NAIOP Washington State Honored as 2020 Chapter of the Year – Repeat Achievement Signals Continued Strength of Organization
NAIOP Washington State Honored as 2020 Chapter of the Year
Repeat Achievement Signals Continued Strength of Organization
SEATTLE – NAIOP Corporate has honored NAIOP Washington State as Chapter of the Year for its 2019 performance, recognizing the chapter’s advocacy efforts, exceptional diversity and inclusion efforts, member engagement, and organizational growth. NAIOP’s annual merit awards program evaluates chapters on a national basis by chapter size for their education, government affairs involvement, member recruitment and retention, communications, and chapter management.
“NAIOP Washington State is consistently among our best-performing chapters,” said Thomas J. Bisacquino, NAIOP president and CEO. “This year, it was our honor to recognize them as Chapter of the Year for their significant lobbying efforts, their strong membership recruitment and retention strategies, and their successful education and networking events that raise the profile of NAIOP and commercial real estate in the greater Seattle market. Congratulations to the chapter and its leaders for their commitment to and enthusiasm for our industry and association.”
NAIOPWA’s 2020 Chapter of the Year award is of special note for its repeat status, earned in the first year the chapter was again eligible to be nominated. In recent years, the chapter has also received merit awards for executive leadership, government affairs and member growth and stewardship.
“The chapter’s ongoing success is largely due to its wonderful volunteer members, who are the backbone of the organization. It is their commitment to giving back and their tireless work ethic that have helped make NAIOPWA the leader in the industry,” said NAIOP Washington State President Tina Pappas, President, Tarragon Property Services. “Earning the highest possible national recognition for the second time in a row reflects the strong vision, planning and execution of the organization and its volunteer leadership. As we continue to execute and build on the strategic plan, developing increased access to the industry for individuals from more diverse backgrounds, better access to leadership for women in CRE, and access to local and state decision-makers, we see the goals come to fruition and a stronger overall industry as a result. We thank every participating individual and company, past and present, for their contribution to building a better NAIOP Washington State today and for generations to come.”
The honor highlights the work NAIOPWA has done in member engagement, advocacy, and diversity and inclusion. The chapter’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, formed just two years ago, has earned local recognition for its innovative internship mentor programs, as well as for aggressively pursuing the chapter’s member diversity goals.
Overall member engagement has deepened and expanded: NAIOPWA membership peaked at more than 1,050 members at year’s end, and continues to grow with the addition of more diverse members including students and women. The chapter board subsidizes student memberships as one of the simplest and most cost-effective approaches to building the next generation of diverse, CRE business leadership in the Puget Sound region and beyond.
Additionally, the chapter’s advocacy efforts were particularly notable this year, including the formation of the Coalition for a More Affordable Washington, which brought together CRE businesses from across the industry to address the increased real estate excise tax (REET) proposal, which was ultimately passed by the state legislature. The coalition identified a key affordability problem resulting from the increased REET: costs being passed along to the rental tenants of multi-family housing developments. NAIOPWA and industry partners are continuing coalition efforts to build a positive business environment into 2020 and beyond, including extensive work with elected leaders in the greater Puget Sound area and in Olympia, including a special task force on eastside growth and development.
About NAIOP Washington State
NAIOP Washington State is the commercial real estate development association and represents all stakeholders in office, industrial, multi-family, mixed-use, and all other commercial real estate sectors. The chapter, recognized as Chapter of the Year in 2017 and 2020, is the fourth-largest and one of the fastest growing chapters nationally, with 1,000+ members representing the region’s leading firms in the Puget Sound. It provides a number of opportunities for professional development and serves as a comfortable and welcoming forum for networking and business improvement.
The chapter is known for its philanthropy, with hundreds of members volunteering each year for community enhancement projects serving those most in need through the skills and talents of our industry’s best. The chapter is also recognized for its significant advocacy efforts to ensure responsible and balanced development practices in the Washington; for its strong membership program; and for its work in advancing diversity and inclusion efforts among chapter membership and events, as well as in the CRE industry.