Five commercial real estate professionals accepted Gold Circle awards and five downtown Chicago office properties received TOBY awards, which were all presented at a gala held last week in the Great Hall at Union Station.

BOMA/Chicago's Gold Circle awards honor individual excellence in five categories: property manager, building engineer, security professional, emerging leader and affiliate member. Winners were selected based on professional accomplishments, involvement in BOMA/Chicago and impact on Chicago's commercial real estate community.

“Our members' contributions to Chicago's world-class buildings are vital in making them one of the key economic growth drivers in Chicago's Central Business District,” Michael Cornicelli, executive vice president of BOMA/Chicago, says in a press release.

The Gold Circle award winners are:

-Property Management Professional of the Year: Susan Hammer, RPA, LEED Green Associate, property manager of 330 North Wabash Ave., a Riverview Realty Partners-managed property. Hammer is currently drafting a new BOMI Sustainability Certification course, chairs the BOMA/Chicago Education Committee, teaches classes in property management and volunteers as a judge for the local, Regional and International TOBY Awards.

-Building Engineer of the Year: John McDonagh, chief engineer of the 515 North State St. building, a U.S. Equities Realty LLC-managed property. McDonagh has unique engineering experience in blending existing operations with newly-designed MEP systems, including construction coordination, punch lists, collection of construction information and project management.

-Security Professional of the Year: Ed Caspers, operations manager, Behringer Harvard. Caspers helped BOMA/Chicago members prepare for the NATO Summit held in Chicago last spring by participating in panel discussions, facilitating two Open Security meetings, arranging Department of Homeland Security training sessions and developing communications materials for members about life safety best practices.

-Emerging Leader of the Year: Lucas Schlemmer, RPA, LEED Green Associate, assistant property manager of CME Center, a Tishman Speyer-managed property. Schlemmer is chairman of BOMA/Chicago's Emerging Leaders Subcommittee and oversees exterior building renovations, elevator modernizations and build-outs at the CME Center.

-Affiliate Member of the Year: James Taff, chief executive officer, Premier Security Corp., a provider of contract security officer programs for properties throughout metropolitan Chicago. Taff played an integral role during the NATO Summit last spring, where he diligently monitored 35 client sites and regularly communicated vital updates to all of locations.

BOMA/Chicago also recognizes excellence in office building management with TOBY Awards. Categorized by building size and facility type, nominees were judged on tenant relations initiatives, commitment to environmental sustainability, emergency preparedness, budgeting, work order systems, security standards, staff experience and continuing education opportunities.

The following buildings earned TOBY awards:

-250,000-499,999 SF Category: 303 West Madison St., managed by CBRE and owned by 303 Madison Chicago LLC.

-500,000-1 Million SF Category: 191 North Wacker Dr., managed by Manulife Real Estate and owned by Manulife Financial.

-Over 1 Million SF Category: 300 South Riverside Plaza, managed by Means Knaus Partners and owned by South Riverside Building LLC.

-Earth Award Category: 515 North State St., managed by U.S. Equities Realty and owned by UBS.

-Historical Building Category: The LaSalle Wacker, managed by MB Real Estate Services and owned by 221 North LaSalle Partners LLC.

“The 2012-2013 TOBY Award honorees excel in all aspects of property management, from tenant relations to emergency preparedness, and demonstrate why BOMA/Chicago's member buildings have some of the best property management teams in the industry,” George Kohl, president of BOMA/Chicago says in the release.

Instant Insights /

BOMA/Chicago Announces 2012-13 Award Winners

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