Connecticut Real Estate Executives Rewarded for 2004 Successes
02/22/2005
Contacts:
Melissa Pasquale, 860-571-6212
MaryAnn Simkewicz, 860-571-6217
Real estate professionals, who together facilitated 72 property transactions in 2004 using CERC SiteFinder, were recently recognized for their efforts in the seventh-annual SiteFinder Sweepstakes. Conducted annually by CERC, the drawing rewarded randomly selected members of SiteFinder whose real estate deals resulted in 1.6 million square feet of leased or purchased space last year, associated with 1,590 created or retained jobs in Connecticut.
Managed by CERC, SiteFinder is Connecticut's most comprehensive online database of available commercial and industrial real estate. Membership allows a region, town or broker to promote available real estate on the nationally marketed Web site, www.CTSiteFinder.com, which currently lists more than 1,900 properties with exposure to more than 130 real estate firms and their brokers. Since its inception in 1997, 11.3 million square feet of space in Connecticut has been leased, purchased or constructed via SiteFinder, associated with approximately 9,000 new or retained jobs.
Carl Russel of George J. Smith & Son (Milford) and David Gorbach, SIOR of Colonial Realty (Fairfield) were selected as grand prize winners and will each receive $500. Russell was awarded for the American Seal & Engineering Co. transaction in which the New Haven-based company relocated, purchasing a 22,625 square foot building in Orange, and expanded, adding 10 new employees. Gorbach was recognized for the Strober Wallboard Distributors deal ins which the New Jersey company expanded into Connecticut, purchasing a 20,000 square foot building in Milford and adding 22 jobs to the state's workforce.
Melissa Fernance from Sentry Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. (Hartford) was picked as the winner in the category of "listing coordinators" and awarded a $300 gift certificate to the Norwich Inn and Spa.
The following additional winners were awarded You Belong in Connecticut fleece jackets: George Walker of Berkshire Corporate Park (Danbury), Karen Simkowski of Lyman Commercial (Lebanon), Lou Proto of The Proto Group (North Haven), Bill Silverman of Levey Miller Maretz (Woodbridge), Syd Gordon of Angel Commercial LLC (Fairfield), and Tom O'Leary of Cushman & Wakefield (Stamford).
CERC (the Connecticut Economic Resource Center) is a nonprofit company specializing in economic development and marketing for local, regional, state and utility economic development entities. Funded by 10 of the state's utility and telecommunications companies in partnership with state government, CERC also markets the state as a competitive business location. More information about CERC can be found at www.cerc.com.