Onyx Equities co-founders John Saraceno and Jonathan Schultz, and G.S. Wilcox & Co. Founder Gretchen Wilcox will be honored Thursday by the Kislak Read Estate Institute at its annual Leadership Excellence Awards Dinner at Monmouth University.
The recognition will come as part of the popular dinner that draws many of New Jersey’s most influential developers and service professionals in support of scholarships for the longtime real estate degree program.
Saraceno, Schultz and Wilcox, legendary figures in commercial real estate, all have made their mark.
Onyx, which is based in Woodbridge, is behind many of New Jersey’s most complex and high-profile development projects and investments that have repositioned major commercial properties — including the 2 million-square-foot Northeast Science & Technology Center at the former Merck & Co. campus in Kenilworth. A leader in office, Onyx also controls three of the four-building, 2.3 million-square-foot Gateway office complex in Newark, which it has been modernizing.
Wilcox, the pioneering mortgage banker, launched G.S. Wilcox & Co. in 1994. She and her Morristown-based team serve a loyal client base that includes many of the state’s most successful property owners and major life insurance companies.
Kislak Real Estate Institute Interim Director Cynthia Daly said the group is excited to honor the trio.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the 29th Annual Leadership Excellence Awards Dinner on May 29 at the historic Great Hall on the campus of Monmouth University — a truly beautiful and fitting setting for a night of celebration and connection,” she said.
“This year, we are especially proud to recognize Onyx Equities LLC with the Leadership Excellence Award. As a premier real estate investment, management, development and property services firm, Onyx has played a transformative role in repositioning commercial assets and revitalizing key markets across the region.
“We are equally excited to honor Gretchen Wilcox, founder and president of G.S. Wilcox & Co., with the Service to the Industry Award. A true trailblazer, she has built a robust track record over more than three decades, leading the way in commercial real estate finance. Her firm is the first — and remains the only — female-founded commercial real estate mortgage banking firm in the country, a testament to her pioneering vision and lasting impact on the industry.”
Monmouth’s real estate degree program has grown exponentially from six students in its inaugural class in 2006 to what it is today: A leading force in the industry.
The Leadership Excellence Awards Dinner is among the top industry events of the spring in New Jersey. This year’s gathering begins with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 7 p.m.
“This event, which attendees look forward to year after year, brings together a wide array of professionals for an inspiring evening of networking and recognition of excellence across all segments of the real estate industry,” Daly said.
