Ralph Rossi Selected as a Presenter
For Benjamin Moore’s Fourth Annual HUE Awards Ceremony
May 5th at the Museum of Arts and Design, NYC

Purchase, NY: Ralph Rossi, PE, Founder and President of Pratt & D’Angelo, a residential & commercial full service painting and staining contractor located in Westchester and Nassau County, has been selected by Benjamin Moore as a presenter for their Fourth Annual HUE Awards. Rossi will participate in honoring Architects and Interior Designers for their innovative use of color in residential and commercial design applications. The HUE Awards ceremony and reception will be held at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York on May 5th 2010. Winners will receive a $5,000 cash prize and an original hand-blown HUEY crystal sculpture.

Rossi will present a HUE award to Amy Wax, recipient of the top prize for Residential Exteriors. Wax is the first professional color consultant to receive a HUE Award. She is owner of Your Color Source Studios, Inc., which offers color advice to homeowners and building and design professionals. Rossi was selected for this presentation by Benjamin Moore for his reputation as a contractor expert and for his exemplary business standards and ethics, which Benjamin Moore admires and respects.

Besides Amy Wax, honorees include: Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design, New York, for Residential Interiors; Envision Design, Washington, DC, for Contract Interiors; and Allen + Philp Architects/Interiors, Scottsdale, AZ, for Contract Exteriors. All competed in their categories against a total of nearly 150 entries from around the U.S.

Also, in a departure from previous years when the Benjamin Moore HUE Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to an architect, the 2010 honors will be going for the first time to an interior design firm, Diamond Baratta Design and its principals William Diamond and Anthony Baratta. A HUE Special Achievement Award will be going to Eikona Studios, Cleveland, OH, for its unique dedication to the restoration and preservation of mural art and masterpieces that grace the walls and domes of American churches, cathedrals and houses of worship.

Benjamin Moore established the HUE Awards in 2005 in an effort to recognize the creative incorporation of color through the use of paint, building materials, textiles, design elements, and furnishings. Open to seasoned design professionals or industry newbie’s, the competition includes the following categories: residential interiors, residential exteriors, contract interiors and contract exteriors.

This year’s palette of judges features five professionals drawn from the design, fashion, and art worlds including: Thomas R. Krizmanic, principal of STUDIOS Architecture; Reed Kroloff, director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum; Mayer Rus, design and culture editor of The Los Angeles Times Magazine; Essie Weingarten, founder of Essie Cosmetics; and Tim Wisgerhof, creative director, TwoSeven, Inc.

Ralph Rossi, an EPA “Certified Renovator,” is an expert in the paint and renovation industry from color consultations to information regarding the most up to date rules and regulations involving environmental safety issues. Rossi earned a Masters Degree in Engineering from Cornell University and created, developed and taught Environmental Site Assessment courses at New York University’s (NYU’) Real Estate Institute.

For information log onto www.prattdangelo.com
Pratt & D’Angelo Painting is a residential & commercial full service painting and staining contractor located in Westchester County, New York. Pratt & D’Angelo is a member of the Painting & Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA). Ralph E. Rossi, President & owner of Pratt & D’Angelo Painting is a local leader in the painting & wallpaper industry and has served as past president and secretary/treasurer of the Westchester Chapter PDCA. Pratt & D’Angelo is highly regarded by the prevalent paint manufacturers and has strong working relationships with Benjamin Moore Paints, Sherwin Williams Paints, and Cabot Stains, and others.

Pratt & D’Angelo’s offices are conveniently located to serve the following areas: Westchester County, New York City, Nassau County, Lower Fairfield County, including Greenwich, Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, and Stamford. Pratt & D’Angelo offers free estimates and all their work is guaranteed. The company is proud to produce a high quality job, on budget, on time and with the best customer service.

Rossi is a dedicated advocate for environmental safety issues in the renovation industry. Proactive as an Environmental Engineer, Rossi earned a Masters Degree in Engineering from Cornell University and created, developed and taught Environmental Site Assessment courses at New York University’s (NYU’) Real Estate Institute. “As a company, we have always approached our work with an eye toward protecting our customers’ properties and families. To that end, we invested heavily in specialized equipment like HEPA vacuums and air filtration units that contain and remove lead dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air during our renovation. I’m glad to see EPA mandating all contractors follow safe and common sense work practices when dealing with pre-1978 housing,” states Rossi.

Everyone can be affected by the hazards of lead-based paint. However, children under the age of six (6) have a significantly higher risk. On April 22, 2010, the US Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule becomes fully effective and enforceable. This new Federal regulation is intended to protect children and adults during renovation, repair and painting projects in pre-1978 housing and in pre-1978 child-occupied facilities, such as daycare centers, where existing lead-based paint will be disturbed by the work.

According to James Gulliford, the EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, “Childhood lead poisoning is a preventable disease. EPA’s new rule requires contractors and maintenance workers who renovate and repair older housing, child care facilities and schools to follow common sense lead-safe work practices so that children are not exposed to hazardous lead dust. By requiring renovators to be certified, we’re also helping consumers identify contractors who are trained in lead-safe work practices. Our goal is to eliminate childhood lead poisoning as a major health concern by the year 2010.”

Children exposed to lead at an early age are likely to suffer from a variety of permanent conditions, including brain, liver and kidney damage; slowed development; learning disabilities; behavior problems; lowered intellect; hearing loss; and restlessness. (http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/chancefactsheet.pdf)

Consumers need to know if renovation, repair or painting work in their home or apartment will trigger the requirements in the EPA Rule. EPA’s website is the best source of information for consumers regarding the new Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule requirements. Visit www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm to get complete details about the regulation and valuable resources, including several PDF pamphlets on lead, lead-based paint, lead poisoning and steps to perform renovations in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities.

Consumers also need to know how find a qualified professional for these services. Painting and decorating contractors who perform work in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities will need to apply to EPA to become “Certified Renovation Firms.” Additionally, contractors and their workers will need to take training from EPA-accredited training providers to become “Certified Renovators.”

To contact Pratt & D’Angelo and learn more about their EPA Certified painting and renovation services, log onto their website at www.prattdangelo.com