Chamber Honors Two at Golf Outing
BY BENJAMIN FANG
Business leaders from around the borough convened at the Garden City Country Club on June 24 for the annual Queens Chamber Foundation Golf Outing and Dinner.
The foundation is the nonprofit arm of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, and raises money for scholarships for local students.
This year’s honorees were Richard Dzwlewicz, regional vice president of TD Bank, and Stephen R. Preuss, vice chairman of Cushman & Wakefield.
Dzwlewicz, a longtime member of the chamber’s executive committee and the current assistant treasurer, has participated in the golf outing many times, but this was his first time as an honoree.
“It’s great to be honored by the chamber and to be recognized for everything that I do, and that TD Bank does,” he said. “The chamber is really doing incredible work.
“The most important thing about the chamber is that it brings people together,” he added. “It’s an opportunity for business owners to meet other business owners.”
Dzwlewicz joined TD Bank in 2006 and has served as the regional vice president of Queens since 2009. He later became regional vice president of the Bronx in 2016.
He oversees the bank’s 32 locations in Queens and nine in the Bronx.
“TD is always expanding, always opening up new locations,” Dzwlewicz said. “It really is a fantastic place to be, and we truly support the community, the chamber and many other nonprofits.”
Dzwlewicz graduated from St. John’s University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in finance. He began his banking career in 1987.
In addition to his long tenure with the Queens Chamber, the Port Washington resident is also on the board of York College, the Boy Scouts, Helen Keller Services for the Blind and more.
“I really get involved,” Dzwlewicz said. “The bank allows me to do that, so it supports me in the ability to support those organizations.”
He added that it turned out to be a beautiful day for the golf outing, which he noted was extremely well attended.
“Weather was good, and the golf was okay too,” he said.
Preuss, the event’s other honoree, also has a long history working in Queens neighborhoods. Previously the vice president of sales for Massey Knakal Realty Services, Preuss now focuses on investment sales, primarily in Queens, for Cushman & Wakefield.
“Queens is where I do the majority of my business,” he said. “We’re involved in almost every community out there.”
Over his 16-year career, Preuss has transacted in nearly $3 billion of investment and commercial real estate. He has sold more than 350 properties, and currently has over $800,000 in exclusive listings.
Preuss serves on the board of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, Long Island Partnership, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation and Queens Community House.
He said the Queens Chamber “really pulls all of these neighborhoods together,” which is why he was extremely honored to be recognized at the golf outing.
“I think it’s important to support the neighborhoods that we sell buildings in, and make each one of these neighborhoods better,” Preuss said. “If we can do that, then it increases the values overall. Everyone’s a winner at that point.”
Although this was Preuss’s first Chamber golf outing, he said he had a fantastic time.
“I can assure you, whether I’m an honoree or not, I’m going to be at every single one of these outings going forward,” he said.
Despite all he has done in Queens, Preuss is looking forward to doing even more.
“We really have a lot of momentum in Queens communities,” he said.
