Statements by Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECP and Peter Malkin, Chairman Emeritus, Empire State Realty Trust on the Passing of David Rockefeller

March 22, 2017 /3BL Media/ -- Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECP: “CECP celebrates the life of David Rockefeller by reflecting on his contributions to society, including the role he played in the founding of CECP: The CEO Force for Good. David Rockefeller’s tenure with CECP included roles as a founding board member, honorary co-chair with John Whitehead and Paul Volker, and most currently, member of the Directors Emeritus, co-chaired by Peter Malkin and Sanford Weill.

“David Rockefeller was tapped in the early days of CECP by Peter Malkin and Paul Newman to lend business acumen to the effort to increase the level and quality of corporate societal engagement. His name easily came to mind when Peter Malkin thought about the most admired business leaders of the era who would encourage other CEOs to align themselves with the work and ideology of CECP.

“CECP today bears the imprint of David Rockefeller’s influence, rooting its work in the importance of enlightened CEO leadership, attention to data and impact, and the varied contributions of business beyond check writing. Rockefeller was known for his monumental philanthropy and outsized accomplishments in business, and CECP was an endeavor of his that married the two.

“CECP’s legacy and ongoing work is rooted in the guidance and leadership of David Rockefeller and other esteemed global corporate leaders. He was a force in global financial affairs, and through his work with CECP, was also a force for good. “

Peter Malkin, Chairman Emeritus, Empire State Realty Trust:

“When Paul Newman and I undertook the creation of CECP, we recognized that because neither of us was the CEO of a major public corporation it would be necessary to add ‘gravitas’ if we were to attract CEOs to join and support the organization. Newman agreed to lend his name but left it to me to provide the gravitas.

“There were three individuals who I thought would be admired by all such CEOs: David Rockefeller, Paul Volker, and John Whitehead. I went first to David Rockefeller’s staff and told them of the concept, and that I believed it could embody his principles of best business practices and be a force for good.  David Rockefeller had known of the earlier successful Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropic Giving, which led a decade earlier by my father-in-law Lawrence A. Wien, had in five years increased annual philanthropic giving by corporations by $300 Million.

“Without too much delay, David Rockefeller said that he did endorse the idea and was willing to act as an honorary co-chair with John Whitehead and Paul Volker. When I approached them with the endorsement of David Rockefeller, they both agreed and we had an honorary leadership team nonpareil. CECP and corporate America have benefitted greatly from the imprimatur of these three leaders of the American market economy and CECP has earned their confidence as a force for good.”

Please direct any media inquiries to Jackie Albano, jalbano@cecp.co or 646-863-1926.

ABOUT CECP

CECP is a CEO led coalition that believes that a company’s social strategy — how it engages with key stakeholders including employees, communities, investors, and customers —determines company success.

Founded in 1999 by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman and other business leaders to create a better world through business, CECP has grown to a movement of more than 200 of the world’s largest companies that represent $7 trillion in revenues, $18.6 billion in societal investment, 13 million employees, and $15 trillion in assets under management. CECP helps companies transform their social strategy by providing customized connections and networking, counsel and support, benchmarking and trends, and awareness building and recognition.

ABOUT EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the world's most famous building. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of December 31, 2016, consisting of 9.4 million rentable square feet in 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut and two in Westchester County, New York; and approximately 706,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio.