BCW HONORS BUSINESS LEADERS AT ANNUAL HALL OF FAME DINNER

The Business Council of Westchester’s annual Hall of Fame Awards Dinner at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, honored seven business leaders and organizations that have transformed their industries and added to the economic vitality of the region. The theme of this year’s awards ceremony was “The Year of Talent.’’

Dr. Rafael A. Ortiz has been named executive director of neurosciences at White Plains Hospital (WPH) where he will work with physician, administrative and nursing leadership to enhance WPH’s capabilities as a tertiary level hospital for neurosciences, working across inpatient and ambulatory programs.

The hospital offers comprehensive, cutting-edge treatment for a variety of complex neuro-endovascular, neurosurgical, neurological, cranial and spine conditions, and treatments for patients with brain aneurysms, in need of stroke care, neurosurgery, pain management, and nonsurgical therapies.

Ortiz has worked at the forefront of neuro-endovascular surgery for the last 20 years. Most recently, he served as chief of Neuro-Endovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuroradiology at Lenox Hill Hospital and the Western Region of the Northwell Health System; and associate professor of Neurosurgery, Radiology and Neurology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He received his medical degree from the Universidad Central del Caribe, completed an internship in internal medicine and residency in neurology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, a fellowship in vascular neurology and neuro-critical care from the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia and a fellowship in interventional neuroradiology and endovascular surgery at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University.

White Plains Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and in 2022, it received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — the highest distinction offered by that federal agency.

“We chose the theme of tonight’s event honoring the dynamic and innovative business leaders who have led their talented teams to outstanding success in their respective fields,’’ said Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester.

The winners included:

• Iona University received the Corporate Award;

• National Resources, president and CEO Joe Cotter was the recipient of the Entrepreneurial Success Award;

• Leros Point to Point received the Family Business Award;

Meet A Civil Rights Hero

Foot Soldiers Park and Journeys to Change, a program by the Ossining Public Library, is hosting a special event June 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ossining Camille Budarz Theater, Ossining Public Library 53 Croton Ave., when guests can meet and hear the story of Joanne Bland, who by the age of 11 had been arrested 13 times (that are documented). She was an active participant in Bloody Sunday, marching alongside 600 and was brutally beaten, teargassed and hit by clubs from policemen on horses.

Bland is the founder of the Foot Soldiers Park a nonprofit organization based in Selma, Alabama, which is dedicated to preserving civil rights history and revitalizing the community and inspiring youth.

“My early involvement in the struggle against “Jim Crow,” the American apartheid, has been the foundation and fuel for my civil and human rights work,” she said.

Bland will tell her story followed by Q&A led by Joyce Sharrock-Cole, Ossining Village Historian.

All are welcome; registration is suggested. For more, contact Abbe Marcus at 845-494-9288 or abbe@journeys2change.com.

• African American Men of Westchester was the recipient of the Minority Business Award;

• Yankwitt LLP, Westchester’s go-to law firm for high-stakes and bet-the-company liti- gation won the Small-Business Success Award;

• Wilson Kimball, president and CEO, Yonkers Housing Authority received the Women in Business Success Award; and

• Jennifer Flowers, founder and CEO,

Accreditation Guru Inc. was the recipient of the Chairman’s Recognition Award. The names of the winners will be added to a plaque on display in the waiting area of the Westchester County Airport.

Developer Expands To Vermont

Heidenberg Properties Group, the New Jersey-based developer of the Mahopac Shopping Center in Westchester County, New York, is adding two new top-tier retailers totaling almost 60,000 square feet to its Central Vermont Marketplace. In addition to the new tenants, Heidenberg made enhancements to the Marketplace’s internal common areas, parking lot and signage. The most striking feature is the Marketplace’s new art wall titled Meeting in Town by local artist Hannah Morris which is eight feet tall by 96 feet long.

Heidenberg Properties is a full-service real estate development company focused on the acquisition and development of open-air shopping centers, net leased properties and secured note purchases in the Eastern United States. The group is actively seeking new acquisitions and development opportunities.