Larken Associates won nine awards during this year’s Metropolitan Builders and Contractors Association of New Jersey Awards of Excellence event on June 26 at the Hanover Manor in East Hanover. From left: Melissa Nascimento, Lenny Tartamella and Jillian Dorell. — Courtesy: Larken
By Joshua Burd
Larken Associates has won high praise from the Metropolitan Builders and Contractors Association of New Jersey, earning nine awards from organization for a new luxury apartment complex in Readington and for its ongoing philanthropy.
The 254-unit rental property, The Ridge at Readington, took home top honors in eight categories during the association’s Awards of Excellence event on June 26 at the Hanover Manor in East Hanover. They included:
- Best Community Clubhouse
- Best Special Feature Room for a Community
- Best Accessory Building for a Community
- Best Landscape Design for a Community
- Best Sales Office
- Best Sales Presentation for a Community
- Best Direct Mail Piece: New Media/Electronic
- Best Brochure for a Community
Located at 100 Eagle Crest Way in the township’s Whitehouse Station section, The Ridge at Readington reached full occupancy in fall 2023 after hitting the market a year earlier. The collection of one- and two-bedroom units has amenities such as a clubhouse with a theater room and lounge, a heated outdoor pool and tanning ledge, a covered outdoor pavilion with a lounge and grilling station and a fully equipped fitness center, among others.
Branchburg-based Larken received the honors for the property alongside Metro BCA’s Give Back Award, which it accepted for the second consecutive year in recognition of its support for From Houses to Homes, according to a news release. The firm said it has been a staunch supporter of the organization, which provides sustainable housing, health care and education to indigenous Guatemalan families living in poverty, since 2019, building on CEO and President David Gardner’s more than 10 years of personal support.
Each year, the firm sends a team of volunteers to Guatemala’s highlands region to help build homes and distribute clothing, children’s toys, books and other much-needed supplies donated by employees, the news release said. Larken Associates also sponsors the education of two students of Escuela Kemna’Oj, a pre-K through 9th grade school founded by From Houses to Homes in 2013, with plans to complete its next volunteer mission this fall.
“These awards reflect our commitment to creating communities that people are proud to call home, no matter the location,” said Melissa Nascimento, executive vice president of marketing at Larken Associates. “We are thrilled to be recognized by the Metropolitan Builders and Contractors Association and look forward to building on this success as we continue to execute our development pipeline.”
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