Compass agent Karen DeMeco won the Deal of the Year at the annual Real Estate Board of New York gala celebrating the city’s residential brokers last night (Wednesday).
Brown Harris Stevens executive vice president and managing director of sales Ruth McCoy was honored with The Henry Forster Award for Lifetime Achievement.
And Emel Glicksman of Fox Residential Group and co-broker Reba Miller of RP Miller Realty Group won the top prize in the rental sector.
The 28th annual gala was held at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers and drew over 500 agents, owners and developers who were entertained following the awards presentation and dinner by superstar Gloria Gaynor.
A cocktail hour ahead of the award presentation was briefly interrupted by a small group of loud protesters who used a back-door entrance to infiltrate the dressed up crowd, waving placards denouncing the “gentrification of Brooklyn.” The hoopla was quickly shut down by security and police, who removed the protesters without incident.
The Night at the Disco-themed event highlighted the achievements of the City’s most accomplished residential dealmakers and their contributions to the real estate industry, and raised funds for REBNY’s Member in Need Fund, which provides grants to residential brokerage members who are experiencing a financial crisis or hardship.
“Every day throughout New York City, our members go above and beyond to serve the needs of our city’s residents while demonstrating exceptional professionalism, leadership and service to our industry and consumers alike,” said John H. Banks, III, REBNY President. “It is an honor to celebrate their accomplishments, while raising funds to support our members in need.”
“We congratulate the winners on their much-deserved awards, which represent the consistent and impressive hard work, ethical conduct and ingenuity of all REBNY members,” said Jeffrey Rothstein, Executive Manager of Sales for Douglas Elliman’s West Side offices, and Co-Chair of REBNY’s Residential Deal of the Year Charity & Awards Gala Committee.
“Each winner’s dedicated time and efforts towards pursuing and achieving excellence in their business dealings, while contributing generously to our industry, are applauded and greatly appreciated by our community,” added Barbara Fox, President of Fox Residential Group and Co-Chair of REBNY’s Residential Deal of the Year Charity & Awards Gala Committee.
The awards for 2015-2016 were presented to:
Ruth McCoy, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Sales for Brown Harris Stevens’ East Side offices, who was honored with The Henry Forster Award for Lifetime Achievement.
This award is presented to an individual who has a long-standing reputation for excellence in residential real estate, is a top-producing agent who displays outstanding ethical conduct in the profession, and contributes to cultural, charitable and community organizations outside and within the industry.
McCoy works closely with Brown Harris Stevens’ President Hall Willkie and Executive Vice President Peter Marra in supervising the company’s East Side offices where over 120 brokers specialize in the sale of cooperatives, condominiums and townhouses.
Prior to this position, McCoy ran Brown Harris Stevens’ Downtown Residential Sales Division in Greenwich Village.
Since starting her career in residential real estate in Manhattan in 1982, McCoy has worked as director of sales and leasing and handled corporate relocation and co-op and condominium conversions. She was previously Executive Director of Feathered Nest where she oversaw day-to-day operations as well as long-term planning and projections.
Her prior Manhattan real estate experience includes her work with Douglas Elliman, William B. May and the developer David Walentas. An active member of REBNY, McCoy serves on several committees: the Residential Branch Managers Committee, Brokerage Eastside Committee and Deal of the Year Charity & Awards Gala Committee. She has also lectured, conducted seminars and teaches continuing education for New York State licensed sales agents and brokers.
Douglas Wagner of Bond New York was presented with The Eileen Spinola Award for Distinguished Service.
This award – named for REBNY’s former Senior Vice President of Education and Brokerage Services – honors a REBNY broker or agent who has made major contributions to the REBNY community by donating their time, expertise and knowledge in the areas of education, ethics and professional services for the betterment of the real estate industry.
At Bond New York, Wagner supervises the Sales, Leasing and Commercial Divisions and has been instrumental in the creation and development of Bond University, the company’s education program, offering professional development opportunities to agents at every level of their career.
Soon after first starting his career as a Manhattan rental agent in 1996, he was training other agents and running a mid-sized rental brokerage downtown. He served as President of Benjamin James Real Estate for nine years, during which he developed the rental company’s marketing brand, added its coop and condo sales component and supervised the lease up of new developments in Manhattan.
Wagner sits on the Board for the REBNY Listing Service (RLS); has served on REBNY’s Ethics and Professional Practices Committee and as chair of the Residential Rental Committee for most of the past fourteen years; and previously served on REBNY’s Board of Governors and Residential Board of Directors. Wagner frequently teaches continuing education at REBNY and authored its Rental Industry Best Practices, which were adopted into the organization’s regulations in 2006.
The Most Promising Rookie Salesperson of the Year Award for 2016 was bestowed to Mirza Avdovic of Keller Williams NYC for his standout accomplishments within his first years working in New York City’s residential real estate market.
Among The Residential Brokerage Division Deal of the Year Sales & Rental Awards: Karen DeMeco of Compass was presented with the First Prize Award for Residential Sales; Peter Michael Riolo and co-brokers Timothy G. Simmons and Gerard “Scott” Moore, of Brown Harris Stevens, took Second Prize; and Neoly Lika Williams of Town Residential took Third Prize.
The Rental Award was presented to Emel Glicksman of Fox Residential Group and co-broker Reba Miller of RP Miller Realty Group.
The winners of the residential sales and rental awards are chosen anonymously through a judging committee. Only members of firms who have not submitted deal entries are allowed to judge.
Photo top: (Back row from L-R) Hall Willkie, Brown Harris Stevens; Peter Michael Riolo, Brown Harris Stevens, Winner of the Second Prize Residential Sales Award; Sarah Orlinsky-Maitland, Brown Harris Stevens; Douglas Wagner, Bond New York, Winner of The Eileen Spinola Award for Distinguished Service; Mirza Avdovic, Keller Williams NYC, Winner of The Most Promising Rookie Salesperson of the Year Award; John H. Banks, III, REBNY President; Reba Miller, RP Miller Realty Group, Co-Broker for the Rental Award; Robert Reffkin, Compass; Karen DeMeco, Compass, Winner of the First Prize Residential Sales Award; Gary Lacy, Town Residential; Neoly Lika Williams, Town Residential, Winner of the Third Prize Residential Sales Award; Andrew Heiberger.
(Front row from L-R) Timothy Simmons, Brown Harris Stevens, Co-broker for the Second Prize Residential Sales Award; Bess Freedman, Brown Harris Stevens; Ruth McCoy, Brown Harris Stevens, Winner of the Henry Forster Award for Lifetime Achievement; Eileen Spinola, REBNY’s former Senior Vice President of Education and Brokerage Services; Emel Glicksman, Fox Residential Group, Winner of the Rental Award; Dorothy Sexton, Town Residential.
(Photo by Richard Lewin)
