The University of Connecticut School of Business' Center for Real Estate's Annual Awards Banquet was held Tuesday, April 1st. The evening commenced with Katherine Pancak, professor in residence, welcoming the students and approximately 220 guests in attendance. The keynote speaker was Bill Farley, president of CB Richard Ellis, Inc. who also received the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors/Samuel F. Pierson Scholarship recipients for 2007/2008 are: Andrea Balatkova, Mari Carozza, Lindsay Castonguay, Jennifer Layton, David Miller, Kristen Peterson, Douglas Roberts, Kyle Schmidt, Rachel Schneider, Nicholas Seccareccia, Benjamin Tamker, Katherine Tunsky and David Vitti.
Lindsay Castonguay was also recognized as the 2008 Graduate Student of the Year. She is a second year UConn MBA student concentrating in finance and real estate. Castonguay is a graduate assistant, manager of UConn's Student Managed Fund, and this past summer she interned at Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors in the Securities Group working on various real estate investment trust projects. Prior to entering the MBA program, Castonguay worked for Bingham McCutchen LLP as a marketing coordinator in Boston and Hartford, and she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Suffolk University in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications.
The Connecticut/Western Massachusetts SIOR Chapter has two scholarship funds: the first in honor of Samuel F. Pierson, a long time member and past national president of the organization, and the other in memory of Carl F. Traub, another long time Chapter member who had a significant positive impact on the commercial real estate industry. The Chapter's scholarships are supported with matching funds from the SIOR Foundation (SIORF). Over the past 20 years more than $200,000 in scholarship funds have been awarded to approximately 100 deserving University of Connecticut students.
The Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter is one of 43 Chapters of the prestigious international organization, the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors. Commercial real estate professionals must meet rigorous requirements to earn the SIOR designation. SIOR, based in Washington, D.C., has more then 3,100 members in 480 cities and 20 countries and was founded in 1941. SIORs are top producers who are required to complete an educational recertification program every three years, assuring those who need the services of a commercial agent that the SIOR has achieved continued excellence.
The SIOR Foundation's mission is to promote and support initiatives that expand, educate and enrich the commercial real estate community. Established in 1962 to publish the industry's first graduate level text book on industrial real estate, SIOR Foundation has maintained its dedication to expanding and understanding the commercial real estate industry. The Foundation has a matching scholarship program available to the various local SIOR Chapters.
Chapter members in attendance at the awards banquet were Art Ross, SIOR and Mark Duclos, SIOR.
Pat Wellspeak, a partner in the firm Wellspeak, Dugas and Kane, LLC was recognized during the evening as the Distinguished UConn Alumni of the Year.
On a sad note, former Chapter member and president Jack Gunning recently passed away. Gunning received his SIR (SIOR) designation in 1962. He was a long time member of the Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter, and was the president of Dow & Condon, Inc. from 1975 until his retirement in 1991.
Please visit our website www.siorct.com to find additional information on the Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter, Chapter members, and upcoming events. Should you have any questions or interest in the requirements and benefits of becoming an SIOR and joining the Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter, please contact Sherri Thompson, SIOR at 860.528.0884 or John Reed, SIOR at 860.987.4788.