has 30 offices and more than 1,300 agents serving Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Ulster and Orange counties in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut. Based in Rye Brook, Houlihan Lawrence ranks in the top 20 of all brokerages nationally and achieved a total sales volume of more than $6.5 billion in 2017.

Entrepreneurial Success – RXR Realty: Accepting the award was Seth Pinsky, Executive Vice President and Investment Manager. RXR Realty is a vertically-integrated private real estate company with expertise in investment management, property management, development, design, construction, leasing and financing. The company, which markets and manages 74 commercial real estate properties and investments in the tristate region, has major projects under way in the downtowns of Yonkers and New Rochelle where it is building transit-oriented luxury rental complexes.

Family Owned Business – Combe, Inc:  Accepting the award was Akshay Shetty, Co-CEO. Combe, Inc. of White Plains is a privately-held, family-owned personal care company. Founded by Ivan B. Combe in 1949, the company current brands are category leaders in markets around the world. Building on Ivan Combe’s vision and leadership, his son, Chris Combe, oversaw the robust growth of the company for two decades until

his retirement in 2014. Today, Chris’ daughter, Keech Comb Shetty, and son-in-law, Akshay Shetty, are steering the company into the future.

Small Business Success – D&D Elevator: Accepting the award was: Robert Schaeffer, President & CEO. Over the past ten years, D&D Elevator has grown from 34 employees to 85. D&D Elevator actively services more than 800 customers and approximately 1,200 elevators in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess and Nassau counties as well as the boroughs of Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Women in Business – Geri Pell, Founder, Pell Wealth Partners,  accepted the award.  Founded more than 30 years ago by Geri Eisenman Pell, Pell Wealth Partners

is a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. With more than 700 clients, the Rye Brook-based company manages $500 million in assets in‑house and a total of $1 billion in assets for clients throughout their portfolios.

Chairman’s Recognition – Atlantic Westchester, Inc: Accepting the award was Bud Hammer, President.  Since 1961, Atlantic Westchester has been providing a variety of commercial/industrial HVAC solutions for businesses, institutions and government facilities across the NY metro area. Based in Bedford Hills, the company has the qualifications and certifications to properly maintain the long-term efficiency and integrity of a building’s HVAC system.

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