2010 NETWORKING® MAGAZINE’S DAVID AWARD HONOREE.

ANTHONY A. ALBANESE.

Chairman, Albanese Organization, Inc.

Chairman and co-founder of The Albanese Organization, Anthony A. Albanese has successfully led the company for 60 years, infusing projects of ever-ambitious scope with his innovative spirit, vision and creativity. “With my brothers Vincent and Joseph, who have been with me every step of the way, I borrowed $1,000 to buy a vacant parcel of land down the street from where we grew up in South Ozone Park, Queens. We started building one house, then two,” Albanese recalls. “We built homes in Jamaica, Queens Village, Bellerose and our first six-story apartment house in Jamaica Estates.” Their sister, Mary, has added her expertise as an interior designer to many of her brothers’ projects.

But what makes Albanese special is that his goal has never been solely developing buildings. Where others see a static edifice, he envisions an organic structure that affects the people within the building and interacts with the surrounding community.

“When designing our commercial buildings, we look to utilize space wisely, maximizing window areas. It’s good for the occupants, creating more productive workplaces, and it’s good for business. In our residential projects we constantly seek to do something that provides more comfort for the people living there,” says Albanese. “In all our projects we want the building to be a positive addition to the community, strengthening the fabric of the neighborhood.”

This enlightened view of real estate development has guided the company through many market cycles. Albanese expanded onto Long Island in the 1960s, began investing in Manhattan real estate in the following decade, and in the 1980s, transformed 12 underutilized and marginal parcels on Manhattan’s eastside into the iconic, 52-story pyramid-topped condominium known as 100 United Nations Plaza. The genesis of the design reflects his bold thinking. “During the design process the idea of the pyramid crown started with my desire to create multiple apartments with roof-top penthouse terraces,” he notes. “A rough sketch of mine during a family vacation was transformed into a sleek, modern form by our architect,” greatly enhancing the building’s value and the residents’ living experience.

With its forward looking philosophy, AO took this concern for environment to the next level, becoming pioneers in sustainable (“green”) development. Russell Albanese, Anthony’s son and AO President, who has grown with the firm’s ethos for the last 30 years, embraced the green approach. In an effort led by Russell and Albanese’s nephew Christopher, the fourth AO principal, the firm competed for and won development rights for a sustainable residence in Manhattan’s Battery Park City. The result was The Solaire, America’s first environmentally responsible residential tower, which in 2004 received the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold rating and the AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects Award. In 2007, the company was awarded the “Designing the Sustainable and Secure World” Building Green Award by Global Green USA.

Also in Battery Park City, the firm’s second residential tower, The Verdesian, completed in 2006, was awarded LEED Platinum, the USGBC’s highest designation and the nation’s first award to a structure of its kind. The Visionaire, a luxury “green” condominium achieved LEED Platinum, received the AIA New York Committee’s “2009 Award for Outstanding Green Project” and was awarded the Grand Prize of the “Green Building Competition” held jointly by the US EPA and NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability.

When AO went “green,” development carried a significant cost penalty. Reflecting his father’s holistic view of development, Russell states, “Although it was more costly to build, we knew it was the right thing to do. The final product is healthier for residents and, over the life cycle of the building, reduces impacts on the environment, making it a better global neighbor. It’s the way all buildings should be developed today.” As more green buildings are built and more experience is gained by the industry, the incremental cost is coming down every year.

The Albanese Organization believes its advocacy and leadership in green building development is helping accelerate the pace at which green building practices are becoming the acceptable standards for the industry. As part of his commitment to be a change agent, Albanese encourages employees and executives to participate actively in professional and trade associations, speaking at conferences and supporting green movements. Leading by example, Russell serves on the Boards of Sustainable Long Island and The Nature Conservancy, Long Island Chapter, and was a founding member of the USGBC’s New York Chapter, in which other employees have served.

AO and its joint venture partner, Castagna Realty Company, brought “sustainability” closer to home by transforming a 1960s vintage Garden City office building into Long Island’s first Class A “green” office building, featuring a state-of-the-art HVAC system that conserves energy and provides a high-quality filtration system to remove contaminants and other potential allergens in the air. This project continues a 10-year effort, spearheaded by Russell Matthews, Albanese’s nephew and AO Executive Vice President, and undertaken in cooperation with the Village of Garden City to revitalize the community’s commercial core.

Improving the communities in which he works, lives and develops comes naturally to Albanese, who has personally been involved in numerous community and philanthropic activities, including service on the Board of St. Francis Hospital for 20 years. Fundamentally, he’s a developer of people, not buildings. He continues to inspire, motivate and empower his associates and employees, many of whom have been with the firm for decades. Under his leadership, AO has volunteered time and talent to numerous nonprofit organizations to foster protection and preservation of the environment, support health and human services, advance educational opportunities, and promote arts and cultural programs. Through these efforts the firm has advanced the missions of the Mental Health Association of Nassau County, the Coalition Against Child Abuse and Neglect, the Interfaith Nutrition Network, New Ground, the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Telecare, Adelphi University, the Nassau County Museum of Art, and the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts.

Family is at Albanese’s core. This February Anthony and his wife Annette will celebrate 60 years of marriage, surrounded by their four children—Deborah, Toni, Russell and Elena, together with 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. A man of integrity and great achievement, Albanese says, “In many respects, my company, too, is my family. That’s why I come to work every day.”

NETWORKING® January 2010