Ralph Zucker, the president of Somerset Development, was honored by EY Thursday night for his work redeveloping the former Bell Labs property in Holmdel.
Zucker is trying to transform the 2-million-square-foot Bell Works, abandoned by Alcatel-Lucent a decade ago, into a multiuse building that can be an economic powerhouse for the digital age.
The project is inventive and inspiring, said Michele Brown, president and chief executive officer of Choose New Jersey, an agency that promotes economic development.
“It takes an exceptional individual to not only have these qualities, but to harness them as well,” she said.
Zucker, 55, of Lakewood, received the Visionary Award during the annual EY Entrepreneur of the Year event that honored 29 innovative New Jersey business owners.
Bell Works is more than 70 percent leased with tenants, including WorkWave, iCIMS and Vydia, which are some of the Shore’s fastest-growing technology companies.