White Plains and Tarrytown Agents Honored With Realty Awards

From Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS®

WHITE PLAINS, NY - At its 100th Annual Meeting held October 17 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown, the Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS® (HGAR) honored Gary Leogrande of Keller Williams New York Realty in White Plains as its “REALTOR®of the Year” for 2016. JoAnne Murray, of Allan M. Block Agency, Inc. in Tarrytown, was named the HGAR “Affiliate Member of the Year” for 2016.

Leogrande has been a Realtor for more than 20 years and has been actively involved in the Association, serving on over 20 different committees throughout the years. He is also a certified New York State Real Estate instructor and has taught many classes for the Association. Additionally, he holds memberships with the Real Estate Educators Association, the Real Estate Brokerage Managers Council and the Council of Residential Specialists. He is also a former president of the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service.

JoAnne Murray has been a long-time supporter of the Association, sponsoring and attending countless events. She has been running the almost 60-year old business for the past 25 years and has been helping both individuals and businesses throughout the Hudson Valley with their insurance needs. Other award winners included:

• Spirit Award: Roberta Bangs of BHG Rand in New City. Bangs has been a Realtor for more than 30 years, and a New York State real estate instructor and trainer for more than 20 years. She also volunteers her time with People to People, a Rockland County food pantry, the Hi-Tor Animal Care Center, Rockland’s only municipal animal shelter, and the Nanuet Civic Association. Bangs is honored for her outreach efforts.
• Extra Mile Award: John J. Lease III of John J. Lease Realtors in Newburgh. Lease grew up in a real estate family and continues to grow the business that his grandfather created in 1938. Today he has about 150 agents in three offices in Orange County, offering both residential and commercial properties. Lease is honored for “going the extra mile” in helping fellow Realtors.
• President’s Award: The entire staff of HGAR in White Plains, Goshen and West Nyack. Hedayati chose the staff for its continuous hard work in supporting the Association.
• Albert P. Schatz Legislative Advocacy Awards: Nancy and Paul Kennedy of Houlihan Lawrence in Croton-on-Hudson. Together, the Kennedys have been in real estate for over 30 years and both have made significant contributions to RPAC, which supports real estate professionals and homeowners. Nancy Kennedy was a former HGAR and HGMLS president.
• Stephanie Crispinelli Humanitarian Award: Bonnie Koff of William Raveis Legends Realty in Irvington. Koff has an extensive a background in fundraising and has raised thousands of dollars over the years for local charities throughout the Hudson Valley. She recently spearheaded last month’s very successful “Monte Carlo” Gala, raising over $30,000 for the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation.

“Congratulations to all of our award winners for their extraordinary contributions to this organization and to their communities,” said Richard Haggerty, HGAR CEO. “Their selfless volunteer work and ‘go-give’ attitude has continued to be an inspiration for us all.”

The Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS® (HGAR) is a not-for-profit trade association covering more than 10,300 real estate professionals doing business in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, and Orange counties. It is the second largest REALTOR® Association in New York, and one of the largest in the country. The Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service (HGMLS), owned and operated by HGAR, offers some 24,000 properties in the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties. It is among the top 50 largest MLSs in the country.

Image via Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS®.