Hudson Meridian

Hudson Meridian Construction Group (Hudson Meridian) is one of the leading north east construction services firms, offering a unique combination of construction expertise to private and public sector owners. As construction services specialists, Hudson Meridian’s staff possess the skill to perform as Construction Managers, Program Managers, and General Contractors to serve the specific needs of our clients.

icon_widget_image 61 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10006 icon_widget_image + (212) 608-6600 icon_widget_image info@hudsonmeridian.com
Image Alt

Leadership

William Cote
Chief Executive Officer & Founder

William Cote has spent over 39 years consistently delivering first-class construction services within the tri-state New York market. Prior to starting his own firm in 2002, William was Chief Operating Officer of the 36th largest construction services firm in the nation, where he was responsible for all New York and New Jersey operations and all east coast offices.

William founded Hudson Meridian Construction Group in 2002, a leading construction services firm that offers a unique combination of Construction Management, General Contracting and Program Management services in the New York Metropolitan area. He created this company in response to the market demand for top-tier Construction Management Services, after overseeing debris removal of the World Trade Center after the events of September 11th, 2001.

Since founded, Hudson Meridian has become an award-winning construction services specialist in both private and public sectors. Headquartered in the heart of the city’s Financial District at 61 Broadway with an additional office in Westchester County, the firm is staffed with professional executives, managers, and technical experts in project/program management with construction expertise.

William is part of the leadership committee for Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC Empire State) and member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), and Associated General Contractors New York State

He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manhattan College and advanced courses in Business Management and Accounting, as well as additional extensive training in Construction Claims Prevention.

Steven Calicchio
Director of Operations/Senior Vice President

Steven has over 38 years of experience in General Construction, Construction Management, Project Leadership, and Business Development in the Tri-State area. He began his career with Herbert Construction and since then, has developed a portfolio of successful projects ranging from commercial and retail projects to high-end residential, hospitality, and institutional facilities. He comes to us from BFC Partners, where he served as Director of Construction from 2011-2021.

As Senior Vice President for Hudson Meridian, Steven maintains industry knowledge and develops goals and strategies to promote innovation within the company. He is also involved in operations, future business, and strategic planning as well as coordination and production of high-level construction projects.

Luciano Bana
Director of Construction/Senior Vice President

Luciano Bana has over 30 years of broad-based experience in General Construction, Construction Management, Project Leadership, and Business Development. As Senior Vice President, Luciano is involved in operations, future business, and strategic planning as well as coordination and production of high-level construction projects.

Luciano has a portfolio of successful projects ranging from commercial and retail projects to high-end residential, hospitality, technical, educational, and institutional facilities. He has served as a Senior Project Executive on multiple projects ranging from $1 million to $350 million per year.

Walter Haass
Director of Risk Management/Senior Vice President

As Senior Vice President risk management for Hudson Meridian, Walter oversees all construction sites to ensure that the firm complies with state and federal regulations on health and safety in the workplace. Walter visits all construction sites on a weekly basis to ensure implementation of the correct safety policies and procedures. He oversees external parties such as government-employed inspectors to facilitate evaluation of construction sites. He is responsible for reviewing blueprints, evacuation plans, designs for disposal systems, lighting, and ventilation, and ensures there is no danger to the health or safety of workers or site visitors.

As a Senior representative of the company, he is responsible for arranging training programs on safety measures in the workplace. He also formulates and implements policies, procedures and programs on construction safety that comply with OSHA regulations.

Walter has his DOB suspend and supported scaffold licenses. He is also certified as an OSHA outreach trainer in construction and marine activities. He is a Member of the New York State Associated General Contractors Safety Committee (AGC NYS).

Douglas J. Shaeffer
Chief Financial Officer

Douglas Shaeffer has over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance, and management with construction and real estate development firms in Philadelphia and New York. As Controller, Mr. Shaeffer manages the financial function and cash flow, supervises project accounting, and is responsible for developing the company’s short- and long-range financial plans. Mr. Shaeffer will oversee all banking and external funding relationships for future growth and will develop and establish standard procedures for the accounting and financial processes. Mr. Shaeffer holds a BS in Accounting from Millersville University, a master’s degree in Business from the University of Baltimore and completed a Graduate Certificate in Construction Management at NYU.

Richard Cote
Executive Vice President

Richard Cote brings over 30 years of experience in project management, facility operations and construction including extensive expertise in project development, planning and execution. He is a seasoned construction and facilities manager with hundreds of millions in construction projects that he successfully completed over his career. As Executive Vice President, he is heading the public sector division that includes all waterfront and infrastructure projects in NYC.

Richard is a retired military officer where he served in the United States Army in various capabilities since 1982 and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Retired Reserve.

James Chin
Development Director

James Chin has over 50 years of planning and shaping policies for the mass transit, housing, and real estate sectors in the City of New York. Prior to joining Hudson Meridian as the Development Director, he was the former Planning Director with the MTA, Chairman/Commissioner of the Board of Standards and Appeals Board (Zoning Appeal Board) under the Giuliani and Bloomberg Administrations for 12 years.

