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Announcing the 2022 Award Honorees

Colorado’s top commercial real estate professionals and development projects earned accolades at NAIOP Colorado’s 36th Annual Awards of Achievement, hosted by Fidelity National Title National Commercial Services, on February 23, 2023, at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.   

An audience of more than 400 was on hand for the event, where development projects and real estate professionals were recognized for their accomplishments in 2022. 

The Colorado State University Spur Campus, developed by Colorado State University and constructed by JE Dunn Construction, received top honors as Development Deal of the Year. This three-building development designed by the firms of Clark & Enersen (Vida), Anderson Mason Dale Architects (Terra), and Hord Coplan Macht (Hydro), delivered within 12 months of each other, and houses three distinct university system institutions. 

Westside Investment Partners' Pancratia Hall Lofts and Loretto Heights Community Master Plan was named Community Impact Project of the Year. The Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District Fire Barn 2, constructed by Taylor Kohrs, was selected as the Innovative Development of the Year. The new 9-story Vectra Bank Corporate Center, developed by Vectra Bank Colorado and Confluent Development, was named as Office Development of the Year. 

Colorado commercial real estate veterans Jonathan Bush and Brian Wells were honored posthumously as recipients of the President's Award and Legacy Broker Award, respectively.

Jack Ellis of Transwestern Real Estate Services was named the Broker Rising Star of the Year; Jim Bolt of CBRE and the team of Tyler Carner, Jeremy Ballenger, and Jessica Ostermick of CBRE took home top Industrial Broker Awards; Jordan Robbins and Pamela Koster of JLL received the Multi-Family Broker of the Year Award; while Jamie Gard of Newmark was named the Individual Office Broker honors.

NAIOP recognized the McWhinney Real Estate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee as the inaugural Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion honoree.  

Continuing reading for a full list of this year's Award Honorees.  

Congratulations to the 2022 Broker and Capital Markets Award Honorees 
  • Capital Markets Transaction of the Year 
    • 1800 Larimer  Industrial Portfolio - CBRE Debt & Structure Team and Capital Markets & Investments Team: Jeff Halsey, Brady O'Donnell, Tim Richey, Jenny Knowlton, Charley Will, and Chad Flynn.
  • Industrial Broker of the Year
    • Jim Bolt, CBRE (Individual)
    • Tyler Carner, Jeremy Ballenger, and Jessica Ostermick, CBRE (Team)
  • Investment Broker of the Year
    • Mark Katz, Peter Merrion, and Hilary Barnett, JLL
  • Land Broker of the Year
    • Eric Roth and Martin Roth, CBRE
  • Multi-Family Broker of the Year
    • Jordan Robbins and Pamela Koster, JLL
  • Office Broker of the Year
    • Jamie Gard, Newmark (Individual)
    • Doug Bakke, Ty Ritchie, Todd Papazian, Lee Diamond and Melanie Fontenot, CBRE (Team)
  • Retail Broker of the Year
    • Jon Weisiger, CBRE

Congratulations to the 2022 Development Award Honorees 

  • Deal of the Year - Colorado State University Spur Campus (CSU Spur) 
    • Developed by Colorado State University; Designed by Clark & Enersen (Vida), Anderson Mason Dale Architects (Terra), and Hord Coplan Macht (Hydro); Constructed by JE Dunn Construction
  • Office Development of the Year - Vectra Bank Corporate Headquarters
    • Developed by Vectra Bank Colorado and Confluent Development
  • Community Impact Award - Pancratia Hall Lofts and Loretto Heights Community Master Plan
    • Developed by Pancratia Hall Partners and Westside Investment Partners
  • Industrial Development of the Year - The Home Depot Rail-Served Flatbed Distribution Center 
    • Developed by The Broe Group, Broe Real Estate Group, and OmniTRAX 
  • Innovative Development of the Year - Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District Fire Barn 2
    • Developed by Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District ; Constructed by Taylor Kohrs
  • Multi-Family Development of the Year - Citizen West 10
    • Developed by Quarterra
  • Retail Development of the Year - Nine Mile
    • Developed by Evergreen Development

Awards of Distinction 

President's Award for Community Service - Jonathan Bush, LCP Development
A longtime friend and contributor to NAIOP Colorado for over 30 years and passionate leader in metro Denver's real estate and development community for more than 40 years, Jonathan Bush has had an impact on major projects in the Denver Metro Area including: Edgewater Public Market, Oxford Station, Larimer 30, 777 Grant Street, and others. Jonathan was honored posthumously as the 2022 President's Award recipient in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the CRE industry and greater community. Jonathan's friends and peers celebrated his accomplishments with a video tribute. Watch Now. 

Legacy Broker Award - Brian Wells, CBRE
Brian Wells was a respected and highly regarded tenant rep broker in Denver for over 30 years, working for some of the top brokerage firms like Coldwell Banker, Staubauch Company, and CBRE. Brian completed over 15 million square feet of transactions throughout his career, all while maintaining a reputation as an upbeat, fair, and approachable role model for the brokerage community.  Brian’s peers, long-time partners and friends talked about the significant role Brian played in their careers and how he will be remembered as a pioneer of the brokerage industry in a video tribute. Watch Now.

