The 2004 CAMME Awards—the "Academy Awards" of Chicagoland's apartment industry—paid homage to nearly every aspect of the business, from posh downtown high-rise design to the maintenance staff of suburban rental complexes. Among the winners are the Belden Stratford, the Grand Plaza, and 400 N. LaSalle.
The 12th annual Chicagoland Apartment Marketing and Management Excellence (CAMME) Awards, sponsored by the Chicagoland Apartment Association (CAA), attracted more than 1,100 apartment industry professionals to the recent gala awards ceremony at the Chicago Hilton and Towers.
"The CAMMEs are special because they recognize people who on a daily basis extend themselves to residents and meet the challenges of day-to-day operation of property," said Judith Roettig, executive director of the CAA, which represents more than 300 members who own and manage more than 135,000 apartment residences in the greater six-county Chicago area.
"We honor all those involved in the operation of apartment buildings—on-site managers, maintenance staff, landscapers, architects, those who do marketing newsletters and many more," Roettig said.
The most prestigious CAMME is the Property Excellence Award, which is made for top performance in several categories, including: staff training programs, exterior condition of property, apartment condition, landscaping, maintenance programs, marketing programs, achievement of occupancy goals and standards, achievement of financial goals, cleanliness, resident satisfaction, and community outreach programs.
CAA members look forward to the competition each year, which is judged by industry peers.
Here are details on some North Side CAMME award winners:
* In Lincoln Park, Belden Stratford, 2300 Lincoln Park West, won a Property Excellence Award for Best Vintage Apartments built before 1950.
Belden Stratford, which is managed by IRMCO Properties and Management Corp., features studio, small and large 1-bedroom apartments and 2-bedroom apartments with rents ranging from $760 to $3,595.
The apartment community boasts such amenities as on-site restaurants, spa facilities and valet services.
For more information, call 773-281-2900, or visit beldenstratford.com.
* Located in River North, Grand Plaza, a newly constructed twin-tower 764-unit development which opened in November 2002 at 540 N. State St., won the Property Excellence Award for the Best High-Rise Apartment Building in Chicago. The category judges high-rises with 10 floors or more built after Jan. 1, 1985.
Grand Plaza also won CAMME Awards for Best Floor Plan for a studio apartment and for Best Leasing Center at the recent ceremony.
Grand Plaza features 100,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, including the Grand Plaza Market by Jewel-Osco and Bed, Bath & Beyond. The building has a 50,000-square-foot club floor open to all residents, including state-of-the-art exercise facilities, running track, putting greens, outdoor pool, landscaped sundeck, sauna and steam rooms, whirlpool, Club 9 activity center, winter garden atrium, library and party room, and a 1,030-car parking facility.
In June, Grand Plaza also won the National Apartment Association's 2004 Paragon Award in the Property Excellence category for management. NAA is a federation of 164 state and local affiliates, comprised of more than 30,000 multifamily housing companies representing more than 5 million apartment homes throughout the United States and Canada.
"This is icing on the cake. We're so pleased to be recognized in Chicago as well as nationally. It's been a winning season," said Robin Loewenberg Berger, vice president of NNP Residential & Development, which manages and co-developed Grand Plaza with Magellan Development Group, U.S. Equities and Cataldo/Marovitz Group.
Grand Plaza features convertibles, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom layouts and 3-bedroom duplex penthouses, starting at $1,407. For more information about Grand Plaza, call the Grand Plaza leasing center at (312) 644-7263 or visit grandplazachicago.com.
* Also in River North, 400 North LaSalle, a 45-story new-construction rental tower, won the Property Excellence Award for the Best Model Apartments designed and completed by a certified designer. The judges cited the 1-bedroom and 1-bedroom-plus-den models designed by Robert Pope & Associates.
"These new apartment residences feature all the hottest amenities and luxury finishes offered in a brand new condominium," said Nicole Greifenkamp, director of marketing for The Habitat Company.
The 452-unit 400 N. LaSalle, which now is 88-percent leased, was co-developed by Merchandise Mart Properties and The Habitat Company. Monthly rents are: $997 for studios, $1,275 for 1-bedroom convertibles, $1,500 for 1-bedroom units, $1,825 for 1-bedroom-plus-den residences and $2,375 for 2-bedroom layouts.
For more information on the Chicagoland Apartment Association, call (847) 678-5717 or visit caapts.org.
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