BOSTON—Boston Real Estate Times, New England’s largest commercial real estate digital, print and video media, today announced the winners of its annual Excellence Awards in Commercial Real Estate for 2024.
All the winners will be honored at the annual award ceremony during the 2024 Excellence Awards gala on Sept. 26, 2024, at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA.
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Here is the complete list of the Boston Real Estate Times 2024 Excellence Award Recipients:
Lifetime Achievement Award 2024
Joseph Maguire
Senior Vice President, Development and Asset Services (Retired)
Alexandria Real Estate Equities
Former Director, Real Estate
MIT Investment Management Company
Joseph Maguire began his career with the MIT commercial real estate portfolio in the 1980s with the development of University Park, and later had a huge impact on the commercial real estate in Kendall Square at Alexandria Real Estate Equities. His impact on commercial real estate in Cambridge’s Kendall Square- the ground zero of the Life Sciences industry– is unparalleled. He is truly a Life Sciences community builder and one of the pioneering Life
Sciences cluster developers.
Mr. Maguire’s work as MIT Investment Company Director continued with his role in the acquisitions and redevelopments of numerous properties near and around the MIT campus including Technology Square, 640 Memorial Drive, properties in Cambridgeport and the Osborn Triangle. In 2004, Mr. Maguire transitioned to Alexandria Real Estate Equities where his focus turned to the northern edge of Kendall Square at Binney Street, where he and his team developed over one million square feet of commercial office, lab and residential buildings.
Architecture Firm of the Year
Elkus Manfredi Architects
David P. Manfredi, FAIA, LEED AP
CEO and Founding Principal
Elkus Manfredi Architects, which has been consistently ranked as one of the largest and innovative architecture firms in Massachusetts, is a full-service design firm providing architecture, master planning, urban design, interior architecture, historic preservation, space planning, programming, and experiential graphic design. The firm is a member of the US Green Building Council and is a signatory to the AIA 2030 Commitment working toward the goal of carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030.
Elkus Manfredi is led by its CEO and Co-Founder David Manfredi, along with principals of the firm: Elizabeth O. Lowrey FIIDA, RDI; John H. Martin FAIA, LEED AP; Andrew P. West AIA; William Halter AIA, LEED AP; and Emily Paparella AIA, LEED AP, CPHC.
Mr. Manfredi reinvents outdated urban precincts into 21st-century mixed-use environments, the edges of universities from barriers into connective seams with adjacent neighborhoods, underutilized urban areas into diverse innovation districts that support the collaborative imperatives of today’s science and technology, and obsolete manufacturing buildings into repurposed hubs of living and working that reinvigorate the urban core. From The Grove in Los Angeles, to Boston’s revitalized Fenway neighborhood, to New Balance’s health and performance district at Boston Landing, and The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Mr. Manfredi’s projects are inventive, inclusive and sustainable.
Bank of the Year
Leader Bank
Sushil Tuli, Founder & CEO
Sushil Tuli has been one of the leading figures in financial services throughout Massachusetts for nearly 35 years. He founded Leader Bank in 2002, opening a single branch in East Arlington with seven team members and $6.5 million in assets.
Fast forward to 2024. Leader Bank today has become one of the top community banks in the country, with 385 team members across six full service branches and ten loan production centers, and over $4.4 billion in assets. Since its founding, Mr. Tuli has grown all facets of Leader Bank’s business, with a particular focus on real estate and retail banking, residential mortgages and both commercial and small business lending.
Under Mr. Tuli’s leadership, Leader Bank has received both a 5-Star Superior Rating from Bauer Financial in every quarter since 2010 and an “A” or “Excellent” rating from Weiss Ratings every year since 2009.
Brokerage Firm of the Year
Marcus & Millichap
Tom Shihadeh
Vice President/Regional Manager New England
The Boston office of Marcus & Millichap is truly a New England brokerage firm with transactions of all sizes across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire. The firm provides buyers and sellers of commercial real estate with investment brokerage and financing services.
As an established expert in the sale and financing of investment properties, Marcus & Millichap has become the #1 broker in the middle market commercial real estate space ($1 million-$30 million) through the Boston and New England Region, completing more than 800 investment sales and financing transactions totaling nearly $6 billiob since 2020.
Led by Tom Shihadeh, Vice President/Regional Manager New England, the firm focuses on multifamily, retail, single-tenant net-leased, office, industrial and self-storage properties. Boston investment professionals also leverage Marcus & Millichap’s industry-leading research to offer investment real estate advisory services on individual properties and portfolios.
As the Vice President and Regional Manager, Mr. Shihadeh oversees the firm’s business throughout the Boston and New England Region alongside a dedicated team of operation and marketing professionals.
Business Development Leader of the Year
Erin Murphy Rafferty
Vice President, Corporate Development – Northeast
Suffolk Construction
Erin Murphy Rafferty’s 25-year career in the City of Boston has been remarkably expansive. From politics and government to business to non-profit to construction and real estate, she has worked for and with many of the people and professional communities that make Boston tick.
