STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Several real estate professionals who are making a positive mark on the borough were lauded by the Staten Island Board of Realtors for their philanthropic efforts on Thursday, each presented with awards for service and commitment during the organization’s annual membership meeting held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomfield.

“We’re proud to celebrate a few of our Realtor members who give so much of themselves to their profession and their community,” said Sandy Krueger, CEO of SIBOR. “And in honoring On Your Mark, we recognize the incredible work they do to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Together, our honorees are helping make Staten Island an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Broker Charles Martino of Martino Realty Group was presented with SIBOR’s Realtor of the Year Award. With over 40 years of experience in the real estate industry and more than 20 years in lending, SIBOR noted that Martino has helped thousands of families achieve the dream of homeownership, overseeing more than 2,500 transactions and over $1 billion in sales through his real estate firm and as president/broker of Richmond County Mortgage Corp.

Lori Hesterhagen Ficarra of DiTommaso Realty, was recognized with SIBOR’s Realtor Associate of the Year Award, which underscored her various philanthropic efforts, including: The Giving Back Project, an initiative that enlists local restaurants to donate a portion of their proceeds to various charitable organizations; hands-on efforts to foster and help animals find homes; donations of a portion of her real estate commissions to a charity or foundation chosen by her clients, and local food pantry volunteerism.

This year’s recipient of SIBOR’S William (Bill) Coull Realtor Service Award was Connie Profaci, Realtor/broker of Connie Profaci Realty. The award is given to a SIBOR Realtor who has distinguished themselves for many years in service to the industry and the community. A broker since 1986, Profaci’s appreciation of real estate evolved into a passion after relocating to Staten Island in the 1970s and encouraging friends to join her and her family in the borough. She developed additional lifelong friendships with many of the homebuyers she represented through the decades.

Joseph Arnone of New American Funding received the SIBOR Affiliate of the Year recognition. A branch manager of the direct mortgage lender, SIBOR noted that Arnone is an expert in refinancing and guiding clients toward the most cost-effective financing solutions available to the market.

Also celebrated during the breakfast reception was On Your Mark, which earned this year’s Community Service Award. On Your Mark’s Jennifer Larsen, associate executive director, and Nadia Fabozzi, director of development, accepted the award on behalf of the non-profit organization which, since 1979, has responded to the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families, on Staten Island and in Brooklyn. On Your Mark provides services to children and adults with a variety of diagnoses including intellectual disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, and neurological impairments.

An honor introduced last year — the Debbie Lerner Excellence in Education Award — was created in tribute to the late Deborah Lerner, who had served as director of education at SIBOR’s Richmond County Real Estate Institute from its opening day in September 1980 until her retirement in January in 2024.

The award was presented to Vincent M. Zaloom Jr., Realtor/broker of Zaloom Real Estate. Zaloom has been an instructor at the institute for decades. Since qualifying as a New York State-certified real estate instructor in 1991, he has personally instructed and trained over 10,500 people in the real estate field.

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