WHAT’S NEW & WHO’S NEWS
CAT Group’s Executive Anthony Fassino Elected 2025-2026 ARTBA Chairman
WASHINGTON—Anthony “Tony” D. Fassino, group president of Construction Industries at Caterpillar Inc., has been elected 2025-2026 chair of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The announcement was made during ARTBA’s national convention on Sept. 28-Oct. 1.
Mr. Fassino, a 30-year company veteran, has extensive expertise in engineering, sales, product development and operations across North America and Asia. He is responsible for a global business that includes earthmoving, excavation, building construction products, global construction and infrastructure, construction industries services along with CAT rental and used divisions and with the segment’s supply management group.
His roster of ARTBA volunteer leadership roles includes serving as senior vice chair (2025), first vice chair (2024) and vice chair-at-large (2021-23). Mr. Fassino chaired the association’s Reauthorization Task Force, a 27-member group that developed the industry’s policy proposals for the next federal surface transportation bill due by Oct. 1, 2026, “Moving America Forward: A Blueprint for Strategic Highway & Public Investment,” which was unanimously approved by ARTBA’s Board in May 2025.
At an Oct. 1 ARTBA board meeting, Mr. Fassino outlined key issues driving the transportation construction industry’s agenda for the year ahead. He noted these items were consistent with the association’s five-year strategic plan. Among them:
- Securing robust and timely surface transportation program reauthorization that increases federal highway and public transportation investment to recapture the lost purchasing power from unforeseen inflation surge from 2021 to 2023.
- Pursuing a regulatory structure that supports expanded infrastructure improvements. Mr. Fassino said this means pushing for thoughtful solutions on regulations like Buy America expansion and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s proposed heat rule to ensure they do not impose unnecessary requirements, along with ARTBA’s ongoing legal advocacy efforts to stop federal overreach on issues like the Waters of the U.S. rule.
- Broadening the infrastructure coalition by partnering with the general business community to articulate how strong federal leadership facilitates a national transportation infrastructure network that promotes economic competitiveness, security and prosperity for all Americans.
- Developing a safety and mobility campaign that highlights the ability of infrastructure improvements to enhance daily life for all Americans and ensures that both roadway workers and motorists—with added emphasis on teen drivers—get home safely at the end of each day.
Estrada Named to Gaming Facility Location Board
ALBANY—The New York State Gaming Commission unanimously appointed Cindy Rubi Estrada to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board (Board) late last month. In her new capacity, Ms. Estrada will help oversee the commercial casino siting process.
“I thank Cindy Estrada for lending her expertise and taking on this true public service,” said Commission Chair Brian O’Dwyer. “The Gaming Facility Location Board’s important work has far-reaching implications for the entire State, and I am grateful for their service.”
Born in East Harlem, raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and a longtime resident of The Bronx, Ms. Estrada has been a small business owner since the age of 19. She currently serves as the executive director at the New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a position created in 2015. She had previously held the position of vice president since its origin in 2006.
Ms. Estrada started in business in 1972 as the owner of a women’s designer boutique, which she followed by founding Woop’s Manufacturing in 1979 where she produced children’s Olympic sweaters for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. She also worked in the travel business.
Ms. Estrada joins Vicki Been, Terryl Brown, Marion Phillips, III, and Greg Reimers on the Gaming Facility Location Board.
The Board is ultimately responsible for reviewing and evaluating casino applications and recommending up to three facilities for licensure.
Westchester Med Center Begins $25M Campaign To Complete Construction of New Medical Tower
VALHALLA, NY—Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, announced on Sept. 29 the public launch of the $25-million “Possible Starts Here” capital campaign to complete construction of the $220-million Brenda Fareri Pavilion, a new, state-of-the-art critical care tower that will redefine life-saving care in the region.
Currently under construction on the Valhalla campus, the Brenda Fareri Pavilion will be a five-story, 162,000/sf hub of advanced critical care medicine. Designed for the highest levels of complexity, the Pavilion will feature ICU-capable rooms and flexible, surge-ready spaces to respond to public health emergencies. It will also support world-class patient care programs, including advanced neurosurgery through the region’s most comprehensive Neuroscience ICU and the Hudson Valley’s only Comprehensive Stroke Center. In addition, the Pavilion will enhance WMC’s nationally-recognized Cardiac Surgery Program, ranked among the top 50 in the United States for patient outcomes, and its Medical-Surgical ICU. Construction is expected to be completed in 2026.
On Sept. 25, dignitaries, donors, hospital leaders, and staff gathered at Westchester Medical Center for a ceremonial steel beam signing. Turner Construction is the general contractor on the project.
“When seconds count, patients across our region rely on Westchester Medical Center,” said David Lubarsky, MD, MBA, president and CEO of WMCHealth. “The Brenda Fareri Pavilion will provide our expert teams with the cutting-edge space, resources and technology they need to deliver world-class outcomes in the most critical moments. This campaign ensures the future of advanced critical care is built right here, close to home.”
Westchester Medical Center Foundation Trustee, Julie Fareri, whose mother, a pioneering critical care nurse, is honored in the Pavilion’s name, added: “This project carries forward my mother’s lifelong dedication to patients and families. We invite our entire community to join us in building a future where every life saved is a future restored.”
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins underscored the regional importance of the project, stating: “Westchester Medical Center has long been a cornerstone of care for families throughout our county. The Westchester County LDC was proud to provide a $195-milliom bond in support of this project. The new Brenda Fareri Pavilion will ensure that when our residents face their most critical health challenges, they can receive outstanding treatment close to home. I want to commend Westchester Medical Center, its dedicated staff, and the many generous donors who helped to make this vision a reality.”
Together with Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Westchester Medical Center operates the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I trauma programs for both adults and children. In 2024 alone, Westchester Medical Center treated nearly 7,000 adult trauma patients, while Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital cared for more than 2,500 children.
Published: October 16, 2025.