She is a mentor, committed to building the careers of others, and has connected innumerable people with the right position or the right employee. She genuinely lives by the saying “If we all do better, then we all do better.”
In 2023, she joined Suffolk Construction as Vice President of Business Development – Northeast, where she describes her role as “working on an incredible team that is disrupting the construction industry with unrivaled passion, integrity, professionalism, and heart.”
Construction Firm of the Year
Timberline Construction Corporation
Steven P. Kelly, CEO
Steven Wassersug, President
Timberline Construction Corporation, which has been growing both vertically and horizontally, is a leading construction management firm dedicated to delivering exceptional results throughout New England and beyond.
Headquartered in Canton, MA, Timberline has recently expanded into two new markets – Worcester, MA and Merrimack, NH – while focusing on a strategic diversification of its portfolio to double its growth over the past three years.
Specializing in preconstruction, design-build services and overall management of the construction process, Timberline partners with some of the region’s leading institutions, corporations, property owners and developers resulting in successful built environments unique to each client’s needs.
The firm is led by its CEO Steven P. Kelly and President Steven Wassersug. Mr. Kelly has had a lifelong commitment to commercial construction. His storied career, which began at iconic Payton Construction as a young Project Manager, achieved a milestone when, in 2002, he acquired Timberline Construction. In his role as President of Timberline, Mr. Wassersug utilizes over 30 years of construction and real estate industry experience to drive growth and continue expanding Timberline’s market share and operational
excellence.
Development & Investment Firm of the Year
Synergy
David Greaney
Founder and President
Under the longtime leadership of CEO David Greaney, Synergy has consistently demonstrated exceptional commitment to the growth and vitality of Boston’s commercial real estate sector. Synergy’s impressive portfolio includes the stewardship of over 40 buildings and more than 6 million square feet of commercial space.
This extensive set of holdings highlights Synergy’s dedication to maintaining and enhancing the quality and value of prime real estate assets in Boston. One of Synergy’s most notable recent achievements is the acquisition of 101 Arch Street for $78 million, the largest commercial real estate deal in downtown Boston in the past five years. This 21-story, 406,928-square-foot office tower, strategically located atop the Downtown Crossing MBTA stop, reflects Synergy’s long-term vision and overall confidence in the future of Boston’s downtown market.
This acquisition strengthens Synergy’s portfolio of best-in-class real estate assets in prime locations. A cornerstone of Synergy’s success is their outstanding tenant relationships. With over 500 local businesses calling a Synergy building home, the company is well regarded for quality services and long-term partnerships.
Synergy’s proactive approach enhances the overall tenant experience and fosters a supportive community within their properties. Synergy is also deeply committed to supporting the civic community. In addition, Synergy prioritizes causes that are important to its team, giving financially through a matching fund program, volunteering time, and offering expertise. In recent years, that has meant contributing to charities and organizations that support children, families, education, and housing. Synergy embodies excellence in commercial real estate through their successful property management, exceptional tenant relationships, civic engagement, and strategic acquisitions. Their contribution to the Boston commercial real estate community is profound.
Engineering Firm of the Year
Tighe & Bond
Robert Belitz
President and CEO
Tighe & Bond, an employee-owned regional consulting firm in the Northeast, specializing in water and wastewater, transportation, and building services engineering, site planning and design, landscape architecture, and environmental science, recently acquired Cape Cod-based Coastal Engineering Co., Inc.
The addition of Coastal Engineering’s staff bolsters the breadth and depth of services that Tighe & Bond currently offers to clients, particularly those located in Cape Cod, the islands, and coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
By focusing on bright ideas, green strategies, and clear solutions, the Tighe & Bond team develops sustainable solutions for our clients’ complex challenges.
Multifamily Investment Firm of the Year
RMR Residential
David Perez
Senior Vice President and Head of Residential
Rob Lester, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Residential
At the end of 2023, The RMR Group (Nasdaq: RMR) completed its acquisition of the multifamily organization now known as RMR Residential. Through this, RMR gained a vertically integrated commercial real estate platform focused on multifamily properties across the U.S. Sunbelt. Through its renter-facing brand, ARIUM, offers management services to more than 21,000 units across more than 60 communities located in eight states.
RMR Residential is led by David Perez, Senior Vice President and Head of Residential who successfully scaled up and institutionalized the residential platform leading to its acquisition, and Rob Lester, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Residential who is responsible for RMR Residential’s investment capital formation and investment strategy. They are supported by an experienced team including Rob Gayle Vice President, Operations & Business Development; Sadler Walker, Vice President, Co-Head of Residential Asset Management; Michael Martello, Vice President, Co-Head of Residential Asset Management, Stefanie Bertcher, Vice President, Investor Relations; Noah Echols, Vice President, Customer Experience; and Summit Walia, Vice President, Head of Residential Acquisitions.
