Empire Ball
Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2020 
Time: 6:00pm 
Venue: TBD 
Attire: Formal
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Photo Credits: Marc S. Levine Photography; Bob Mitchell Photography
A full gallery of event photos can be found here.
The annual Empire Ball, presented by the Real Estate Division of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) Foundation, took place on Wednesday, December 11th at The Grand Hyatt Hotel. The event outdid itself this year in many respects. Eight iconic towers lit up the sky for the DRI in shades of radiant blue, the international color of diabetes. The ballroom was filled with 700 members and friends of the metropolitan real estate and construction community and the event raised more than $1.1 million dollars for the DRI’s cure-focused research. In its history, the Empire Ball has raised over $40 million for the work of the Diabetes Research Institute.
A lively cocktail reception that filled the hotel's ground floor was followed by dinner in the Empire State ballroom. During the program, Simon Wasserberger, Senior Vice President of EQ Office, was presented with the Empire Ball’s Leadership Award. Robert (Bobby) Scheinman, Principal at J.T. Magen & Company Inc., received the Camillo Ricordi Humanitarian Award; and Mark Gregorio, President of TEI Group, accepted the Peter L. DiCapua Distinguished Service Award.
Each of the honorees was humbled by the honor, and grateful to their families, friends, colleagues, and to the DRI for their support and good wishes. Simon, Bobby and Mark took time from their busy schedules to visit the DRI at the University of Miami, and each came away awed by the hard work and dedication of the doctors and scientists who are devoted to finding a cure.
The emcee for the evening was Emmy-nominated news personality/host Alyse Zwick, accompanied by entertainment provided by The Last Nites.
The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation congratulates each of the evening’s honorees and warmly thanks the many wonderful sponsors and friends of the Empire Ball.
Vice Chairs:
Alfonse Amore/Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.
Paul J. Amrich/CBRE, Inc.
Andrew Cooke/Hines
Peter L. DiCapua*/Code Green Solutions, Inc.
Douglas Donaldson/The Donaldson Organization
Louis J. Esposito/The Durst Organization
James Halpin**/Platinum Maintenance Services
Bonnie Inserra/Inserra Family Foundation
Avi Itzikowitz**/ATCO Properties & Management, Inc.
James J. Migliore/William Macklowe Company
Charles Rizzo/The Rizzo Group
Stephen Rizzo**/The Rizzo Group
Thomas Santiago/WarnerMedia
John Santora/Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.
*Chairman Emeritus
**Steering Committee Co-Hosts
View 2019 Empire Ball Video
Special thanks to all of our generous sponsors*
Co-Sponsors:
Grand Patron Sponsors:
Patrons:
Martin Scheinman
OC Development Management
Structure Tone
The Durst Organization
The Rizzo Group
Turner & Townsend
Vantage
Benefactors:
ASM Mechanical Systems
ATCO Properties
Benhar Office Interiors & Herman Miller
CBRE
Combined Resources Interiors, Inc.
Fujitec America & Knight Electrical Services Corp.
JAD Corporation of America
MG Engineering, P.C.
Newmark Knight Frank
Normandy Real Estate Partners
Schnellbacher-Sendon Group
The Donaldson Organization
Turner Construction Company
USIS, Inc.
VDA
WarnerMedia
Supporters:
Architectural Flooring Resource, Inc. & Island Architectural Woodwork
Building Maintenance Service LLC
Chelsea Lighting
Donnelly Mechanical
Duval & Stachenfeld LLP
Field Brothers Commercial Properties
JLL
John Gallin & Son, Inc.
KRW Realty Advisors, LLC.
Lafayette Metal & Glass Company
Manhattan West- Brookfield
Meridian Design Company
MillerBlaker
Otis Elevator Company
Penguin Air Conditioning
PS Marcato
SL Green Realty Corp
Ted Moudis Associates
TEI Group
Vanguard Construction & Development Co., Inc.
Vornado Realty Trust
Ware Malcomb
Gift Underwriting Sponsors:
L&L Holding Company, LLC
Palladium Windows
TEI Group
The Inserra Family
Turner Construction Company
WarnerMedia
#LIGHTTHESKYFORDRI
Thank you to our lighting partners who lit the NYC skyline blue shining a spotlight on our singular mission to find a cure:
Empire State Realty Trust
The Empire State Building
The Equity Office
The Pyramid at 65 East 55th
The Durst Organization
One Bryant Park
151 West 42nd Street
One World Trade Center
The Trinity Buildings
111 & 115 Broadway
Vornado Realty Trust
The Bloomberg Tower at 731 Lexington Avenue
Media Sponsors
Thank you to our 2019 partners for their continued support of the Empire Ball!
View 2019 Empire Ball Journal
For more information, please contact:
Amy Epstein, Director of Special Events
Diabetes Research Institute Foundation
259 W 30th Street, Suite 402
New York, NY 10001
Direct: 646-475-1572
Office: 212-888-2217
aepstein@drif.org