REBNY Brings New Flavor to Iconic Annual Event

The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) marked its 126th year Thursday with nearly 2,000 real estate industry and business leaders, government officials and other guests gathered at its revamped annual event – New York Forever: A Celebration of Our City – hosted at The Glasshouse in Manhattan.

Unlike REBNY’s previous annual events, the celebration departed from past tradition of black tie, banquet hall and sit-down dinner. With fresh energy and in cocktail attire, the event kicked off with red carpet interviews featuring REBNY’s annual honorees and top real estate executives from across the city.

Bernard Warren (President of Webb & Brooker, Inc.) and Darcy Stacom (Chairman and Head of New York City Capital Markets at CBRE)

A cocktail hour reception included REBNY’s annual award ceremony honoring industry leaders and advocates and featuring celebratory remarks from Governor Kathy Hochul and Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Chief Advisor to Mayor Eric Adams. REBNY then welcomed guests to a dynamic networking reception featuring a variety of culinary tastes and drinks from some of NYC’s top chefs and mixologists.

“The biggest night in real estate was unlike any other in REBNY’s history,” said REBNY President James Whelan. “For the first time in almost three years, we gathered in person to not only celebrate our industry leaders, but also applaud the resilience of New York City and the exciting future ahead. It was truly an unforgettable night.”

Guests enjoyed drinks and cocktails from Brooklyn Brewery and New York Distillery, in addition to curated beverages from some of New York City’s top mixologists. A diverse menu of canapes from top NYC chefs including special guest chef Daniel Boulud, one of America’s leading culinary authorities, were also served, under his purview.

Chef Joseph Rosa of Hudson West. Photo by Tsubasa Berg.

Other chefs included Michael Lomonaco of Porter House Bar and Grill and Hudson Yards Grill; JJ Johnson of Field Trip; Ash Fulker of Hill Country; Joseph Rosa of Hudson West; Anastacia Song of KUMI NY; and Anwar Khoder of Li-Lac Chocolates

From left are Karen Boykin-Towns, Hazel Dukes (President of the NAACP New York State Conference), and Ingrid Lewis-Martin (Chief Advisor to Mayor Eric Adams). Photo by Tsubasa Berg

“We gathered last night in our wonderful city which continues to emerge stronger than ever,” said REBNY Chairman Douglas Durst. “REBNY’s event and our distinguished honorees reflect that strength. We are thrilled to have been able to gather in person once again with friends, colleagues and esteemed officials to celebrate the biggest night in New York real estate.”

The event was held in partnership with NY Forever, a nonprofit organization working to recapture faith and pride in New York by organizing and motivating New Yorkers from every borough and generation to participate in the city’s civic rebirth.

Peter Braus, Managing Principal of Lee & Associates with the company’s top staff. Photo by Tsubasa Berg.

“Since we began last January, we have dedicated ourselves to championing New York City’s recovery from COVID-19 — rallying New Yorkers to show their pride in our city by showing up, volunteering and supporting organizations on the front lines,” said Emily Anadu, Co-Founding Board Member and Co-Chair of NY Forever. “Together we’ve helped hundreds of New Yorkers volunteer for community-based organizations and raised over $400,000 for our non-profit partners. We are excited to partner with the REBNY to continue to build on these efforts and ensure we are building back a better, more equitable New York City.”

A portion of proceeds from the event will go to the REBNY Foundation, which is helping to increase diversity and inclusion in the real estate industry through ongoing initiatives such as the REBNY Fellows Leadership Program in partnership with Coro New York and REBNY’s Internship Program in partnership with Project Destined and the City University of New York (CUNY). The Foundation also supports ongoing work by the non-profit Building Skills New York to connect New Yorkers from historically underserved communities with good construction jobs and career opportunities.