The Greater Toronto chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) honoured four individuals and seven projects at the 16th annual NAIOP Real Estate Excellence (REX) Awards on April 3 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

NAIOP Greater Toronto chapter president-elect Joel Pearlman, left, presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to Andre Kuzmicki.

The NAIOP Greater Toronto chapter represents developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate while advancing responsible development and advocating for effective public policy.

REX Awards recognize the achievements of people and projects.

Andre Kuzmicki

Schulich School of Business professor Andre Kuzmicki received the Lifetime Achievement Award for a career that has blended real estate, academics and corporate governance. He’s taught real estate finance and investment since 1998 and was recently appointed director of Schulich’s Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure program, which launched in January.

Prior to joining Schulich, Kuzmicki spent 19 years with Prudential of America and managed its Canadian property portfolio, including the development of Consilium Place and 95 Wellington Street West.

Kuzmicki is a director of Chartwell Retirement Residences (CSH.UN-T) and Dorsay Development Corporation and a member of the advisory board of ASSESS+RE, a New York-based real estate tech startup. He previously served on the boards of Dream Unlimited (DRM-T), RealNet Canada Inc., Bentall Group, Artis REIT (AX.UN-T), Apex Corporation and Bentall Corporation.  

Kuzmicki is a past president of the NAIOP Greater Toronto chapter and the founding chairperson of its real estate excellence awards program. He’s a NAIOP Distinguished Fellow and a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Pension Real Estate Association.

Graeme Young

Colliers International senior vice-president Graeme Young received the Community Service Award for his volunteer work in several leadership roles at Eva’s Initiatives, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping homeless and at-risk youth, over the past six years.

Young has received a Ruby Heart Award and two Heart and Soul Awards from the staff of Eva’s for his exemplary work and personal contributions. He’s also a past recipient of the Colliers President’s Community Award for his fundraising work on behalf of Habitat for Humanity.

Young has spent more than 30 years in real estate brokerage with Colliers, The Arnoldi Group, J.J. Barnicke and Knowlton Realty. He also has a longstanding relationship with NAIOP Greater Toronto and was chapter president in 2009.

Alexandra Khazzam and Brendan Sullivan

NAIOP’s Developing Leader Award is given to young professionals aged 35 or under who’ve distinguished themselves in their professions and show great promise as future leaders of the commercial real estate industry. This year’s winners were Alexandra Khazzam of Dream Global REIT (DRG.UN-T) and Brendan Sullivan of CBRE. 

REX Award-winning projects

REX Awards for projects recognize achievements in the office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate industry in Toronto and the surrounding region. Winners are chosen based on: results (quality and performance); skills (teamwork, collaboration, innovation and creativity); and values (community and environmental awareness).

Three finalists were named in seven categories. These projects were judged to be the best:

Industrial Lease of the Year:

Manchester Court

Panattoni Development Company, Newell Industries Canada Inc., Jones Lang Lasalle, Greystone Managed Investments Inc.

Office Lease of the Year:

Shopify at King Portland Centre

RA King Portland Nominee Inc., Shopify, Colliers International, Ashlar Urban Realty Inc., Allied Properties REIT

Industrial Development of the Year:

Prologis Tapscott Distribution Centre

Prologis, CBRE, Leeswood Construction, Ware Malcomb

Office Development of the Year:

KPMG Tower

SmartREIT and Mitchell Goldhar, Penguin-Calloway (Vaughan) Inc., SmartCentres, KPMG, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Claude Cormier + Associés, PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

Investment Deal of the Year:

LCBO Lands

Menkes Developments Ltd., Greystone Managed Investments Inc., Triovest Realty Advisors Inc., Infrastructure Ontario, Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Brookfield Financial, Cushman & Wakefield

Retail/Mixed-Use Development of the Year:

FIVE Condos

Graywood Developments, MOD Developments Inc., Tricon Capital

Green Award of the Year:

Advancing sustainability in real estate with LEAP

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Real Estate Inc., Quinn & Partners