Honors highlighted by Cathy Ward receiving Lifetime Achievement Award and becoming first woman recipient in 20-year history of program
Baltimore, MD (December 23, 2020) – NAIOP Maryland honored seven professionals for their achievements and contributions impacting the commercial real estate industry at its bi-annual Awards of Excellence held in a virtual ceremony last week. The program also honored 17 different companies and organizations in 17 separate categories recognizing the efforts of commercial real estate developers, as well as the companies and professionals that service the real estate industry in Maryland.
Cathy Ward, formerly of Corporate Office Properties Trust and now Principal of Forward by Design, LLC was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and is the first woman to be so honored in this category. A past president of NAIOP Maryland, Ward is known for spearheading renovations to the House of Ruth while Chair of the Chapter’s Community Service Committee, as well as reshaping NAIOP Maryland’s Legislative Committee. She also was a mentor to numerous young professionals in the real estate industry.
“Cathy significantly changed and improved every aspect of NAIOP Maryland that she was involved with, and she was an extremely influential and important part of our chapter for many years,” explained Jim Lighthizer, President of NAIOP Maryland. “She is the first woman to receive this award and, based on her mentorship of many professionals, is certain to not be the last. That is an important part of her legacy.”
The additional awards were:
BROKER AWARD
Ryan Burrows
JLL
SERVICE PROVIDER AWARD
Morgan Gilligan
Stewart Title Guaranty Company
GREG MASI VOLUNTEER AWARD
Kate Jordan
Lee & Associates | Chesapeake Region
F. PATRICK HUGHES LEGISLATIVE AWARD
Carl Nelson
Retired from Corporate Office Properties Trust
RISING STAR AWARD
Spencer Perry
BB&T now Truist
DISTINGUISHED MERIT AWARD
Tom Pilon
St. John Properties, Inc.
“Volunteers remain the backbone of NAIOP Maryland, and this group of outstanding professionals represents the best of our chapter and recognizes their selfless contributions and accomplishments,” added Lighthizer. “Each winner is highly-respected and has demonstrated the ability to make a meaningful impact on NAIOP Maryland and their colleagues in the real estate industry.”
Platinum sponsors of the Awards of Excellence were: Corporate Office Properties Trust; The Howard Hughes Corporation; M&T Bank and St. John Properties, Inc. Gold sponsors included Arris, a Design Studio, Inc., Chesapeake Real Estate Group, Miles & Stockbridge, Stewart Properties and Stewart Title Guaranty Company.
NAIOP Maryland has more than 400 members and is comprised of individuals working for real estate development companies, brokerage firms and affiliated companies such as financial institutions, architectural firms and engineers.
NAIOP is the nation’s leading trade association for developers, owners, investors and other professionals in industrial, office and mixed-use commercial real estate. Comprising 20,000 members in 55 chapters, it provides networking opportunities, educational programs, research on trends and innovations and strong legislative representation.
For more information about NAIOP Maryland, visit www.naiopmd.org.