United Way Raises $110K For Area Nonprofits

The United Way of Northern New Jersey raised an estimated $110,000 for the capital improvement needs of area nonprofits through the help of the real estate industry at its 13th annual Commercial Real Estate Network Legacy Luncheon.

About 300 professionals from the industry attended the luncheon to support area nonprofits while celebrating the positive impact of several key real estate transactions of the past year.

One of those belonged to SHI International Corp. The company received the United Way's 2012 Commercial Real Estate Impact Award for undertaking one of the largest commercial renovations in the northern region and keeping energy efficiency and conservation a focal point of the project. 

The project relocated the company's world headquarters from Piscataway to Somerset, with the interior workspaces meeting the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED guidelines and the roof equipped with solar panels. The panels will be able to offset as much as 15 percent of the company’s power consumption.

“United Way and this industry have much in common,” said Theresa Lepore, United Way’s senior vice president for resource development. “We are both committed to building better communities. We congratulate SHI for keeping at the forefront of this project the long-term health of our community.”

Presenting the award to the SHI team was Robert J. Donnelly Jr. of Cushman & Wakefield, representing the 2011 Impact Award winner BASF North American Headquarters.

The three other Impact Award finalists were Oticon, Inc. in Somerset; Pinnacle Foods Group, LLC in Parsippany and Realogy Corporation in Madison.

The luncheon's keynote speaker was Timothy Lizura, senior vice president of the State’s Economic Development Authority. Lizura told the audience how he feels the Christie administration has made the state more business-friendly in order to attract and retain companies. Lizura spoke of how the administration has worked to change tax laws to make New Jersey competitive with other states.

Since the launch of the Legacy Luncheon in 1999, United Way has raised more than $1.66 million to fund and complete 113 critical capital projects at nonprofits, such as child care centers, shelters, housing for those with mental illnesses and disabilities, social service agencies providing health services for low-income residents, and much more.

The following 20 industry sponsors made the event possible through their financial support: Turner Construction Company; Silver Sponsors: Jones Lang LaSalle and Unity Construction Services; Bronze sponsors: BFI, Century Group, Dancker, Sellew & Douglas, Evenson Best LLC, Gensler, Graebel Northeastern Movers, Herman Miller, Hollister Construction Services, Knoll, Lane Office, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Normandy Real Estate Partners, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C., Shaw Contract Group, Structure Tone Inc. and The Walsh Company, LLC., WB Wood.