By Joshua Burd
A longtime development executive will headline the slate of honorees at this year’s NAIOP New Jersey gala, where the organization will also highlight two key service professionals and the firm behind several high-profile projects in the state.
Chapter leaders announced Wednesday that the annual event, a must-attend for industry leaders, will take place June 16 at The Palace at Somerset Park in the Somerset section of Franklin. Gene Preston, who recently retired as the head of Dermody Properties’ east region office, will lead the program as the recipient of the Charles Klatskin Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other honors at NAIOP New Jersey’s 35th annual Commercial Real Estate Awards gala will include:
- Impact Award: David T. Gockel, CEO and president of Langan
- Impact Award: Onyx Equities, co-founded and led by John Saraceno Jr. and Jonathan Schultz
- Industry Service Award: Anthony Coscia, partner with Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP
- Caren S. Franzini Public Partner Award: Linden Mayor Derek Armstead
Hartz Mountain Industries’ Gus Milano, NAIOP’s New Jersey chapter president, unveiled the slate Wednesday during the association’s Annual Meeting and Commercial Real Estate Outlook. Held virtually, the program allowed chapter leaders to announce several upcoming events, highlight this year’s board of trustees and set the stage for the industry in the months ahead.
That included both a presentation by Richard Barkham, chief global economist for CBRE, who provided an update on market fundamentals and a forecast for 2022. The program also featured a panel led by Bridge Industrial’s Jeff Milanaik, who joined Kara Edmonson of Verdani Partners and Kerry Reef of Liberty Mutual Investments to discuss the growing importance of ESG, or environmental, social and governance considerations, in commercial real estate.
Additionally, NAIOP New Jersey reflected on its efforts in 2021, which included legislative victories such as the signing of the state’s new business and development incentives and a restoration and revision of the Urban Enterprise Zone program. The association also successfully backed a new law to prohibit the appeal of municipal land use decisions made at virtual meetings during a declared state of emergency, while it continues to oppose several bills that would hinder the development of warehouse and distribution center projects, among others.
“NAIOP’s core mission is advocacy,” Milano, Hartz Mountain’s president and chief operating officer, told members. “In New Jersey, NAIOP continues to focus our efforts to ensure that your voice is heard in Trenton, that projects can move forward both in approval and construction phases and you have access to the decision makers, experts, education and information you need to operate in an efficient and timely manner.”
