June 19, 2024 – Louis J. Coletti, Senior Advisor in both the Government Relations and Construction Law practices, moderated a discussion with Alison Landry, Chief Operations & Infrastructure Officer and Chair of Mayor’s Adams Procurement Reform Task Force at the Commercial Observer’s well attended Public Projects Forum in midtown Manhattan yesterday.

The forum was opened by Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA, candidly answering the big question currently on every New Yorker’s mind: What are the immediate implications of the MTA’s loss of funding from congestion pricing?

The forum featured leaders heading up New York’s public projects, including executives from Amtrak, Gateway Program, NYC Department of Construction & Development, and more, with discussions centering around new infrastructure and building projects as well as innovative design solutions and best practices.

In a panel on John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new 2.4 million-square-foot Terminal One, Hersh Parekh, deputy chief of intergovernmental affairs for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, noted the entire JFK terminal program broke a New York state record for participation by minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs), with over $2.3 billion awarded to MWBEs.

Increasing access to major public projects for M/WBE construction companies is a personal passion of Lou Coletti‘s and he has been championing it while he was President and CEO of the Building Trades Union for the past 27 years.