After leaving city government, James became a seasoned real estate developer with over 15 years of experiences in the industry. He has extensive housing experience with affordable, workforce, senior and market rate rental, and condominium residential properties. With Hudson Meridian, he is skilled at identifying real estate opportunities and turning them into reality as the Developer/Builder.

Sam Amin
Senior Vice President of Estimating & Technical Services

Sam Amin has over 25 years working in the tristate construction industry, where he has directly managed complex public and private projects, offering clients and partners a proven skill set from concept to completion. Prior to joining Hudson Meridian, Sam owned a general contracting firm where he worked on numerous federal, state, and city agencies such as US Army Corps, GSA, NAVY, US Coast Guard, FBP, West Point, and NYSOGS. He has also worked on stadiums; school/college renovations; HVAC design builds; laboratories; hospitals; senior centers; houses of worship; courthouses; airports; and state office buildings. Sam earned a master’s degree in Construction Management from Stevens Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Gujarat University.

Ruben R. Figurasin
Vice President, Procurement Manager, Director of Technical Services

A seasoned professional with 30 years of experience, Ruben has been involved in construction estimating for major projects all along the east coast, particularly in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Ruben has performed estimating work for numerous clients and has an extensive portfolio of projects in hospitality, higher education and commercial projects. Ruben has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Far Eastern University in Manila, Philippines and is a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP, BD+C). He has continued his studies at NYU University for HVAC Design and attended and completed management workshop for managers at Dale Carnegie and Bergen Community College.

Daniel Hooker
Vice President

Daniel Hooker has been a construction professional for over 30 years. Throughout that time he has served as a construction foreman, senior engineer, senior project manager, and project director. His portfolio consists of public and private sector projects from high-end residential and commercial to educational and institutional projects. He received a Master’s of Science in Material Science, Metallurgical Engineering from Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manhattan College.

As a Vice President for Hudson Meridian Construction Group, Daniel provides leadership and oversight for the day-to-day operations for all Construction and Project Management activities. Some of his primary duties include client maintenance, subcontractor performance issues, constructability and technical issues, risk analysis, and development and implementation of corporate policies and procedures. He also works closely with ownership lenders, consultants, and site representative to outline project controls and delivery methods.

Deborah Jordan
Vice President

Deborah is a Vice President of Hudson Meridian’s Public Sector Group. With 20 years in the construction industry, she has successfully managed small and large-scale projects critical to New York City’s infrastructure. Her areas of excellence include public agency work, waterfront, infrastructure resiliency, and emergency response and preparedness.

Prior to joining Hudson Meridian, Deborah served in key project leadership positions with Skanska and STV Inc., where she was responsible for the execution of complex projects, leadership and development of project teams, and relationship management with clients and partners.

Deborah maintains certifications with the US Green Build Council (USGBC) as a LEED Accredited Professional, Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) as a Certified Construction Manager, and Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) as an Associate DBIA. She is a graduate of Roger Williams University and holds a B.S. in Construction Management.

Matthew S. Izzo
Vice President

Matthew Izzo began his career 20 years ago by becoming a Foreman, later a Superintendent, leading into Project Management roles. His combined experiences in these roles have shaped his career into a highly successful Executive, with a portfolio of large, complex, multi-million-dollar projects in residential, commercial, and development industries.

In his role as Vice President for Hudson Meridian Construction Group, Matthew fosters an environment of teamwork and ensures that that strategy is clearly defined while overseeing performance and maintaining morale. His strong communication and client service skills enhance Hudson Meridians’ process-driven management philosophy.

Matthew attended Norwalk Community College and NYU, where he continued his education in Construction Management. He is certified in Hazwoper, Asbestos Identification and Remediation, Mold Awareness, CPR/first aid, and OSHA certified.

Vytas Sipas
Vice President

With over twenty years of experience in the construction industry, Vytas Sipas has extensive knowledge on all aspects of construction and project management with emphasis on working in NYC. His experience includes healthcare, pharmaceutical, institutional facilities, cultural, core and shell, renovations, retail and residential projects. Mr. Sipas’ responsibilities include being 100% accountable for his projects, contract negotiations, cost/project controls, business development, risk management, supervision of all team members, and mentoring and training project managers.

Jackie Vinceslao
Executive Assistant

Jackie is the Executive Assistant for William Cote, the Company’s Founder & Chief Executive Officer. Since joining Hudson Meridian in 2011, Jackie has facilitated the day-to-day coordination of Senior Management activities and is heavily involved in business development. Providing high-level support to C-Level executives, she spearheads special projects and directs all marketing efforts within the company. Jackie’s proactive and collaborative nature allows her to build strong relationships at all levels of the organization.

Brian Perlis
Director, Human Resources

Brian Perlis is a hands-on, results-driven Human Resources professional with extensive experience in identifying and implementing processes and initiatives. With over twenty years’ experience in the human resources field, a majority of them leading HR departments in the Construction/Real Estate field, Brian joined Hudson Meridian in July 2019 and will oversee the Company’s recruiting, employee relations, performance management, benefits administration as well as other HR-related functions. Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the State University of New York at Albany.