500 College Road East in Plainsboro — Courtesy: Bergman Real Estate Group
By Joshua Burd
Bergman Real Estate Group has earned another top honor from the Building Owners and Managers Association’s New Jersey chapter, this time for a Princeton-area office building.
The firm last week announced that it received the 2023 TOBY Award, short for The Outstanding Building of the Year, in the 100,000- to 249,999-square-foot category for 500 College Road East in Plainsboro. The honor came during the BOMA Awards Celebration on Oct. 25 at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, with Bergman’s Robin Juron accepting the award on the firm’s behalf.
“Our team has done an outstanding job bringing new life to 500 College Road since we acquired the property in 2020,” said Michael Bergman, CEO and president of the Woodridge-based firm. “We are honored to be recognized by New Jersey’s real estate community for the extensive efforts we spearheaded to modernize and beautify this Class A office space.”
Bergman has now scored TOBY Awards in three consecutive years.
“To receive a TOBY Award is a high honor in our industry,” said Juron, a senior property manager with the firm. “It’s a welcome reminder that we’re succeeding at our mission to deliver the best-in-class office properties in highly desirable locations throughout New Jersey.”
Juron recognized the entire Bergman team, as well as general contractor Phoenix Construction and the designers involved in its $4 million upgrade of 400 College Road East. They include Ware Macomb, CFI Furniture and Corporate Art, who helped the firm modernize the four-story, 160,000-square-foot building after acquiring it in 2021, as it sought to capitalize on its location within the mixed-use Princeton Forrestal Center campus and a half-mile from the Route 1 interchange.
The campaign included a newly redesigned, four-story atrium lobby and major upgrades throughout all common areas, according to a news release. Bergman also added a full-service café with new equipment and furniture, an upgraded fitness center with locker rooms and showers, a lounge and game room with pool and shuffleboard tables and a new tenant conference center, complementing the property’s walking paths and bike program.
“Our modernization of the facility has led to tremendous tenant retention and the signing of 12 new tenant leases totaling 70,000 square feet,” Bergman said. That includes a deal with Accurant Biotech Inc., a life sciences company that signed a sizable 10-year lease in May 2023.
This year’s TOBY Award follows last year’s recognition for Sherbrooke Office Center II, a 65,000-square-foot, four-story building at 201 West Passaic St. in Rochelle Park. In 2021, Bergman received the award for Century Campus, a three-building, 280,000-square-foot office park in Parsippany.
“Our team remains committed to servicing our tenants with excellent management and forward-thinking vision for each property,” Bergman said.
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