ARLINGTON, VA - National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a leading financial services company serving cooperatives nationwide, named renowned real estate attorney Stuart Saft, as the 2013 recipient of the Stan Dreyer Spirit of Cooperation Award. The honor is bestowed annually to those who live and work with the spirit of the cooperative principles. Throughout his 40-year career, Mr. Saft has been an advocate for cooperative housing and businesses, and has served a total of 14 years on the Bank’s Board of Directors often in leadership roles. He continues to work tirelessly to promote the creation and success of these enterprises, and NCB is proud to recognize his many accomplishments. The Bank presented Mr. Saft with the award during the annual meeting held on May 9th at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C.
“Stuart’s contributions to the Bank and cooperative housing and businesses throughout the country are tremendous- his impact on this sector is vast and his expertise is always in great demand,” said Charles E. Snyder, NCB President and CEO. “We are pleased to honor his service and dedication with this year’s Spirit of Cooperation award—we couldn’t imagine a more deserving recipient.”
Stuart Saft is the practice leader of Holland & Knight’s New York Real Estate Practice and Co-Chair of its Global Hospitality, Resort and Time Share Group. As one of the country’s leading real estate lawyers, his experience is unrivaled in a range of activities including major acquisitions, deal structuring, financing, leasing, development, condominium conversions and workouts, among others. Mr. Saft’s client list reads like the industry’s Who’s Who and his work on behalf of major developers, investors and owners has shaped the real estate landscape. He has also developed a subspecialty in privatizing public housing to provide home ownership and equity to its residents, and has worked with the Chinese and Russian governments in changing their forms of property ownership.
In addition to his service on NCB’s Board, Mr. Saft is also the current Chair of the Council for New York Cooperatives and Condominiums. He has been selected into the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in the World. He was awarded the Theodore Small Award by the National Association of Workforce Boards for his work establishing the Family Centers after the September 11th terrorist attack and received the "Dedicated to the Industry Award" by the New York Association of Realty Managers. Mr. Saft has been appointed Chairman Emeritus of New York City's Workforce Investment Board of Directors and was commended for his service by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Mr. Saft’s commitment to serving those in the community through his various leadership roles, complements the Bank’s ongoing commitment to being a socially responsible financial institution and its dedication to meeting the needs of the communities it serves. In 2012 alone, the Bank deployed $232 million to initiatives serving low and moderate income communities, a number they hope to increase in the coming year. As part of its support for last year’s United Nations declaration the International Year of the Cooperative, NCB is continuing its efforts to develop concepts that build cooperative awareness in many different fields of business.
The Bank carefully selects the yearly recipient of The Stan Dreyer Spirit of Cooperation Award, named for Mr. Dreyer to ensure it’s given to an individual or organization who lives the spirit of the cooperative principles. Mr. Dreyer, who is now retired from NCB, was one of the people who instrumental in the passage of the Congressional Bank Act in 1978 which created NCB. The award is bestowed annually on an NCB employee or member-customer whose devotion and contribution to the cooperative community emulate those embodied by Mr. Dreyer. Among his long list of accomplishments, Mr. Dreyer served as Executive Director of NCBA and, in that role was the premier advocate to Congress in helping to pass the National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act, which created NCB. Throughout his career, his dedication to fostering the growth and success of cooperatives, nationally and internationally, has earned him widespread recognition and an enduring legacy.
About NCB:
NCB is dedicated to strengthening communities nationwide through the delivery of banking and financial services, complemented by a special focus on cooperative expansion and economic development. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Bank has offices in Alaska, California, New York, Ohio and Virginia. To learn more, visit www.ncb.coop, National Cooperative Bank on Facebook, or on Twitter @coopbanking.
The NCB Financial Group consists of the Congressionally-chartered National Consumer Cooperative Bank (NCCB) and NCB, FSB, a federally insured savings bank wholly owned by NCCB. The NCB Financial Group provides financial products and services for the nation’s cooperatives, their members, and socially responsible organizations.