Over the past several months, RMR Residential has significantly invested in its investment team to identify and take advantage of opportunities across the U.S. This includes hiring Mr. Walia, who brings more than 20 years of real estate investment and leadership experience at major institutional asset managers, including LaSalle Investment Management and JP Morgan Asset Management, where he collectively closed more than $5.2 billion in acquisitions. In addition, RMR Residential recently added Brent Josephson, Senior Director and Thomas Evans, Director, who both join Michael Palmer, Senior
Director; collectively, these three individuals bring commercial real estate, investment banking, capital markets and debt investment experience.
Non-Profit Organization of the Year
Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives
Jon Weaver
President & CEO
Massachusetts Biomedical Initiative, known as “MBI”, is the longest-running life sciences incubator in the Commonwealth. MBI helps emerging life sciences companies advance from concept to clinical trials, create jobs, and promote economic development.
MBI’s mission is to be a partner for fostering innovation in the life sciences by helping companies bring lifesaving products to patients, create jobs, and promote economic development in Central Massachusetts and throughout the Commonwealth. It is estimated that since 2000, MBI has assisted over 188 companies that have created over 1,800 jobs and had over $1.9 billion in economic impact.
MBI is led by its president and CEO Jon Weaver, its staff and Board of Trustees and Advisors.
Property Manager of the Year
Bill Norman
Senior Property Manager
Boston Development Group
Bill Norman knows almost every aspect of the property management business. Since joining Boston Development Group in 2014 as a tenant services coordinator, he rose through the ranks step-by-step: Assistant Property Manager, Property Manager, and now Senior Property Manager.
Boston Development Group, where he has been for about a decade, is an affiliated family of privately held companies based in Massachusetts. Founded over 50 years ago, the company is a well-respected leader in the field of real estate, specializing in the acquisition, development, renovation, and management of commercial and residential properties. Norman is often called “Exceptional Property Manager” at Boston Development Group.
Real Estate Attorney of the Year
Ameek Ashok Ponda
Partner
Sullivan & Worcester
When it comes to REIT and tax laws, one name surfaces on the top in Boston: Ameek Ashok Ponda, who is a partner at the Boston law firm of Sullivan & Worcester.
Mr. Ponda is nationally recognized for his work in REIT conversions and REIT cross-border matters. He has represented public and private REITs in an array of real property sectors, both domestically and abroad, including: business storage facilities; cold storage facilities; communications towers; data centers; dark and lit fiber; digital billboards; distributed antenna systems; hotels and travel centers; industrial properties; mortgage loans; single-family and multi-family residential; office buildings; parking facilities; retail properties; senior living facilities; solar, wind, and other power infrastructure; timberlands;
transmission and distribution lines; as well as vineyards, greenhouses, and other agricultural properties.
Sullivan & Worcester is a global, mid-sized law firm with lawyers in Boston, London, New York, Tel Aviv and Washington, D.C. Sullivan’s clients, including Fortune 500 companies, leading financial services firms and asset managers, boards of directors, real estate companies, and emerging businesses, rely on Sullivan’s ability to navigate complex legal and operational landscapes, the impeccable judgment of its lawyers, and its commitment to best‑in‑class client service.
Sustainability Champion of the Year
Katherine Bubriski AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC, Fitwel Ambassador
Principal
Arrowstreet
Kate Bubriski leads Arrowstreet’s highest-performing projects, including three million square feet of net zero energy buildings in various sectors such as residential, workplaces, life sciences, academia, and healthcare.
She is the Director of Sustainability & Building Performance at Arrowstreet. Over the last 15 years, Bubriski has completed a wide range of successful academic, workplace, lab, retail and residential projects. She directs Arrowstreet’s Strategic Building Performance Plan. She also facilitates Arrowstreet’s fulfilling the AIA 2030 Commitment.
Her focus is on prioritizing wellness, sustainability, and resilience to align with client objectives. She is recognized nationally for her expertise in net zero energy, embodied carbon, integrated design, materials evaluation, and occupant engagement. She consistently advocates for equal opportunities in social, health, environmental, and economic benefits through building performance.
Workplace Strategist of the Year
Lauren Hasson
Senior Vice President, Workplace Strategy
JLL
Lauren Hasson wants all of JLL’s clients to love their workplace. She’s passionate about design and employee experience, leveraging her expertise in both areas to help companies navigate this era of hybrid work. She spends most of her time studying, writing about, and presenting on future work trends to ensure JLL clients have a fresh outlook as they make their next real estate play.
Hasson started in real estate industry as a workplace consultant for a furniture manufacturer, migrating into the strategy side of real estate around the height of the pandemic. Her background in anthropology, health, and wellbeing sets her apart and provides a powerful blend of insights need in today’s CRE climate, where clients are hyper-focused on culture and talent.
Hasson holds a degree in anthropology from George Washington University, a Master of Education from Boston University, and a certificate in Management from Yale University. Hasson’s leadership helps position JLL in a top spot, knowing that her subject matter expertise drives better client outcomes. With so much uncertainly in the world of commercial real estate, Hasson is sharply focused on contributing to the rise of what she calls “golden workplaces” – an environment where people feel welcome, acknowledged, and able to deliver their best work.
