The Lone Star State Takes Home Five TOBY Awards

By Liviu Oltean, Associate Editor

The State Flag

On June 30, more than a dozen national and international commercial projects were recognized for their quality and excellence at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International annual conference in Los Angeles. The projects were judged on criteria such as community impact, tenant and employee relations programs, energy efficiency and accessibility.

However, the Lone Star State managed to outshine its competition, having grabbed five of the 15 TOBY awards—four for Dallas and one for Houston. The winners were:

• Corporate Facility Category: The Hunt Corporate Headquarters in Dallas, owned by Consolidated Inc. and managed by Hunt Office Management Inc.
• Renovated Building Category: Preston Commons in Dallas, owned by KBS Realty Advisors and managed by CBRE.
• Suburban Office Park Mid-Rise Category: Tollway Plaza in Dallas, owned by CBRE Global Investors and managed by CBRE.
• 250,000 – 499,999 Square Feet Category: 17Seventeen McKinney in Dallas, owned and managed by Granite Properties.
• Medical Office Building Category: The Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Plaza 5 in Houston, owned by Memorial Hermann Health Systems and managed by Transwestern.

Another big winner was Canada, which won four awards:

• Earth Category: World Exchange Plaza in Ottawa, Ontario, owned by bcIMC Realty Corp. and managed by Bentall Kennedy L.P.
• Industrial Office Building Category: The Rangewinds Business Park in Calgary, Alberta, owned by Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada and managed by Bentall Kennedy L.P.
• Retail Building Category: Bramalea City Centre in Brampton, Ontario, owned and managed by Morguard Investments Ltd.
• 500,000 to One Million Square Feet Category: 20 Queen St. West in Toronto, owned by ONTREA Inc. and managed by Cadillac Fairview Corp.

Projects in Detroit, San Diego, New York, Minneapolis and Missouri also made an impression, winning the remaining awards.

Image courtesy of Crystal Simmons