NEW YORK CITY-The leading ladies in New York’s construction world who were honored at the Professional Women in Construction’s “Salute to Women of Achievement 2011” luncheon at the Yale Club in Midtown on Thursday afternoon are continuing to break ground and achieve new heights in the commercial real estate field. PWC president Lenore Janis said industry professionals must understand how “vital it is” for women to speak out and be applauded for excellence amid a challenging business environment.

“Our honorees are very special and very deserving of industry recognition,” Janis said. “They have done much to crack the proverbial concrete ceiling, and they’ve done it in a relatively short period of time.” PWC issued awards to Lorraine Grillo of the New York City School Construction Authority, Sharon Craddock of S&L Industries, Inc., Christine Donaldson Boccia of Donaldson Traditional Interiors, Vinesha Clark of Clark Construction Services & PWC-DC Chapter, Margie Russell of NYARM, Linda Johnson of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Amy Wincko of Tishman Construction Corp.

Accepting the leadership award, Grillo, a long-time veteran of New York City’s public school system, began her career as a community affairs specialist in Queens, where she rose to become senior director of community and intergovernmental affairs there. In May 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and then Chancellor Joel Klein appointed her as acting president and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority. Under her leadership, the authority opened 26 new school facilities, adding 17,656 new school seats across the five boroughs, its most successful year to date.