MB Real Estate (MBRE) is pleased to announce that Michael Graham, SVP and general manager of One North Dearborn, is a “Gold Circle Award” winner. At the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Chicago chapter’s 2022 TOBY/Gold Circle Awards Luncheon, Graham won the “Gold Circle Award” in the “Property Management Professional of the Year” category.
Graham has over 26 years of experience in commercial real estate management, including over 15 years with MBRE. The success of extensive capital projects and enhanced operations associated with repositioning the asset, as well as the day-to-day operations overseen by Graham and his team, have helped One North Dearborn become a sought-after destination in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Over the past six years, Graham has overseen $46 million dollars in building renovations and tenant fit-out projects. These projects helped One North Dearborn achieve a LEED EBOM Gold rating and earn WiredScore Platinum certification. Among the impressive renovations during Mike’s tenure was the buildout of an upscale, 11,500-square-foot rooftop tenant lounge. This robust tenant amenity on One North Dearborn’s rooftop contains four garden plots and three beehives capable of supporting 240,000 honeybees. In 2021, over 56 pounds of produce from the building’s rooftop garden were donated to a local food pantry. The above achievements and overall tenant satisfaction with Graham and his team helped One North Dearborn win BOMA’s “The Outstanding Building of the Year” award at the international level in the “Renovated Building” category in 2020. In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Graham and his team proved adept at dealing with the unexpected. When traditional supplies were difficult to obtain, Graham reached out to a local distillery that had shifted to producing hand sanitizer to ensure One North Dearborn—and other buildings in the MBRE portfolio—did not run out.
Graham joins the ranks of three other “Gold Circle Award” winners at MBRE: SVP of Asset Management Andre Wiggins, VP and One North LaSalle General Manager Courtney Hamm, and SVP and 181 West Madison General Manager Krystal Kurinsky. MBRE’s asset management portfolio includes a variety of properties, from well-known office buildings to bustling City of Chicago properties.
