NAIOP Houston Celebrates 33rd Annual Broker of the Year Awards

HOUSTON, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NAIOP Houston celebrated the achievements of Houston's top commercial real estate professionals during its 33^rd Annual Broker of the Year awards ceremony held at the River Oaks Country Club on May 25, 2021. NAIOP Houston honored the accomplishments of the 2020 outstanding industry performers with their Broker of the Year, Rising Star, and Deal of the Year awards in both the office and industrial sectors.

"Each year, NAIOP Houston celebrates the best and the brightest in the industry during its Annual Broker of the Year Awards ceremony," stated Matt Damborsky, President of NAIOP Houston. "These real estate professionals epitomize the most outstanding qualities in our business as well as in the community." 

Broker of the Year is awarded to brokers who are real estate professionals that exemplify the most outstanding qualities in the industry in both the office and industrial sectors. The Office Broker of the Year finalists included Lucian Bukowski with CBRE and Ronnie Deyo with JLL. The Industrial Broker of the Year finalists included Beau Kaleel with Cushman & Wakefield, Clay Pritchett with NAI Partners, and Stephen Schneidau with Cushman & Wakefield. These individuals were selected not only based on their annual contribution and production, but also on their number and complexity of transactions, and level of community involvement.

NAIOP Houston's 2020 Office Broker of the Year was awarded to Ronnie Deyo. He is the Executive Vice President/International Director for JLL with over 30 years of experience.  Navigating through COVID, Deyo consolidated multiple office leases and business lines into a single office space for JLL. During the process, he was able to revise the economics to find additional savings for the company.  Deyo and his team have completed one expansion agreement to accommodate two new business lines, expanding from 69,000 to 80,000 square feet.  

Deyo was winner of the Deal of the Year in 2017 and 2018.  He is heavily involved in his community, serving on the Advisory Board for the Boys and Girls Country and emeritus member of Texas Children's Hospital Ambassador program.   

NAIOP Houston's 2020 Industrial Broker of the Year was awarded to Stephen Schneidau. Schneidau is Executive Director with Cushman & Wakefield with more than 20 years of experience in tenant and landlord representation and asset disposition and development. He specializes in the Northwest and North Houston submarkets.

Schneidau is active in various professional and community organizations including the American Heart Association, Strake Jesuit Alumni Association, St. Anne's Catholic Church, and St. Anne's School Foundation.

NAIOP Houston's Rising Star is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism, transaction production, and are actively involved in their community in the office and industrial sectors. NAIOP Houston's 2020 Office Rising Star was awarded to Rich Claussen. Claussen works for Cushman & Wakefield representing tenants and their office space requirements including new leases, renewals, and extensions.   

He advises clients on real estate decisions that are aligned with financial and operational objectives with a hands-on approach, in-depth market knowledge, and detailed analysis.  Claussen serves as Vice Chair of Membership and is on the Board of Directors for the Sam Houston Area Council.  

NAIOP Houston's 2020 Industrial Rising Star was awarded to Wesley Williams with Boyd Commercial. Williams is a proven producer at Boyd Commercial specializing in industrial and real estate brokerage.  Over the past 24 months, he has executed deals as the sole Boyd commercial broker.  Williams also teamed up with five different Boyd brokers on 19 deals.  On nine of those, he was invited to participate by another broker, indicating the value of his involvement in the deal and his ability to generate business.  

Williams currently serves as the 2021 Chair of NAIOP's Mentorship Program, is on the board of NAIOP's Developing Leaders Program and supports the Christian Outdoor Fellowship Organization. 

NAIOP Houston's 2020 Industrial Deal of the Year is awarded to brokers involved in exceptional lease or sale in the office and industrial sectors. The Office Deal of the Year was awarded to Jon Lee, Craig Beyer, Andrew Zeplain, and Clair Douthit with CBRE. The team secured a lease for Norton Rose Fulbright, US, LLP, as the anchor tenant for a 28-story, 375,000 square foot Class A office building near downtown Houston, where they will occupy 32% of the building. The tower will serve as a game-changing development, focusing on sustainability and tenant-wellness with a goal to achieve LEED platinum certification.   

The Industrial Deal of the Year was awarded to Stephen Schneidau, Jim Foreman, Beau Kaleel, Allison Bergmann, Michael Foreman and Brooke Forrest with Cushman & Wakefield.  The team sourced a 93-acre property in Richmond, Texas, just off the Grand Parkway, that was already under contract to a developer. The team was able to negotiate an assignment of the land purchase contract to another developer to facilitate the construction of the facility for Amazon. The state-of-the-art facility has an 850,000 square foot footprint, is currently under construction, will feature extensive use of robotics, and is expected to bring over 1,000 jobs to the Greater Houston Area. 

About NAIOP Houston
NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, is the leading organization for developers, owners and investors of office, industrial and mixed-use real estate. NAIOP provides advocacy, education, and business opportunities by connecting members in a powerful North American network. NAIOP advances responsible, sustainable development that creates jobs and benefits the communities in which our members work and live.

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SOURCE NAIOP Houston Chapter