HFF has announced today that it has been named to market for sale Avalon Lombard, a 256-unit multi-housing community in Lombard.

HFF is marketing the property on behalf of the seller for an undisclosed amount free and clear of debt.

Avalon Lombard is located at 2101 S. Finley Road close to the intersection of Interstates 355 and 88 about 22 miles west of downtown Chicago.  The property was partially renovated in 2009 and has one- and two-bedroom units averaging 789 square feet each.  Community amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, WiFi lounge, game room and outdoor pool.  Avalon Lombard is 96.5 percent leased.

The HFF investment sales team representing the seller is led by Managing Director Marty O’Connell, Executive Managing Director Matthew Lawton and Managing Director Sean Fogarty.

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Bryan Poynter, vice president of Cassidy Turley, has been elected president of the Indiana/Kentucky chapter of the Society of Industrial Office Realtors. His term will run through September of 2013.

“I am humbled to serve the Society as president in the coming year and to be chosen by my peers. I look forward to enhancing the SIOR designation during my term,” says Poynter of his newly elected position.

Poynter has achieved the two highest designations in his field, SIOR and Certified Commercial Investment Member. He is one of a small number of real etate practitioners across the globe to hold dual designations.

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Kansas City-based Copaken Brooks has been named development consultant by Aspen Square, Inc., for the Corbin Park development project in Overland Park, Kan. The development is being renamed Aspen Square now that Aspen Square Inc. has taken over ownership.

Copaken Brooks will help Aspen Square with city approvals and site design on the project, a 96-acre mixed-used development featuring a completed two-level parking structure and first-phase shops totaling 197,503 square feet of buildings now under construction. The mixed-use development is anchored by Von Maur, JCPenney and Lifetime Fitness, all of which are open and operating.

Aspen Square took ownership of the project on Nov. 29.

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Podolsky Northstar CORFAC International has been named the exclusive agent for the sale of two mortgage notes that are secured by the property formerly known as the Purple Hotel in Lincolnwood, Ill.  First Midwest Bank (“FMB”), the current holder of the mortgage notes, engaged the brokerage team of Randy D. Podolsky, managing principal and Adam J. Tarantur, senior vice president for this assignment because of their previous experience in the successful disposition of foreclosure properties.

FMB has filed a foreclosure suit against the current borrower, who failed to repay the loans at maturity.  The bank is seeking purchasers who realize the value of the underlying real estate that secures the notes.

Situated at the intersection of Touhy and Lincoln Avenues, only ½ mile east of the 4-way interchange at I-94 (Edens Expressway) and Touhy, the high visibility 5.28-acre site features 722 feet of frontage on Touhy and 603 feet on Lincoln, making it an ideal location for a mixed use redevelopment containing residential and retail components.

This is consistent with the Village of Lincolnwood’s Comprehensive Plan.  In February 2011, the Village established a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district to aid in a future redevelopment of the desirable site.

The property secured by the mortgages is woven into the historical fabric of Chicago.  Designed by Chicago architects Hausner & Macsai, the elegant Lincolnwood Hyatt House opened in 1960 and attracted performers such as Perry Como, Roberta Flack, Barry Manilow and well-known Chicago pianist Myles Greene.  The property has subsequently been a Radisson and a Ramada, and became independently owned in 2004, officially adopting the name locals had been referring to it by for years: The Purple Hotel.  The Village of Lincolnwood is desirous of seeing this once prominent site redeveloped for a higher and better use.

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NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, has named CenterPoint Properties as 2011 Developer of the Year.

CenterPoint is the largest owner and developer of industrial real estate in metropolitan Chicago, acquiring, developing or selling nearly $1 billion of industrial property annually. With its affiliates, it owns and manages 34.1 million+ square feet for 260+ customers.  Unique in its infrastructure and transportation-related development, and the only company in the nation to develop an intermodal logistics center in its entirety, CenterPoint is developing several large-scale, public/private partnership developments in key markets.

“CenterPoint’s position as an industry leader is evidenced by its ability to outperform in any real estate cycle,” said Thomas Bisacquino, NAIOP president and CEO, in a release. “CenterPoint CEO Michael Mullen’s skill for identifying and capitalizing on opportunities is remarkable, and it’s our honor to present him with this pinnacle award.”

