Mel Barkan, chairman of The Barkan Cos., was honored by the B'nai B'rith New England Realty Unit and B'nai B'rith Housing New England on June 12th following a gala dinner. He is the recipient of the B'nai B'rith Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of his five decades of service to the real estate industry. "We are delighted to honor Mel Barkan with our 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award," said Susan Gittelman, executive director of B'nai B'rith Housing New England. Educated at the MIT and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Barkan has been active in construction, development and management in the real estate industry since the late 1950s. In 1964 he founded Barkan Construction Co., a builder of institutional, commercial and multi-family properties. Barkan Management Co., which he founded in 1981, manages over 17,000 residential units in 125 locations throughout the Northeast and employs more than 500 people. Barkan serves on the Audit and Master Facilities Planning Committees of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and as a board member of the New England chapter of the World Presidents' Organization. He is also the Governor's statutory appointee to the advisory board of the Controller of the Commonwealth. The B'nai B'rith New England Realty Unit of B'nai B'rith International is comprised of individuals in the real estate industry who work collectively to 'give back' to the community by expanding affordable housing opportunities on a non-sectarian basis. B'nai B'rith Housing New England is the nonprofit housing development organization which administers all its local development activities. B'nai B'rith International is the world's oldest and largest Jewish humanitarian organization.