William Cote
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
William Cote boasts over 40 years of experience in delivering exceptional construction services within the tri-state New York area. Before founding his own firm in 2002, he served as Chief Operating Officer of the 36th largest construction services firm in the United States, overseeing all operations in New York and New Jersey, as well as managing offices along the East Coast.
In response to the growing demand for high-quality construction management services, William established Hudson Meridian Construction Group in 2002. This firm has since emerged as a leading provider of construction management, general contracting, and program management services throughout the New York Metropolitan area. His motivation to create this company was partly influenced by his role in supervising debris removal efforts at the World Trade Center following the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Under William’s leadership, Hudson Meridian has earned recognition as an award-winning specialist in both the private and public sectors. The firm is headquartered in the Financial District at 61 Broadway, with an additional office in Westchester County and in Bergen County, NJ. It is staffed by a team of professional executives, managers, and technical experts who possess extensive expertise in project and program management within the construction field.
William is part of the Manhattan College Board of Trustees and is a member of the leadership committee for Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC Empire State). He is also affiliated with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), and the Associated General Contractors of New York State.
William holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manhattan College and has pursued advanced coursework in Business Management and Accounting, complemented by 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 30 years of experience in accounting, finance, and management with construction and real estate development firms in Philadelphia and in the New York Metropolitan area. As a CFO, Douglas manages the financial function and cash flow, supervises project accounting, and is responsible for developing the company’s short- and long-range financial plans. He oversees all banking and external funding relationships for future growth, develops and establishes standard procedures for the accounting and financial processes. Douglas 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.
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.