CenterPoint is a leader in the development of intermodal centers – single-hub locations specializing in receiving, transferring, storing and distributing international and domestic cargo via air, rail, and highway. The company has developed leading intermodal facilities in California, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Texas and Virginia.

CenterPoint is one of the most active national industrial investors, with investment typically falling into two broad categories: strategic assets to hold long term and opportunistic assets for trade. Last year, it acquired more than $390 million of product, including the transfer of 87 North American Terminal properties throughout 38 states – a transaction successfully completed in just 45 days.

On the disposition side, CenterPoint recognized the demand from the capital markets for high-quality, well-occupied industrial product, completing three-building portfolio sale totaling 399,669 square feet. The transaction was valued at approximately $31.5 million and was a combination of a new development asset and acquisitions of leased product in liquid submarkets.

NAIOP will present the Developer of the Year award at Development 11: The Annual Meeting for Commercial Real Estate in Scottsdale, Ariz., in October. Since 1979, the Developer of the Year award has been presented to a member-developer company that best exemplifies leadership and innovation. Past winners include Alter Group; Liberty Property Trust; Ryan Companies; and ProLogis.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Jones Lang LaSalle 2011 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for its leadership in promoting and implementing strategic energy management programs to

The Aon Center is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle for Piedmont Office Realty Trust.

achieve significant energy and financial savings, and for its commitment to maximize energy efficiency across its entire operation.

This is the third time that Jones Lang LaSalle has been given this honor. The firm received the distinction in 2007 and 2010 as well.

The Partner of the Year Awards recognize organizations that use energy efficiently in facility operations, integrate superior energy management into overall organizational strategy, and promote the use of ENERGY STAR programs and tools among staff, clients and tenants.

Key accomplishments that led to Jones Lang LaSalle’s selection as 2011 Partner of the Year include:

• Maintaining 100 percent participation in ENERGY STAR across all investor-owned and retail mall properties, and significantly expanding benchmarking activity across corporate client properties.
• Earning the ENERGY STAR for 118 managed properties representing more than 43 million square feet, an increase of more than 25 percent over 2009.
• Reducing energy consumption by 5 percent across a managed portfolio in excess of 150 million square feet.
• Training more than 200 property professionals on energy management best practices and ENERGY STAR resources to ensuring that a strategic approach to energy management is implemented at properties across the country.
• Engaging more than 11,000 employees and clients to take the “Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR” pledge in 2009 and 2010, potential resulting in 144 million pounds of avoided greenhouse gas emissions.
• Continuing to promote the value of ENERGY STAR through highly visible project such as the Empire State Building energy retrofit., reinforced by media and social media outreach.

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Shawnee, Kansas-based Straub Construction Company recently received the 2010 General Contractor of the Year award by the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) Heart of America Chapter.

Criteria for the award included qualities such as promoting ABC and the Merit Shop Contractor, committee/volunteer involvement, attendance at ABC events, referral of new members to ABC and sponsorship participation.

The company was recognized during the ABC’s annual awards banquet at Harrah’s Casino & Hotel in North Kansas City, Mo.

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Nils Snyd

Finance and Commerce magazine recently selected Nils Snyder, a vice president with Minnetonka-based NAI Welsh, as one of 40 “Minnesotans on the Move,” which recognizes professionals who are poised to make business news in the coming years.

During the past 10 years, Snyder has completed 3.4 million square feet in commercial real estate transactions with values approaching $320 million. He has also represented high-profile Minneapolis buildings including Renaissance Square, 50 South Sixth and 225 South Sixth.

Active in both his community and the commercial real estate industry, Snyder serves on the housing and development committee for Project for Pride in Living, and is a member of the Guthrie Theater’s Business Circle, the Organization for Commercial Realtors, the Minneapolis Association of Realtors, the St. Paul Building Owners and Managers Association and NAIOP. He also serves on the board of directors of the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District.

All 2011 Minnesotans on the Move will be honored at an April 7 reception and awards presentation at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis, and will also be featured in a special section of Finance and Commerce.

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