2023 Ones to Watch Industry Leaders: Bruno Guarini, KBE-NY, LLC

Number of years in CURRENT position: 7

3 skills that you use every day in your position: Critical thinking, decision-making and relationship-building.

Best book, podcast, or app for aspiring leaders: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “The Speed of Trust,” both by Stephen M. R. Covey

Best advice for new leaders in 10 words or less: Don’t ever compromise your professional integrity. It’s what matters most.

What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of?

Currently, KBE-NY has four construction projects scheduled for completion this year. Some of these — like 345 Baldwin Ave. in Jersey City and Make the Road Community Center in Queens — are pivotal jobs that are helping to build and diversify our growing firm. Each had its own significant challenges, so to see them come to fruition through it all is extremely rewarding. The lessons learned there are what continue to make our teams better and better.

What was one of your biggest challenges as a leader and how did you overcome it? Bringing in new business is one of my responsibilities at KBE-NY. We can execute highly complex, sophisticated projects, and I love when we get opportunities for our capabilities to shine. But when we lose a job based on cost, it’s challenging for me. If the bid seems high, we do everything in our power to meet our potential client’s budget. However, we won’t compromise the success of the job simply for a lower building cost.

What makes this nominee an Industry Leader? “Nearly 40 years in the construction business in NYC can make you pretty tough. And everyone who knows Bruno Guarini knows he’s tough, but he’s also fair. His standards are important to him, and he leads KBE-NY by truly exemplifying our core values: dedication, innovation, integrity, pride, and adaptability.”
- William Telesca, PE, Senior Vice President at KBE-NY, LLC.