REBNY Honors Top NYC Real Estate Leaders and Dealmakers at 31st Annual Deal of the Year Charity & Awards Gala

Kenneth Scheff, Regina Wierbowski, Jessica Cohen, and Margaret Simmons recognized for outstanding accomplishments and service to the industry.

Pamela Marcus, Patrick Smith, Debra Hoffman, Nicole Hay, and Jennifer Ting-Chen win top awards for broker expertise in dealmaking.

Front row (L-R): Kenneth Scheff, Stribling & Associates @ Compass; Debra Hoffman, Halstead Real Estate; Jennifer Ting-Chen, Corcoran Group; Margaret Simmons, Halstead Real Estate; Patrick Smith, Corcoran Group || Back row (L-R): Pamela Marcus, Corcoran Group; James Whelan, REBNY President; Regina Wierbowski, Regina Wierbowski Real Estate, LLC; Jessica Cohen, Douglas Elliman; Nicole Hay, Halstead Real Estate; John Wollberg, Halstead Real Estate || Photo credit: Richard Lewin Photography

New York City’s leading residential home sale and rental professionals gathered on Wednesday at The Plaza to celebrate The Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) 31st Annual Residential Deal of the Year Charity & Awards Gala.

This prestigious event honored the achievements, service and professionalism of the city’s top residential dealmakers and raised funds for REBNY’s “Member in Need Fund,” which provides grants to residential brokerage members who are experiencing a financial crisis or hardship.

“New York City has the best real estate agents in the world and The Residential Deal of the Year Awards represents the best of the best,” said James Whelan, REBNY President. “Congratulations to all the award recipients. We applaud your commitment to our industry and success in navigating New York City’s residential real estate market.” 

THE AWARD WINNERS

Kenneth Scheff of Stribling & Associates @ Compass was presented with The Henry Forster Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award recognizes an individual who has a long-standing reputation for excellence in residential real estate, is a top-producing agent who displays outstanding ethical conduct in the profession, and contributes to cultural, charitable, and community organizations outside and within the industry.

Kenneth Scheff is an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience working with and managing some of the city’s finest residential real estate agents. As the manager of Stribling & Associates' Uptown office, Ken currently oversees 150 agents who, under his leadership, have sold residential properties valued at more than $5 billion. Ken is active within the REBNY community on the Residential Division’s Board of Directors and Ethics Committee and has conducted several seminars for colleagues.

Regina Wierbowski of Regina Wierbowski Real Estate LLC was presented with The Eileen Spinola Award for Distinguished Service. This award honors a REBNY broker or agent who has made significant contributions to the REBNY community by volunteering time, lending expertise and showing leadership in the areas of education, ethics, and professional services. The winner of this award personifies the best of brokers and agents who work tirelessly for the betterment of the residential real estate industry.

Regina Wirerbowski has been involved with REBNY’s Residential Division for over 35 years serving on both the Ethics Committee and the Board of Directors of the Residential Division as well as multiple committees including Membership, Education, Inter Firm Forum, Downtown and Small Firms. Additionally, Regina has served as a seminar instructor where she educated fellow colleagues on topics such as Ethical Negotiations, How to do Rentals for Sales Brokers, and Neighborhood and New Development Bus Tours. She is also certified as a New York Residential Specialist, a Certified Negotiation Expert, a Certified Buyer’s Representative and led many ‘Residential Ethics for New Members’ sessions.

Jessica Cohen of Douglas Elliman took home The Residential Brokerage Agent of the Year Award which recognizes a member Sales Agent or Associate Broker who has demonstrated skilled achievement, superior leadership, high moral character, and professional behavior both in the real estate industry and the community-at-large. Nominations for this award are made by colleagues—salespersons and broker associates—from within the nominee’s firm or the industry-at-large. Jessica Cohen is an award-winning licensed associate broker for Douglas Elliman where she manages a team of ten. Jessica has over 16 years of experience at Douglas Elliman and has closed over 1000 sales. She is often engaged for her market expertise and frequently participates on educational panels for industry professionals.

Margaret Simmons of Halstead Real Estate was presented with The Residential Brokerage Rookie of the Year Award for her standout accomplishments within her first years working in New York City’s residential real estate market. Margaret Simmons brought her previous experience working in account management and dedication to community to Halstead. In the past year, Meggie earned Halstead’s Diamond Club status and has demonstrated her ability to both advocate for and negotiate and close deals on behalf of her clients. She has a passion for service, regularly volunteering at the CAMBA homeless shelter, CHIPS Food Bank and visits the residents at Bishop Boardman apartments. The Residential Brokerage Division Deal of the Year Sales Awards were as follows:

• Pamela Marcus and Patrick Smith of the Corcoran Group won the First Prize Residential Sales Award.

• Debra Hoffman of Halstead Real Estate took home the Second Prize Residential Sales Award.

• Nicole Hay of Halstead Real Estate and Jennifer Ting-Chen of the Corcoran Group won the Third Prize Residential Sales Award.

The winners of the Residential Brokerage Division Deal of the Year Sales Awards are chosen anonymously through a judging committee. Only members of firms who have not submitted deal entries are allowed to judge. The Member in Need Fund was created in 1994 by the Residential Brokerage Division Deal of the Year Charity and Awards Gala Committee and is supported through proceeds from the Annual Residential Deal of the Year Charity and Awards Gala. The Fund assists REBNY residential members who are experiencing severe financial hardship as a result of a personal or family illness or catastrophic event.

Corporate sponsors were: Chase, Wells Fargo, Popular Bank, Perchwell Roadway Moving, Brown Harris Stevens, Citizens Bank, Douglas Elliman, Engel & Völkers, Family First Funding, Hudson Yards/Related, Katz & Matz, Romer Debbas, Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP, City Realty, Miller Advertising Agency, Real Plus, NYRS, Halstead, and Anbau Enterprise.

Raffle sponsors were: John Wollberg at Halstead, The Ace Hotel, XL Property Management, Halstead, Tao Group Hospitality, Marcia Roma & Barbara Fox at Fox Residential, Brown Harris Stevens, Spire Realty, Quest Media, Rotisserie Georgette, NY Post, The Corcoran Group, Chaves, Perlowitz and Luftig Law Firm, REBNY, Bradford Portraits, Marjorie Hilton Interiors Inc, Total Tennis, Dr. Michael Bruck, Anthony Aiden Opticians, HottinDaro, Soho Grand Hotel, The Roxy Hotel, Interior Marketing Group, and igluu. 

For Event Photos, Click Here.