On Thursday December 2, 2010, the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) held their annual MAC Awards Dinner Gala at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto.
Skyline is top winner (four times) at industry awards of excellence gala
Guelph, ON – In December, the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) held their annual M.A.C. Awards Dinner & Gala at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. FRPO is Ontario’s leading advocate for quality rental housing and has more than 800 members representing over 250,000 rental suites across Ontario. The M.A.C. Awards Gala is the most important annual event for FRPO members and is well attended by over 700 rental housing providers. This event provides a unique forum for recognizing excellence in the residential rental housing industry, simply put; it is the Oscars of the apartment industry. At this annual event, M.A.C. Awards, which stands for (Marketing, Achievement & Construction) are handed out to the industry’s highest achievers and top performers in key categories.
This year’s MAC awards had over 120 unique submissions and Guelph-based Skyline, a private real estate investment trust and property manager took home four (4) of this year’s 2010 M.A.C. Awards. With only 16 categories of awards in total, winning 4 awards is a remarkable achievement for Skyline; especially when up against tough competitors, namely the industry’s larger public entities. Skyline was truly honoured to have received such a notable level of recognition by their industry and attribute their success to the many efforts and ongoing commitment of their dedicated staff, business partners and investor community.
Among Skyline’s four awards is the proud honour of the “Outstanding Community Service Award” which they have now won two consecutive years in a row. This award is presented to a company that goes above and beyond to give back to their community and with Skyline’s endless list of charitable initiatives, community efforts and ongoing tenant support programs, they continue to raise the bar and set an example for their industry peers. “Skyline has been an outstanding community supporter. Their generosity and many contributions have allowed us to promote the healthy development of children and youth in our community,” said Rose Silvestro, Executive Director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Guelph. Through their generous support, over 680 children were served in 2010”.
In addition to the recognition received by Skyline for its long list of community-centric initiatives over the last few years, which among other significant events included a land donation to Habitat for Humanity here in Guelph, Skyline also took home the acclaimed “Rental Development of the Year” award for its Place Sainte Marie development in Haileybury, ON. This unique construction and restoration project transformed an 80 year old convent into a fully functional assisted living apartment building that now caters to the needs of the area’s senior population. Skyline was able to make an adaptive reuse of the building while retaining the unique heritage of the site. Skyline combined innovation and high-efficiency “green” mechanical systems to revitalize and breath new life into this treasured local landmark. Skyline also partnered with the local assisted living services provider, Temiskaming Home Support, who rents space in the building in order to provide the necessary care and health services for the residents of Place Sainte Marie. “It was a much greater challenge than building from scratch” says Roy Jason Ashdown, Founder & Chief Sustainability Officer of Skyline, “but it was important for us to preserve the true character and heritage of the building and by bringing the home support provider into the building we have ensured that our residents will live happier, healthier and independently for many years to come”. In fact, Skyline hopes to replicate this integrated model of home support and apartment living in other Skyline buildings across Ontario to accommodate the growing needs of our aging population.
In addition to the “Outstanding Community Service” and “Rental Development of the Year” awards, Skyline was also awarded “Resident Manager of the Year” for one of their remarkable on-site building staff at one of their London, ON properties and the “Curb Appeal, Rental Development” award for their renovation project at their 55 Yarmouth Street building here in Guelph.
“Being recognized in one category is an incredible honour and accomplishment, but to win in four categories puts Skyline in a group of their own and makes them one of our industry’s true leaders and achievers” says Vince Brescia President & CEO of Federation of Rental-Housing Providers Ontario.
An independent panel of 10 industry professionals including representatives from Coldwell Banker, TD Commercial Banking, Deloitte and the Ontario Real Estate Association to name a few, judged the over 120 nominations for this year’s FRPO M.A.C. Awards.
“To win the “Outstanding Community Service Award” for the second consecutive year is a true testament to the commitment and dedication of our Skyline Team. We are proud to be the example of true social responsibility and are thankful that our staff, investors and business partners support us in our many charitable endeavours and allow us to give back on their behalf. Without the support of our valued investors and business partners, we would not be in a position to do all the good we do in our community” adds Roy Jason Ashdown.