US Ceiling Corp was honored today by New York State with the third annual Carey Gabay Excellence and Innovation Award for Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs). Company President Melissa Geska (pictured left) accepted the award in Albany at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center during the opening ceremony of this year’s M/WBE Forum, New York’s largest annual business event, which draws more than 2,000 businesses, entrepreneurs and government officials. The Forum’s theme, “Grow With NYS,” is designed to inform M/WBEs of the strategies and resources necessary to win State contracts and grow their businesses.
Carey Gabay, the son of Jamaican immigrants, was tragically killed as a victim of gun violence in September 2015 at the age of 43 while walking home from a cultural celebration in Brooklyn, N.Y. Before his death, Carey served as assistant counsel to Governor Cuomo and first deputy counsel for Empire State Development, working tirelessly to ensure that the State’s M/WBE Program was a success.
“I am humbled and deeply honored to receive this award,” says Geska. “As the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant, I feel a special kinship to Carey and am proud to not only be a minority woman in business, but also share his same passion to diversify the construction industry.”
2018 Carey Gabay Excellence and Innovation Awardees included:
· US Ceiling Corp
· GENESYS Consulting Services, Inc.
· Greg Beech Logistics, LLC