Brooklyn's Progress
August/September 2008

BY JILL D'AMICO

The 2008 Building Brooklyn Awards™ were the most successful in the event’s history. The eighth annual awards ceremony drew over 400 people and the projects reflected Brooklyn’s new landscape – cleaner, greener, and influenced by the borough’s rich history and bright future.

Honorees Mary Brennan, vice president of the Community Preservation Corporation, and Mike Baker, store manager of IKEA Brooklyn, both spoke of the changes that Brooklyn has undergone, and reflected on the efforts of their companies to celebrate its rich past. Once again, the challenges of affordable housing for Brooklyn’s swelling populace is of paramount importance, and considerations are being taken for cultural and physical features, such as the borough’s waterfront, all of growing importance as Brooklyn takes an increasingly larger role on the world stage.

The celebration also honored 17 recently completed construction and renovation projects that have enriched Brooklyn’s neighborhoods and economy.

The event was sponsored by Two Trees Management, IKEA, IBEC Building Corporation and Strategic Development and Construction Group, Commerce Bank, Con Edison, Atlantis Health Plan, Verizon Communications, the Propeller Group, and Preferred Health Partners.