James T. Brubaker Legislative Award - Governor Jared Polis

In 2022, the NAIOP Colorado Public Policy Committee worked extensively to oppose HB22-1218 which would have mandated extensive EV Charging requirements for new construction and for existing buildings. This passed through the legislature and was sent to Colorado Governor Jared Polis for his signature. NAIOP Colorado led a coalition of industry advocates to seek a veto from the Governor on this bill. At the risk of angering the climate lobby, Governor Polis was bold and vetoed this legislation. He has convened a group of stakeholders to propose public policy that is reasonable and attainable. For those reasons, our 2022 James T. Brubaker Legislative Award Winner is Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

Broker Rising Star Award - Jack Ellis, Transwestern Real Estate Services
In 2021 NAIOP introduced a new broker award that recognizes a rising star within the brokerage community. High key contributions to their organization and recognition in the industry accomplished with less than five years of production experience is the key criteria. Our 2022 honoree, Jack Ellis joined Transwestern Real Estate Services in 2021 and is an associate in the Denver office, where he is active in both leasing and sales activity, as well as business development. In 2022, Jack was involved in a very impressive 132,727 SF in office leases, primarily in tenant advisory. He also helped close two sales: a 9.5-acre land site and a 31,711 SF office building. Jack is known as being resourceful, creative and anticipatory of his client needs. He is the first broker in the office each day and is a hard worker, persistent, and diligent. Jack is poised to become a top broker in the market and a real asset to both Transwestern and, more importantly, their clients. 

Sherman R. Miller Trailblazer Award - Jenny Knowlton, CBRE
This year’s winner of the Trailblazer Award, Jenny Knowlton, is a Senior Vice President and partner on the CBRE Capital Markets, Institutional Office Properties team in Denver. As a leader of a nine-person team, she is responsible for office investment sales and advisory transactions throughout the Rocky Mountain region, including Salt Lake City. In the last decade alone, she has completed or been involved with over $15 billion in transaction volume across more than 250 assets. 

Award of Excellence - Ian Nichols, Flywheel Capital
The Award of Excellence is a tribute to the outgoing NAIOP Colorado President, Ian Nichols, and is a heartfelt thank you for his time and effort spent on behalf of the organization. Ian’s involvement in NAIOP has spanned over 10 years. During this time, he has engaged in and influenced nearly every aspect of the chapter beginning with the Developing Leader Program in 2012, joining the board in 2015, serving as Finance Chair in 2020, and as chapter President in 2022. Ian has also been deeply engaged in the Mentorship Program, Fight Night, Public Policy programming and the Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge. Ian’s engagement goes beyond the local chapter earning the distinction of Developing Leader of the Year Honoree in 2015 at the NAIOP Corporate level and serving on the Corporate Tax and Finance Committee from 2019-2022.
While Ian’s involvement in all facets of the organization is impressive, it’s truly the example he sets and his leadership that set him apart. During his time as President Elect and President, Ian has spearheaded significant programs and initiatives including restructuring our Chapter Board to include new DEI and Engagement and Communications Committees which better reflect the priorities of our membership. Part of the DE&I investment included adding the Project Destined Program which Ian’s company Flywheel Capital, was a sponsor and participant. Ian was also the force behind securing the project and major sponsors for the 2022 Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge featuring Peak Innovation Park, where he leveraged his contacts with the Colorado Springs Airport, Urban Frontier and Flywheel Capital.
The Colorado Chapter's events and programming in 2022 wouldn’t have been a success without Ian’s endless energy, enthusiasm and ideas. Thank you Ian!

NAIOP Member of the Year - C.J. Manning, Prime West
The 2022 Member of the Year honoree, C.J. Manning, has been a NAIOP Colorado member for just 3 short years. Despite C.J.'s limited tenure, he has had a significant impact on the organization and culture. D.J. has been instrumental in helping support the Colorado Chapter's board of directors and committees to promote a visible commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within NAIOP both at the local and national level. At the local Chapter level, D.J. championed and actualized our Chapter's involvement in high school and collegiate outreach programs like Northeast Denver Leadership Week and Project Destined – a nationwide mentorship and internship program for underserved youth. Also acting as a liaison between NAIOP Corporate and Project Destined to expand the program reach to other Chapters across the country. While C.J. is considered a Developing Leader according to his age, C.J. has demonstrated outstanding leadership and was appointed to the NAIOP Board of Directors in 2022 and currently serves as the Chapter’s inaugural Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. C.J. is passionate about commercial real estate and tirelessly shares his knowledge and experiences, helping to inform and inspire diverse talent as next generation of industry leaders. Thank you C.J.!

NAIOP Developing Leader Member of the Year - William Lam, WYLD Now
Our 2023 Developing Leader (DL) Member of the Year honoree, William Lam is a development consultant and owner of WYLD Now. William is a former Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge competitor that joined NAIOP in early 2020 and was accepted into the Chapter’s renowned Mentor/Mentee program. After completing the program, William has volunteered his time on the Mentor/Mentee committee and has been an integral part of the group assisting with pairing and planning numerous events. Along with fellow DL Committee members, William helped plan and execute the Chapter’s popular “How to Survive & Thrive in a Recession” series in 2022. Not one to take a passive committee role, William also served as the series moderator and helped ensure panelists were prepared and engaged in the discussion. Congratulations, William!