Three LaBellans Recognized at the Rochester Business Journal’s 2025 Leaders in Construction & Real Estate Awards!
Congratulations to all honorees!
On October 28th, the Rochester Business Journal hosted its annual Leaders in Construction & Real Estate Awards ceremony. This event celebrates individuals and companies who have left a lasting mark on the ever-evolving landscape of the Rochester region.
“The 2025 recipients of Leaders in Construction & Real Estate and Top Projects awards are literally changing the landscape of Greater Rochester. Their innovation, design and construction are creating projects that are making a mark on the community,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of BridgeTower Media/Rochester Business Journal. “We at the Rochester Business Journal are pleased to shine a spotlight on these individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements.”
LaBella is honored to have the following team members among those recognized for their significant impact on the Rochester region:
- Mark Kukuvka, AIA – Lifetime Achievement Award
- Gabrielle Krawiec – Rising Star Award
- Courtney Ter-Velde, CID, ALEP – Interior Design/Staging Award
Congratulations to all the winners! A full list of the 2025 RBJ Leaders in Construction & Real Estate honorees can be found here.
Scroll down to learn more about each of LaBella’s award-winners.
Mark Kukuvka, AIA – Lifetime Achievement Award
Mark Kukuvka is a Registered Architect in New York State and the Justice Studio Manager at LaBella. For four decades, Mark has dedicated his career to the essential, often invisible infrastructure that keeps New York State’s communities safe, secure, and just—jails, public safety buildings, courthouses, crime and forensic laboratories, police stations, and county office buildings. While their form may not draw attention, they are among the most critical investments a region can make—and Mark’s thoughtful, practical designs help ensure they serve their function, their occupants, and the community.
Mark specializes in programming, design, and project management, serving as the client liaison and overseeing quality control and the successful execution of key design elements. His expertise is sought across New York State, where he has worked with more than two dozen counties.
Mark has quietly shaped Rochester’s public infrastructure through projects like the Monroe County Jail addition and the Monroe County Crime Laboratory. His work supports safety, justice, and long-term growth—creating the framework for a stronger region, one in which construction and real estate can flourish.
Gabrielle Krawiec – Rising Star Award
Gabrielle Krawiec has emerged as a dynamic leader in environmental consulting and business development. Over the past 12 years at LaBella, she has helped transform how environmental assessments support real estate transactions, the redevelopment of underutilized and contaminated sites, and community revitalization. As demand for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) increased, Gabrielle was selected to lead client management as LaBella’s first Phase I Business Manager. Since then, she has played a key role in tripling the program’s annual output from 500 to over 1,500 projects.
Gabrielle’s environmental due diligence work has been instrumental in unlocking stalled or underutilized properties across Rochester, including several that have significantly shaped the city’s redevelopment. One of those projects was the Strong National Museum of Play expansion. The Phase I ESA Gabrielle conducted for this 18-acre site identified environmental concerns early, allowing remediation planning without delays.
Gabrielle is not just a high-performing environmental consultant and business development leader—she is a catalyst for responsible construction and redevelopment across the Rochester region.
Courtney Ter-Velde, CID, ALEP – Interior Design/Staging Award
Courtney Ter-Velde is a New York State Certified Interior Designer and Interior Design Specialist at LaBella. Her expertise and passion for K-12 and educational design includes programming, space planning, standardization, and visualization. Using evidence-based design, Courtney customizes and tailors plans for every educational institution. Her designs respond to social and emotional learning needs and encourage student education and exploration. Courtney is also a member of the International Interior Design Association, an Accredited Learning Environment Planner, and a LEED Green Associate.
Within the Rochester region, Courtney is working on four capital improvement projects at three K-12 school districts including Kendall Central School District (CSD), Monroe 1 BOCES, and Brockport Central School District. At Kendall CSD, the project focuses on safety and security upgrades, a new state-of-the-art playground at the elementary school, and modernization of finishes, lighting, and branding.
As an interior designer, Courtney creates environments that promote health, safety, wellness, equity, and opportunity. She is enhancing the quality of educational environments and their impact on the next generation of learners.
