Cerullo Takes Grand Central Partnership’s Work ‘to the Streets’

Fred Cerullo is one hands-on C-suite executive. “I change the light bulbs in this neighborhood,” he jokes.

Twenty-six years ago, he left his job in city government to take the reins as the President and CEO of the Grand Central Partnership (GCP), overseeing a patch of the city that stretches from the southern tip of East 35th Street to the northern end of East 54th Street and from the east side of Second Avenue to the west side of Fifth Avenue.

The GCP is a BID, a legal not-for-profit that gets its revenue from the building owners and businesses in the district, or from private money that the city collects and turns over to it.

“The Business Improvement District world was one I knew,” said Cerullo, adding, “I considered this job a public-service job, even though it’s a legal, not-for-profit, private entity.”

The Staten Island native from the Great Kills neighborhood elaborated, “What we do, what our mission, vision, passion, and execution is about is public service. We’re improving the public realm, marketing the neighborhood for the public to enjoy. All of our work is about what happens out on the streets and sidewalks.”

Cerullo talked about the GCP’s 24/7 services, which include public safety patrols, sanitation, marketing, and promotions for the area’s businesses, creating a streetscape program: street lights, benches, bike racks, planters—it owns them all.

Under his leadership, the organization, which pulled in revenue of $13.5 million in fiscal 2023, also has a special signage program, manages the capital assets, and now acts as public-space managers. “We maintain the neighborhood. We help with tourism. We are a go-to for businesses. It’s all about how to improve the neighborhood.”

Because no undertaking of this magnitude exists without challenges, Cerullo points to time as the biggest. “In many cases, we need city government to approve things, which seems to take forever.” Other obstacles he mentions are the unhoused, illegal vending, and selling of marijuana.

The St. John’s University and Law School grad entered politics in the 1990s when he became the only seated Republican on the City Council, and therefore minority leader. He was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs in 1994, and in 1995 was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Finance before leaving in 1999 to head the GCP. He cites his biggest joy as working for a stakeholder base that is committed to the city.

Of his many accomplishments over the past quarter century, Cerullo homed in on his top three: first, the rezoning of East Midtown and the work that went into collaborating with the city and the private sector. “[It] was a huge opportunity for us to be a part of the team.”

Next, he listed the creation of new public spaces “in one of the most dense areas of the city,” which includes expanded sidewalks, plazas, and amenities where people can go and grab a coffee, make a cell phone call, or buy a salad. “People need both passive and active recreational space. It’s a critical component to building a neighborhood.”

Lastly, he spoke with pride about a GCP event called Grand Gourmet and its twofold mission: promoting the food and beverage industry in the neighborhood, and donating the net proceeds from that event to the local social service outreach center, Main Chance.

Cerullo has landed multiple times on Manhattan’s “Most Powerful People” list.

Throughout his career, he has been an elected and appointed official, as well as a board member of many nonprofit organizations citywide, including the American Museum of Natural History Planetarium Authority.

“That’s the journey. And I’ve loved it.”