Years at Suffolk:
2 year(s)
Past Employer/Position:
The Related Companies, President Related Construction Holdings LLC
Years in the Industry:
35 year(s)
Community Involvement
We (mainly my wife Melinda) are puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Right now we are raising a black Labrador Retriever to be a future guide dog.
What is the most exciting thing about working in this business?
People. The act of building something of permanence provides the opportunity to interact with a cross section of American society. As builders, we have the opportunity to challenge our assumptions, understand other perspectives, learn, and teach. The most exciting part of my day is when I have the opportunity to help someone solve a problem or learn a new skill and, in doing so, I also learn something new.
What is your personal passion and why?
My passion is my wife of 30 years—and (sometimes!) my kids.
What is your favorite community cause or philanthropic organization to support and why?
Fordham Preparatory School, a Jesuit institution located in the Bronx, is a very special place where a diverse group of inner city and suburban boys from all socioeconomic strata learn that character is defined by your actions and the greatest calling in life is to be “men for others.”
What was your favorite family experience?
Sunday afternoon Italian “dinners” were my favorite. The adults all pitched in. My grandmother would make her own pastries, my mother her own marinara, my father his homemade wine, my aunt and uncle the manicotti, and my grandfather brought his own fork that he had increased the slots between the tines so he could get more pasta. And the kids always broke a window!
What is your favorite quote?
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.” - Vince Lombardi