The Upstate New York Chapter of NAIOP hosted its 15th Annual Awards Dinner this year in front of a sell-out crowd at the Memorial Art Gallery. This is the chapter's biggest event of the year where individuals and projects that have gone above and beyond in the industry of commercial real estate are honored.
With this year's focus being on green development, the Upstate New York Chapter added a Green Building Award in addition to their other popular categories including Mixed Use, Historical/Adaptive ReUse, Architectural & Engineering. Also new this year was our Developing Leader Award - an award that recognizes an individual (35 years of age or under) who demonstrates exceptional leadership in the commercial real estate industry.
The evening started in the grand ballroom of the Memorial Art Gallery where members had the opportunity to network with other members and perspective members. Before dinner and the awards ceremony, the audience was met by speaker and artist William Cochran who gave an inspirational and educational presentation.
At the conclusion of dinner, the awards ceremony began. This year the following were recognized:

Calamar was recognized with the Architectural and Engineering Award for their 3949 Forest Parkway project in Wheatfield, N.Y.
3949 Forest Parkway was developed by Calamar Enterprises and constructed by Calamar Construction. The nearly 31,000 s/f building was built utilizing CON/STEEL concrete tilt-up system, which Calamar has an exclusive licensing agreement with.
This project showcases architectural versatility with site-cast concrete tilt-up construction which provides thermal dynamic efficiency - effective in green building construction.
The Historic/Adaptive ReUse award was presented to Carmina Wood Morris for their Webb Lofts project in Buffalo, NY.
The c.a. 1888 Webb Building is a 5-story masonry building that is a local example of commercial Richardson Romanesque Revival structures and one of a handful of remaining cast iron storefronts in Buffalo.
The building's 20+ years of neglect and abandonment provided a challenge with the preservation of this building.
This project won the "Excellence in Historic Preservation Award" presented by the Preservation League of Western New York in May of 2008. It was the first time a project from Western New York was recognized for excellence.

Passero Associates was honored with the Historic Adaptive/ReUse award for their Albion Academy project in Albion, N.Y.
Built in 1906, the Albion Academy served as a school before closing in the 1960s. The building is located in Albion, Orleans County. The Academy was constructed using grey Medina sandstone, a distinctive material found in the area.
The four-story, 55, 0000 s/f structure has several unique architectural details that are being preserved and utilized in the rehabilitation. Due to years of neglect, extensive renovation was required.
The restoration was coordinated with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
NAIOP's new Green Building Award was presented to Rochester Institute of Technology for their College of Applied Science and Technology Building.
RIT's College of Applied Science and Technology Building (CAST) is the latest addition to the RIT Campus.
The design of the CAST building implemented a wide range of sustainable strategies. These included careful management of the site, use of renewable or recycled materials, improved design for energy & water efficiency, design and construction to improve indoor air quality.
RIT has been recognized with a Gold LEED Award, the highest distinction in Green Building Design.
Wilmorite received the Mixed -Use Award for their Park Point project.
Park Point is a 64 acre mixed-use development located at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
During the project development phase, 15 acres of wetlands were mitigated. Throughout the development coordination, 10 regulatory agencies were required - Federal, State, Local agencies.
The last award of the evening was the new Developing Leader award. This award honors the commercial real estate professional (age 35 and under) whose work has made a significant impact on the office and industrial markets during 2007/2008.
The Developing Leader award was presented to Ela Hakiel of Jones Lang LaSalle Americas. She currently supports the strategic planning and transaction management process for the Xerox account.
Ela manages all lease acquisitions for Xerox's 7.5 million s/f U.S. and Canada portfolio and supports international transactions as well.
NAIOP would like to thank our following sponsors who helped make this evening a success!
Gold Sponsors: Passero Associates, Uniland Development Company
Silver Sponsors: Calamar, First American Title Company of New York
Bronze Sponsors: BME Associates, Chaintreuil Jensen Stark Architects, Chamberlain D'Amanda, Gallina Development Corporation, S.E. Baker & Co., Underberg & Kessler. Tags: