AWARDS

Velez prides itself on the recognition that we have received from our industry and community involvement.
Some of our awards and honors include:

■ 2022 Manhattan Power 100 #77
■ 2022 American Post – A Latina Nominated to the MTA Board
■ 2022 Honored by NY Building Congress
■ 2022 Hofstra University Alumni Achievement Award
■ 2022 Comite Noviembre Puerto Rican Heritage Nuestro Orgullo – Our Pride – Award
■ 2022 PWC Professional Women in Construction – Salute to Women of Achievement Award
■ 2022 One Hundred Black Men Honoree – Excellence in Community Empowerment Award
■ 2022 New York Building Congress Documentary
■ 2022 Crain’s These six New Yorkers could shape the future of congestion pricing
■ 2022 20PixNews
■ 2021 New York Building Congress: Ascend to Action
■ 2021 New York Building Congress Chairperson Biography
■ 2021 Commercial Observer
■ 2021 Crain’s Notable Hispanic Leaders
■ 2021 Crain’s Notable Women Business Owners
■ 2021 City & State Manhattan Power 100 #78
■ 2021 City & State MWBE Power 50 #15
■ 2021 City & State Latino 100 #78
■ 2021 City & State Responsible 100
■ 2021 City & State Power 50 #10
■ Columbia-Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space – Board of Advisors
■ Boricua College – Board of Trustees
■ 2020 Crain’s Asked & Answered
■ 2020 El Diario
■ 2020 Real Estate Weekly – Chair of New York Building Congress
■ 2020 City & State Manhattan Power50 (#42)
■ 2020 Bronxnet: Bellas Fashionistas
■ 2018 City & State Manhattan Power 50 (#50)
■ 2010 Diversity Business Top 100 Hispanic-American Businesses in the United States (#55)
■ 2010 Diversity Business Top 500 Diversity Owned Businesses in the United States (#299)
■ 2010 Diversity Business Top Privately Owned Diversity Businesses in New York (#21)
■ 2009 Minority Business Enterprise Achievement Award – AMENY
■ 2008 “The New York Tri-State Edition of the Real Estate & Construction Review” Building of America Award for the Pavilion at Queens Hospital Center
■ 2005 “New York Construction” – Best of 2005 Award Winner – Renovation – Award of Merit – Queens Supreme Courthouse, Jamaica, New York
■ 2005 Supplier of the Year – National Minority Development Council
■ 2004 Community Achievement Award by the New York State Chapter of Hispanics in Real Estate and Construction
■ 1997 Certificate of Appreciation from the Supreme Court of the State of New York-Bronx County relating to Velez’s construction management services
■ 1996 Business of the Year – Regional Alliance for Small Contractors
■ 1995 Business of the Year – Association for Minority Enterprises of New York (AMENY)
■ 1995 Business of the Year – St. Pius High School, Bronx, NY
■ 1987 Contractor of the Year – Small Business Administration
■ 1984 Contractor of the Year – Small Business Administration
■ 1983 Contractor of the Year – Small Business Administration

RECOGNITION

In honor of the occasion, Luis J. Diaz, Esq, President, and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Hispanic Advocacy Association (USHAA), will preside over the NASDAQ Closing Bell. Diaz was joined by USHAA board members and senior executives from leading Hispanic 500 and Fortune 500 companies presented with an USHAA “Bravo Award” for best diversity practices at the “Turning Adversity into Opportunities: U.S. Fortune 500 Meets Hispanic 500” program to be held earlier in the day.

The second biannual Bravo Awards recognize the acute challenges faced by the business community through the ongoing recession while applauding firms that, despite these hardships, commit themselves to best practices in workplace and supplier diversity, cultural competence in provisioning goods and services, minority leadership, good business practices, philanthropy, and member feedback. 2010 nominees include ADP, Accenture, Alcatel-Lucent, All Action, Argent Associates, Inc., Capital One, Creative Associates Worldwide Inc., Cuellar LLC, Cummins, Gibbons, P.C. IBM, KPMG, Kaiser Permanente, Micro Tech, Monsanto, Prudential, State Farm, Wells Fargo, and previous winners have included Abbott Laboratories, Coca-Cola, State Farm, and Velez.

Elizabeth Velez participated in a panel discussion “Joint Ventures as a Strategy for Growth” at the Competitive Edge XVII Conference on August 12, 2010.

On May 4, 2010, Entrepreneurs Organization – NY Chapter (EO-NY) hosted a panel discussion, “Incorporating Diversity Practices to Help Grow your Bottom Line.”  Elizabeth Velez joined a panel of experts to share how it has used diversity to improve their bottom lines and create a stronger sense of community within their companies.  Panelists included the Rev. Al Sharpton – National Action Network; Corey Kupfer, Esq., EO Board Member and Diversity Committee Co-Chair and Partner – Hamburger Law Firm; Richard Levychin, CPA, Partner, KBL; Luis Diaz, Esq., Diversity Officer, Gibbons Law Firm; Daniel Sung Park, EClaro; and Kevin Gilbert Snyder, Gilvert International.

