Kathleen Pettit, Crowne Plaza LaGuardia, congratulates King of Queens honorees (l.) Eduardo Giraldo, Abtex, Inc. president, and Gary Isenberg, Field Hotels CEO.

Bloomberg Tops Kings Of Queens At Awards Breakfast

 

By Dan Miller
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg headed up a list of outstanding individuals named as 2008 Kings of Queens at the annual Champions (of Queens) breakfast. Promoted as both a networking event and an awards breakfast, the October 2 event saw hundreds of the borough’s top business and community leaders welcomed to the newly renovated Douglaston Manor.

Bloomberg, honored as the King of Kings of Queens, sat on the stage with Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, the borough’s Queen of Queens. State Senator Frank Padavan and Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer presented each honoree with a Proclamation from their respective houses of the legislature in recognition of their achievements. Besides Bloomberg and Marshall, others honored as Kings of Queens included Bruce Bendell, Major Automotive Group owner, dealer; Chris Constantino, Elmhurst Hospital Center executive director; Joseph A. Ferrara, Ferrara Bros. Building Materials Corp. chairman and CEO; Joseph Ficalora, New York Community Bank chairman, president and CEO; the Reverend Floyd H. Flake, pastor, Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral; Eduardo Giraldo, Abtex Int'l Brokers, Inc. founder; Damon Hemmerdinger, Shops at Atlas Park developer; Gary Isenberg, Field Hotels Inc. Crowne Plaza LaGuardia Chief Operation Officer; Marc Z. Kramer, New York Daily News CEO; Michael Lee, TDC Development  chairman and CEO; Antonio D. Martin, Queens Hospital Center  executive  director; Joe Mattone Sr., Mattone Group CEO;  Peter M. Meyer, Commerce Bank NYC market president;  Thomas Newell, Con Edison Brooklyn Queens Operations vice president; Albert F. Pennisi, Queens Chamber of Commerce president; Michael N. Rosenblut, Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care president and CEO, and Nicholas Vogiatzis, M.D., Queens Long Island Medical Group, P.C. president and CEO.

King of Queens Honorees surround (sixth from l.) state Senator Frank Padavan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and program hostess Vicki Schnepps. Padavan and Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer (far r.) presented each honoree with a Proclamation from their respective legislative bodies Photos Dan Miller/DMD Images.

A raffle helped raise money to support the work of Life’s WORC and the South Queens Boys and Girls Club, located in South Richmond Hill. Life’s WORC, whose co-founders include Geraldo Rivera, was created to provide comprehensive support for individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism and mental retardation.

Prior to the awards breakfast, guests viewed dozens of exhibits provided by local Queens businesses.