Gilbane Building Company Names Raquel Diaz as New York City Business Leader  

Gilbane strengthens leadership of NYC construction operations by promoting Gilbane veteran and experienced construction leader Raquel Diaz  

New York, NY – April 11, 2025 – Gilbane Building Company, one of the largest, privately-owned construction firms in the industry, announced the appointment of Raquel Diaz as Business Leader for its New York City operations. In her new role, Diaz will drive strategy and growth for the company in New York City, including expanding market portfolio and service offerings, fostering team development and growth, and delivering world-class facilities for clients and communities. 

An engineer by training, Diaz is a proven technical builder with over 18 years of experience totaling more than $2.8 billion and 4 million SF in project delivery in New York City. Since joining Gilbane in 2019, Diaz has significantly expanded Gilbane’s public sector portfolio as Market Leader with notable clients and projects, including the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC)’s COVID Centers of Excellence projects, the restoration of the Orchard Beach Pavilion for NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the NYC Parks Department, the Metropolitan Hospital Resiliency project for New York City Health + Hospitals and EDC, five Carnegie library renovations for The New York Public Library, multiple new recreation space projects for Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT), and partnerships with the NYC School Construction Authority (SCA), and State University Construction Fund (SUCF).  

Gilbane Building’s New York City office has a diverse pipeline of projects, ranging from ground-up affordable housing developments, healthcare facilities, historic libraries, community venues, and entertainment and cultural projects. Diaz’s focus will include leveraging Gilbane’s fully integrated building, development and management capabilities, as well as pushing forward new approaches that deliver value for clients.   

“Raquel has earned the trust of our New York City public and private sector partners,” said Ryan Hutchins, Regional President, Gilbane Building Company. “She has leveraged progressive methods such as Design-Build that deliver projects faster and more reliably, creating greater benefits for our clients and communities. With her deep technical expertise and people-first focus, Raquel has been a grounding force on the New York City team these past five years and is perfectly positioned to lead us into the future.”  

“New York City has been my home since I moved here at 18. It is such an honor to lead Gilbane Building’s operations and to bring excellence to the hospitals, parks, schools, office buildings and community facilities that make New York City great,” said Raquel Diaz, Vice President and New York City Business Leader, Gilbane Building Company. “I look forward to collaborating with our talented teams and building on our culture of innovation and opportunity here at Gilbane.” 

Diaz brings deep operational expertise, having served in various roles throughout her career, including MEP project manager, MEP superintendent, estimating/ purchasing engineer, senior project manager, project director, and project executive on high-profile projects in the New York metropolitan area. Before joining Gilbane, Diaz worked on projects for clients such as NYU Langone Health, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Alexandria Center for Life Sciences, New York University, and New York‐Presbyterian Hospital. 

Diaz is involved in multiple civic and professional organizations and is passionate about career growth and professional development. Diaz serves on the New York City Capital Reform Task Force, is a board director for the Professional Women in Construction – New York Chapter, and is the national executive sponsor for Gilbane’s HOL@ (Hispanics Organizing Leaders at Gilbane) employee resource group. She also supports the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Non-Traditional Employment for Women (NEW), and Gilbane’s Rising Contractor program which is designed to promote supplier opportunities for small businesses through mentorship. 

Her leadership and dedication to the community have earned her numerous accolades, including the Hispanic Corporate Leadership Award from The National Hispanic Business Group and a Notable Women designation by Crain’s New York. In 2023, the Women Builders Council recognized her as a Corporate Champion for Diversity. 

Born in Ecuador, Diaz holds a Bachelor of Engineering from The City College of New York and certifications as an Associate Design-Build Professional and Healthcare Constructor. She lives in Queens. 

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About Gilbane Building Company  

Gilbane Building Company is a global leader in construction management, delivering high-quality projects for clients across various markets. Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services – from preconstruction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build, and facility management services. Founded in 1870, Gilbane is still a privately held, family-owned company. With more than 45 office locations worldwide, Gilbane brings world-class experience to local communities.   

For over 75 years, Gilbane has delivered construction services in New York State for clients across multiple market sectors, including commercial office, multi-unit, and high-rise residential, cultural, education, healthcare, public sector, science and technology, and sports and entertainment.   

For more information, visit https://www.gilbaneco.com