Annual Report 2002

Page 7

Nearly 1,000 representatives of the design, construction and real estate industry gathered at the Building Congress Remembrance and Recognition Dinner on October 25, 2001 for an evening of tributes to those lost in the World Trade Center attack of September 11 and the heroes who responded so valiantly in its wake.

The Dinner contributed $50,000 to the World Trade Center Memorial Fund, established through the New York Building Foundation. The Fund underwrote $25,000 donations to three of the evening’s honorees – the Fire Department of New York, the Port Authority Police Department, and the Building Trades Families Relief Fund. A fourth $25,000 donation, underwritten by the Rudin family, was awarded to the New York Police Department.

Amidst uncertainty and questioning, our industry’s performance since September 11, 2001, has been enormously uplifting to the City of New York and has deserved and received widespread respect. Never have so many from one industry done so much.

Dinner Chairman Robert Prieto, who is Chairman of Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. said, "Everything that has happened since that fateful day has brought heartfelt emotions and a deeper feeling of unity among all of us. Our great industry demonstrated right from the start that we are more than a pillar of the City’s economy. We are among those who respond first and stay the longest. We have been working at Ground Zero from the start and will be there for years to come.”

Remembrance and Recognition Dinner