Gilbane Promotes Raquel Diaz as Business Leader for NYC Operations

Construction firm Gilbane has promoted Raquel Diaz as business leader for its New York City operations, Commercial Observer has learned.

Diaz joined the firm in 2019 and has “significantly expanded Gilbane’s public sector portfolio” in her previous roles at the firm as market leader and vice president, according to an announcement.

In her new role, which she will start effective immediately, Diaz will be tasked with “expanding market portfolio and service offerings, fostering team development and growth, and delivering world-class facilities for clients and communities,” the announcement said.

“It is such an honor to lead Gilbane Building’s operations and to bring excellence to the hospitals, parks, schools, office buildings and community facilities that make New York City great,” Diaz said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with our talented teams and building on our culture of innovation and opportunity here at Gilbane.”

Diaz has more than 18 years of experience as a technical builder, working on more than $2.8 billion and 4 million square feet of projects in New York City, according to the announcement.

Some of those projects include the New York City Department of Design and Construction’s COVID-19 Centers of Excellence, the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Parks Department’s restoration of the Orchard Beach pavilion in the Bronx, and the New York Public Library’s five Carnegie library renovations, the announcement said.

In addition, Diaz worked on the Metropolitan Hospital Resiliency project for New York City Health + Hospitals and the EDC, multiple recreation space projects for Hudson River Park Trust, and partnerships with the New York City School Construction Authority and State University Construction Fund, according to the announcement.

Gilbane currently has a “diverse pipeline of projects” in New York City, including ground-up affordable housing developments, health care facilities, libraries, and community and entertainment venues, the company said.

Diaz will use Gilbane’s development and management capabilities to “push forward new approaches that deliver value for clients,” the announcement said.

“Raquel has earned the trust of our New York City public and private sector partners,” Ryan Hutchins, regional president of Gilbane, said in a statement.

“She has leveraged progressive methods such as ‘design-build’ that deliver projects faster and more reliably, creating greater benefits for our clients and communities,” Hutchins added. “With her deep technical expertise and people-first focus, Raquel has been a grounding force on the New York City team these past five years and is perfectly positioned to lead us into the future.”

Before joining Gilbane, Diaz did stints as a preconstruction manager at Turner Construction and a vice president at AECOM Tishman, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In those roles, Diaz worked on projects for clients including New York University Langone Health, the Alexandria Center for Life Sciences and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the announcement said.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.