In April 2011, 2012, and 2013 Velez was recognized by Diversity Business as one of the top Diversity Owned Businesses in the United States for those respective years.

Among the five awards bestowed on Velez included:

■ 100 Hispanic Owned Business in the United States
■ 500 Diversity Owned Business in the United States
■ 100 Diversity Owned Private Firms in New York

On March 4, 2010, Elizabeth Velez was honored to participate in Professional Women in Construction (PWC) Meet the Construction Chiefs Event.  The evening honored some of the construction industries “prime movers and shakers” to discuss the state of the construction industry, industry forecasts and projects on hand.

 

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Elizabeth Velez has earned a national reputation as one of the construction industry’s inspirational speakers.  On issues of advocacy, construction management inclusion and diversity, Elizabeth has been called on to speak for numerous groups.

October 2, 2019 – NYS MWBE Forum

April 15, 2019 – EUCI Women in Engineering & Construction

March 22, 2019 – AIM – A National Women’s Leadership Forum

October 24, 2018 – Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers: Latinos in Construction – Speaker

October 17, 2018 – Berkeley College: Women’s Entrepreneurship Week 2018: Speaker: “Women Leading Global Entrepreneurship”

October 4, 2018 – NYS MWBE Forum – Speaker: “New Teaming & Strategic Alliance Partners”

March 4, 2018 – AIPAC Policy Conference – Panel Discussion – BDS In America and its Impact on Israeli Relations

September 13, 3017 – Womens Builders Council – We for She Conference: Speaker – Best Practices of Gender Equality in the Workplace

October 30, 2017 – Guest Lecturer – Baruch College – Graduate Course on Entrepreneurship

April 21, 2017 –  EUCI Conference, Panelist – “Building Leadership: Women in Architecture, Engineering and Construction” – Chicago, Illinois

January 31, 2017 – NYC School Construction Authority Business Entrepreneur Graduation Ceremony, Queens, NY – Keynote

November 17, 2016 – NYC School Construction Authority Business Entrepreneur “Hour of Power” Breakfast Keynote, Queens, NY – Keynote

November 10, 2016 – Co-Chair of NY Friends of Rico, Moderator of NYS Economic Empowerment Panel, Panelist of Nielsen Recap of 2016 Elections, San Juan, PR

October 18, 2016 – Berkeley College Women’s Entrepreneur Week -Panelist “Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in a Global Economy”, NY. NY

October 5, 2016 – NYS MWBE Conference, Panelist – “Project Labor Agreements & MWBE Firms”, Albany NY

August 26, 2016 – Taru Festival – Body, Mind, Spirit & Empowerment for Women, Catskill Mountains, NY- Keynote

August 11, 2016 – Panel Moderator for CUNY (City University of NY), NY, NY

May 20, 2016 – Speaker – Commencement of Boricua College Class of 2016, NY, NY

April 4, 2016 – Washington, DC: Women Construction Owners and Executives Legislative Conference – Panel Discussion

March 15, 2016 – Bronx, NY: Mercy College “Lunch with a Leader” – Keynote

February 12, 2016 – Albany, NY: Association of Minority Enterprises of NY – Panel Discussion – “Business Partnering with Political Leaders for Empowerment” – The Current State of the NYS MWBE Program Moderated by Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson, 36^th Senatorial District

October, 2015 – NYC Department of Design of Construction Panel Discussion, Queens, NY

July 20, 2015  – New Canaan, CT: Camp LIVE Girl Leadership Camp – Keynote

May 22, 2015 – San Juan, Puerto Rico: La RED de Empresarias y Mujeres Profesionales de la Camera de Comercio de Puerto Rico (Network of Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals  of the Chamber of Commerce – Puerto Rico – Keynote

December 2014 – Queens, NY: LaGuardia Community College: Pathways to Success Keynote

December 1, 2014 – NY, NY: NYS MWBE Roundtable

November 14, 2014 – NY, NY: Women’s Builders Council “It Takes a City”

October 1, 2015 – Albany, NY: Moderator – Panel – NYS MWBE Conference, Albany, NY

October, 2014 – Queens, NY: NYC Department of Design of Construction – “Opportunity Central Event” Mistress of Ceremonies

September, 2014 – NY, NY: United Nations General Assembly Press Conference: Iran 180

July 15, 2014 – NY,NY: The Competitive Edge “Break the Mold” Legislative Public Policy and Advocacy Panel

May 31, 2014 – Washington, DC: Women Construction Owners and Executives Legislative Conference – Panel Discussion

December 18, 2013 – NY, NY: Women’s Builders Council NYC Trends – Panelist

November 21, 2013 – New Haven, CT: Family Firm Institute Breakfast – Keynote on Succession Planning