By John Banks, REBNY President
REBNY’s Annual Banquet in January will be honoring some of the real estate industry’s top performers and most active contributors, and there are few who fit that description more than William (Bill) Montana, senior managing director of Savills Studley.
This year, Bill will be receiving The Louis Smadbeck Broker Recognition Award, which celebrates a commercial broker with exceptional personal and professional leadership, integrity, and prominence in the brokerage community and service to REBNY’s committees.
Bill has been a REBNY member for over 25 years, and has since become REBNY’s equivalent of a household name.
He is a member of the Board of Governors, has chaired the Commercial Board of Directors and serves on the Ethics & Professional Practices Committee, Arbitration Committee, Plaza Committee, Downtown Committee, Midtown South Committee and others.
He was recently elected to serve as vice chairperson of the Commercial Brokerage Board of Directors, a Board on which he has served for many years.
Bill was also one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Commercial Brooklyn Committee, which has gone on to become one of REBNY’s fastest growing and most popular committees.
The Louis Smadbeck Broker Recognition Award will not be the first time Bill has been recognized by REBNY for his contribution to his field; in 2013, he was the recipient of the Young Man of the Year Award, an award presented to a REBNY member whose skills, integrity, and high degree of ethics has contributed most to his profession and the community.
Bill is an Advisory Board Member of the New York City Clothing Bank, the Chairman Emeritus of the Young Men and Women’s Real Estate Association of New York, a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus and Deputy Grand Knight of the Greenwich Council in Connecticut, all while keeping up with his extensive services to REBNY’s committees and his own personal outstanding real estate practice.
Since 1988, Bill has completed several million square feet of transactions, has represented a variety of impressive clients, and specializes in office space acquisition and disposition on a national scale.
Known throughout the industry as an accomplished professional with the highest degree of integrity, Bill is an active philanthropist, regularly participates in mentoring programs, often speaks at real estate symposiums, has written numerous published articles, and is quoted frequently in business publications.
An excellent example of Bill’s dedication to professionalism in the industry is his exceptional influence in the updating of REBNY’s Code of Ethics and the creation of the “New York Commercial Professional” continuing education course, a designation which allows brokers to convey to clients that they embody the skills and ethical character that can be both trusted and relied upon when making real estate transactions.
I look forward to seeing Bill Montana receive this well-earned award at REBNY’s Banquet on January 21st, and would like to extend my thanks for all that he has done to make REBNY an effective and useful tool for everyone in New York City’s real estate industry.
In other REBNY news:
REBNY’s next Rental Clinic will be December 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Mendik Education Center. This seminar is free for REBNY members only, and online registration is required. Presented by Daniel Marrello of Town Fifth Avenue LLC and Gary Kiyan of Perfect RE Solutions Inc., in this exciting seminar will teach you more about how to expand and improve your residential real estate business. For more information on this event, contact Yesenia Dhanraj at YDhanraj@rebny.com, or visit www.rebny.com.
REBNY’s first Breakfast Club seminar of 2016 will be on January 12. From 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., join your fellow REBNY members at this free seminar in our Mendik Education Room, where our top industry leaders will be imparting hints and tips to improve your business. For more information, contact Yesenia Dhanraj at YDhanraj@rebny.com, or check the Events section of www.rebny.com.
Request for Housing for Veterans in Need: New York City is seeking housing for homeless veterans, with the greatest need being for studios and one-bedroom apartments. The City has committed to ending veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 and has worked to ensure that all veterans have a rental subsidy.
There are also landlord and broker incentives available for those who place veterans in housing. Learn more about the program, or if you have an apartment you’d like to make available, please visit http://www1.nyc.gov/site/dhs/outreach/veterans.page. For information on how to make a donation, visit www.rebny.com or contact Johann Hamilton at 212-616-5251.
