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Some of the most beloved and respected people in our community – like Bob Kieve, Steve Wozniak, Yosh Uchida and Chuck Reed – have been awarded Rotary Club of San Jose’s Don Goldeen Award, which recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the vitality of our downtown.

We commend Rotary for selecting Chuck Toeniskoetter as the 2013 recipient of the Goldeen Award and recognizing his 30+ years of financing, building and managing projects that are a delight to look at and great to work in.

“Chuck Toeniskoetter’s contributions to this community go far beyond building or renovating quality buildings. I have known Chuck and worked with him for more than 30 years building the economic foundation and social fabric of our community,” said John Kennett, Executive Director at Rotary Club of San Jose. “Whenever this community has needed a leader, Chuck has always been there. No one is more respected in San Jose than Chuck Toeniskoetter.”

Chuck’s early tours of Europe’s most beautiful cities inspired him to bring touches back to San Jose, embodied in projects such as the O’Connor Medical Building’s echoes of L’Ermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, and elements of Vienna’s Habsburg style in the Colliers Building in downtown San Jose.

Chuck’s civic leadership and long-term commitment to the Toeniskoetter companies’ projects result in thriving business ventures in our community. Chuck has served on over 50 community boards during his 30 years in San Jose, including the Children’s Discovery Museum, Team San Jose, San Jose Conservation Corps and Charter School, the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Hospice of the Valley, and the Stroke Awareness Foundation.  He has also served on several publicly traded company boards, including San Jose Water Company, Heritage Bank of Commerce, and Redwood Trust, Inc.

His recent honors include the 2013 San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Business Leader Award and the 2013 San Francisco Business Times and Silicon Valley Business Journal’s joint award, Outstanding Director of the Year.

We are in San Jose and the South Bay for the long haul, as partners, not just developers and builders. We are fortunate to be part of his ongoing legacy.

Thank you, Chuck, for being an inspiring and successful leader in our community and our company since 1983!

About the Don Goldeen Award

The award is named in honor of Don Goldeen who was an active member of the San Jose Rotary.  He made a great contribution to and was a great supporter of downtown San Jose. Don served on the Board of Directors of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce and was one of the founders of the Metro Trust. The latter provides funding for worthwhile community projects for downtown San Jose. Don also provided for the Benny Bufano statute that appears in front of the Center for Performing Arts. Personally, he made his own commitment to downtown San Jose by keeping his retail furniture business in downtown San Jose when other retail businesses left the area. To learn more about the Don Goldeen Award, please click here.