Chris Ward, the former New York head of the Port Authority, is stepping into a new role, as an executive vice president of the large international construction company Dragados.

Mr. Ward, credited with helping to devise and implement plans that put the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site back on track, will be involved in helping the company identify and compete for major construction and infrastructure projects he said.

  In an exclusive conversation with The Commercial Observer, Mr. Ward identified several high profile bids that he will likely be involved in helping the company make, including the expansion of Boston’s Green Line street car system, the replacement of Calaveras Dam in California and the replacement of the Tappen Zee Bridge in Westchester.

“There’s probably $36 billion of projects out there and we could honestly compete for probably $15 billion of that,” Mr. Ward said.

The company is a major construction firm that has handled complex projects in the city. It is currently building the East Side Access tunnel that will connect the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal.

Public private partnerships will likely figure into the Dragados’s pipeline of business in the future, arrangements where private investors contribute funds to public infrastructure in return for a slice of the revenues that the infrastructure generates. Mr. Ward said the company had billions of dollars it could invest into such ventures and that the partnerships would be the way of the future for infrastructure development in the U.S.

“It’s the way governments do infrastructure in Europe,” said Mr. Ward. “It’s about selling creative solutions to government to get projects done. We need to be able to build roads and bridges and infastructure in a way that guarantees a reliable schedule and saves money. There’s not enough government resournces anymore to get projects done any other way.”

Mr. Ward’s first day at Dragados was today he said. Although his tenure as the Port Authority’s executive director was widely viewed as successful, Mr. Ward was replaced late last year by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Gov. Cuomo placed former Empire State Development Corporation head Patrick Foye in the executive director slot in what was viewed as a bid by the governor to put his own stamp on the agency and exert control by using his own appointee.

Daniel Geiger can be reached at DGeiger@Observer.com

In a scene that seemed straight out of the Oscars, Newmark Knight Frank’s Executive Managing Director Lance Korman learned that he had won the national brokerage firm's “Top Producing Broker of the Year” accolade while attending the company's awards ceremony and holiday party last Month.

  As has historically been the case, Mr. Korman, 41, and the rest of his colleagues were kept in the fog as to who were this year’s winners.

  “It’s extremely confidential and it’s taken very seriously,” said Mr. Korman.

  The event, which took place on December 16th at an event space at 230 Fifth Avenue, presents awards like “The Aaron Gural Award” and the “2011 Industrial Broker of the Year.”

  After finishing a busy 2011, in which he helped Africa Israel USA sell the top 11 floors of the former New York Times building on West 43rd to The Blackstone Group for $160 million and represented Getty Images with its lease restructuring at One Hudson Square, it was a welcome prize for Mr. Korman to receive.

  “I was very shocked and amazed and pleased,” he said. “I have been in the company for – I stared in 2000 – so this is something I’ve watched over the years other people win and I have always been trying to achieve that greatness,” he added.

  “I was really, really surprised and honored.”

  Senior managing director Ryan Kass won the “Aaron Gural Award,” named after Newmark Knight Frank’s founder and which is given to the broker who has excelled “in the areas of ethics, teamwork, collaboration and professionalism.”

  Mitch Katz, a managing director at the firm’s New Jersey office, won “Industrial Broker of the Year” honors.

  Other award winners at Newmark Knight Frank included:

Steve Tolkach, managing principal at NKF, won “National Office Broker of the Year.”

Jason Pruger, executive managing director, tallied his fourth consecutive “Retail Broker of the Year.”

Jennifer Schwartzman, senior managing director, won “Capital Group Broker of the Year.”

Kyle Ciminelli, director, won “New York Rising Star.”

Greg Frankovich, managing director at the firm’s LA office, won “Regional Office Rising Star.”

Natalie Donofrio, director at NKF Global Corporate Services, Fenil Manani, network technician, and property management transaction analyst Zack Schnoll won “Employee of the Year” awards.

Brian Waterman, William Cohen, William Mendelson, and Robin Jones were recognized for their 25 years of service at NKF.

Daniel Edward Rosen can be reached at DRosen@Observer.com