HERNDON, Va., February 15, 2011 – NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, honored several NAIOP chapters for their outstanding achievements during its annual Chapter Merit Awards ceremony, held in Washington, D.C., on February 9.

The volunteer panel of judges did not have an easy job selecting the award winners from among the more than 125 outstanding nominees representing a host of categories, including the coveted Chapter of the Year award.

"NAIOP has a long tradition of honoring its chapters, and this year's event was no exception," said Thomas J. Bisacquino, NAIOP president and chief executive officer. "Our panel of volunteer judges had a challenging task in choosing the award winners from the many outstanding nominations that were received. On behalf of the association, I congratulate each and every nominee, and offer special recognition to all who were honored during our celebration."

The following is a list of 2011 NAIOP Chapter Merit Award winners:

Chapter of the Year - honors a chapter in each category for their outstanding work, participation and achievements. The winning chapters each receive a $1,000 education grant to further educational programming on the local level, as well as a trophy that is displayed in NAIOP's corporate office and the chapter's local office.

• NAIOP North Carolina Piedmont Triad (small chapter winner)
• NAIOP San Diego (medium chapter winner)
• NAIOP New Jersey (large chapter winner)

Special Awards

• Outstanding Contribution by a Chapter Executive: Constance Wrigley-Thomas, NAIOP Greater Toronto
• Outstanding Contribution by a Chapter President: Joseph Tufariello, NAIOP New York City
• Volunteer of the Year: Sallie Doebler, NAIOP Southern Nevada

Annual Publication

• NAIOP Colorado: Spotlight Supplement
• NAIOP New Mexico: New Director/Member Notebook

Community Service

• NAIOP Georgia: Partnership with Ron Clark Academy
• NAIOP Tampa Bay: RE Lives Program

Developing Leaders

• NAIOP Arizona: DL Quarterly Newsletter and DL Web Site
• NAIOP Northern Ohio: DL Membership Growth and DL Events
• NAIOP San Diego: DL Lunch and Learn Series, Mentorship Program and Job Shadow Program

Education

• NAIOP Georgia: School Challenge
• NAIOP Nashville: Music City Real Estate Challenge
• NAIOP South Florida: College Challenge
• NAIOP Northwest Florida: Coastal Crisis

Legislative/Government Affairs

• NAIOP Southern Nevada: Position Paper and Public Policy Initiative
• NAIOP New Mexico: Statewide Effort to Change Energy Conservation Code

Membership

• NAIOP North Carolina Piedmont Triad: Member Retention, Ambassadors and VIP Program
• NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area: Retention Plan and Membership Committee Outreach
• NAIOP Greater Toronto: 90 Percent Retention Rate and Free Member Events

Periodical Publication

• NAIOP Arizona: Developing Leaders Newsletter
• NAIOP Central Florida: Bi-monthly Newsletter
• NAIOP North Carolina Piedmont Triad: Monthly Electronic Newsletter

Special Events

• NAIOP Georgia: NAIOP Night
• NAIOP Greater Toronto: REX Awards
• NAIOP Pittsburgh: "Feel the Energy" Gala Event
• NAIOP Silicon Valley: Developer Hall of Fame

Sponsorship Program

• NAIOP Greater Toronto: Chapter Sponsorship Program
• NAIOP Houston: High Sponsorship Renewals
• NAIOP North Carolina Piedmont Triad: 22 Corporate Sponsors

Technology

• NAIOP Minnesota: Chapter blog, e-newsletter and Web site
• NAIOP South Florida: Chapter Web site

Chapter Leadership and Legislative Retreat Brings NAIOP Leaders Together
The Chapter Merit Awards are a traditional highlight of NAIOP's Chapter Leadership and Legislative Retreat, which brings together more than 300 chapter leaders and executives representing 55 chapters throughout the United States and Canada.

This annual gathering provides exceptional education sessions and the opportunity to network with chapter leaders from across North America. Attendees also gain insight into the political process from keynote sessions throughout the event. Keynote speakers at this year's conference included election analyst Larry Sabato; U.S. Representative Kristi Noem (R-S.D.); and U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).

About NAIOP:

NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, is the leading organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate. NAIOP comprises 15,000 members in North America. NAIOP advances responsible commercial real estate development and advocates for effective public policy. For more information, visit www.naiop.org.