Fireside Chat: Re-Occupying Commercial Offices

*This event is occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program; please continue to register.*

Continuing our Fireside Chat series, this panel will discuss how operations teams from the base building are preparing for end-users to return after the lockdown. They will discuss which building systems are being redesigned, upgraded, and modified to ensure workers feel confident returning to a safe office environment. We will discuss topics including HVAC system changes, technology upgrades, how to minimize high-touch surfaces, modified wayfinding, and ingress/egress.

Speakers:
Ron Jerman, Vice President of Operations, Durst
Anthony Montalto Jr., Associate Partner, JB&B
Drew O’Connor, Senior Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield
Mark Rusitzky, AIA, Partner, COOKFOX Architects

About the speakers:

Ron Jerman, Vice President of Operations at Durst, oversees the operations of over 13 million square feet of commercial office space and 2,200 residential units. He is responsible for ensuring all assets are protected, operated, enhanced and maintained to The Durst Organization’s standards. In addition to ensuring that systems run efficiently for peak performance, Jerman manages capital improvements and operational upgrades. He is also responsible for tenant and resident satisfaction, as well as establishing and executing operational policies and practices across the portfolio.

Anthony Montalto serves as an Associate Partner at JB&B. Since joining the firm in 2002, he has been involved as a Project Manager and Associate on numerous commercial office and critical facility (data center) projects, with special expertise on academic projects, specifically in the life science sector. Notable projects include NYU Langone Health’s Science Building and the Berg Data Center. He also served as the Project Manager for Weill Cornell Medical College’s Belfer Research Building, as well as numerous other projects with Columbia University Medical College, SUNY academic campuses at Cobleskill and Downstate, and CUNY’s Fiterman Hall. Other projects on which Montalto served as the Partner-in-Charge include Moynihan Train Hall, 61 Ninth Avenue, One Madison Avenue redevelopment, New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and Deerfield at 345 Park Avenue South.

Drew O’Connor serves as the Senior Managing Director for Cushman & Wakefield’s Asset Services platform in New York. In this role, he leverages more than 20 years of experience in property management to oversee and expand Cushman & Wakefield’s 37-million-square-foot commercial portfolio in New York City. O’Connor has a proven track record of developing and implementing strategies and initiatives to generate superior and creative operational efficiencies and financial achievements. He was awarded the Portfolio Manager of the Year for the Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) 16th Annual Commercial Management in 2019.

Mark Rusitzky has built his expertise in managing the design of large-scale, mixed-use urban projects. He served as the Project Director of the City Point development in Downtown Brooklyn, which received the NYC Public Design Commission’s Annual Award for Excellence in Design and the Brooklyn Building Award for Retail (2013). He is currently the Partner-in-Charge for the St. John’s Terminal project, which spans two city blocks on the west side of Manhattan. The project, which includes the revitalization of the terminal and the creation of a new residential tower, offers a unique opportunity to enhance the city’s connection to the waterfront. Rusitzky also led the creation of COOKFOX’s new studio at 250 West 57th Street, which showcases the firm’s biophilic design philosophy. The LEED Platinum and WELL Gold-certified space is stunning and makes coming to work a pleasure. Rusitzky believes that the best design helps connect people to nature, and that every project should be viewed through that lens.

As a Cross-Learning Alliance event, discounted member prices are available to ASHRAE, AIA, and Urban Green Members. Cross-Learning Alliance events are designed to bridge the knowledge gap between the people that own, design, build, manage, operate and commission buildings. #crosslearning