The Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) held its annual Gold Circle and “The Outstanding Building of the Year” (TOBY) awards gala last night in the Great Hall at Union Station.
BOMA/Chicago’s Gold Circle Awards honor individual excellence within Chicago’s commercial real estate community. This year, BOMA/Chicago received 34 applications for its second annual Gold Circle Awards.
The 2010-2011 Gold Circle Award winners are:
- Property Management Professional of the Year: Betty Casties, senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle and general manager of the Hyatt Center. Casties has more than 20 years of dedication to providing extraordinary services and results to building owners and tenants. During her career, Casties has trained and mentored dozens of property managers and volunteered as a TOBY Awards judge, Ollie Scholarship mentor and committee member.
- Building Engineer of the Year: Dan Wagner, chief engineer at 555 West Monroe. Wagner was nominated for his commitment to fostering a tenant-driven environment and spearheading numerous sustainability initiatives that resulted in 555 West Monroe achieving LEED-EB Sliver and LEED-NC Platinum certification.
- Security Professional of the Year: Donna Kobzaruk, vice president and Midwest regional security manager at JP Morgan Chase. Kobzaruk was honored for her service to BOMA/Chicago as past chair of the Security Committee and current chair of the Emergency Preparedness Committee. During her tenure, Kobzaruk expanded BOMA/Chicago’s public-sector profile through partnerships with the Illinois State Police Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center and Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC). As a representative of BOMA/Chicago, Kobzaruk now chairs the OEMC’s Chicago Information Sharing Group, which helps coordinate communication in the event of a disaster, and is also co-chair of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force’s private sector committee.
- Emerging Leader of the Year: Wade Rogers, property manager at 120 South LaSalle, was named Emerging Leader of the Year, an award recognizing the leadership achievement of BOMA/Chicago’s building and affiliate members with less than 10 years of industry experience. Rogers was nominated for his work as chair of the Emerging Leaders Subcommittee, including launching the Emerging Leaders Ambassador program and organizing numerous philanthropic and social events.
- Affiliate Member of the Year: Carlos Villarreal, senior vice president of commercial real estate services at Whelan Security, was recognized for his exemplary service to BOMA/Chicago as an active affiliate member. Villarreal was nominated for his service to BOMA/Chicago’s Security and Emergency Preparedness Committees. He also coordinates the organization’s annual “Emergency Preparedness Tabletop Exercise,” which simulates disaster or terrorist situations to test property management teams.
BOMA/Chicago also honored local TOBY Award winners for excellence in office building management in six respective categories based on building size and facility type. A team of local commercial real estate professionals served as TOBY judges and determined the winners based on a detailed application process and extensive interviews with building management.
The following buildings earned TOBY awards:
- 250,000 – 499,000 Square Feet Category: 303 West Madison, managed by CB Richard Ellis and owned by 303 Madison Chicago, LLC.
- 500,000 – One Million Square Feet Category: The United Building, located at 77 West Wacker Drive, managed by Jones Lang LaSalle Americas (Illinois) LP and owned by 77 West Wacker Drive, LLC.
- Over One Million Square Feet Category: 111 South Wacker, managed by The John Buck Company and owned by Union Investment Real Estate.
- Government Building Category: The Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, located at 77 West Jackson Boulevard, owned and managed by the General Services Administration. This is the second year in a row that the building has won this award.
- Earth Award Category: FBI Chicago Regional Office, located at 2111West Roosevelt Road, managed by USAA Real Estate Company and owned by FBI Chicago Partners, LLC.
- Suburban Office Park Mid-Rise: U.S. Cellular Plaza, located at 8420 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, managed by Parkway Realty Services and owned by PKY Fund Chicago, LLC.
BOMA/Chicago TOBY Award winners will be invited to participate in the north central regional TOBY competition, where they will compete against local TOBY winners from cities in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio for a chance to qualify for the BOMA International TOBY Awards, one of the highest honors in the commercial real estate industry.
