Women in the St. Louis-area commercial real estate sector are clearly having a significant impact on all aspects of the field, judging by presentations of the 16th Annual Networking Awards of the St. Louis chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). The event drew a record number of nominations and 100-plus attendees to Verona on the Hill for networking, dinner and recognition of colleagues.
“These awards mirror our theme for 2021: Resilience,” said CREW-STL president-elect Stacey Kamps, CEO of Koch Development Company. “They honor the hard work, talent and contributions of our members.”
Maxine Clark, founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Build-A-Bear Workshop, and currently CEO and president of the Clark-Fox Foundation, served as the master of ceremonies. The foundation has turned nine vacant hospital properties into the Delmar DivIne nonprofit project, which involves affordable apartments for artists, teachers and service workers, along with community meeting space and more. That project has increased her respect for everyone involved in commercial real estate.
This year’s CREW-STL honorees and their awards are as follows:
Woman of Influence: Carolyn Kindle Betz, CEO of St. Louis City SC and President of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, for her impact through leadership, accomplishments and service to the region in bringing a professional soccer team to downtown St. Louis, construction of the team’s 22,500-seat stadium and team headquarters, as well as overall service to the region. This is one of only a few U.S.-based pro sports teams to have its stadium, team headquarters and practice fields in one centralized downtown location. The team set a league record for ticket reservations: 30,000 sold in the first 15 minutes.
The foundation has contributed more than $462 million to thousands of nonprofit organizations in community improvement, education and environmental stewardship.
New Member of the Year: Addie Bunting, business development manager, Wies Drywall and Construction Corp.
Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Adrienne Bain, executive, Citizens Bank and B Squared Group, who is also DEI taskforce liaison for the CREW Network Global board of directors; an active member of the DEI committees for CREW-St. Louis, CREW Charlotte, and the Urban Land Institute (ULI); a member of the DEI advisory board; and participant in the DEI workgroup of the Association of Junior Leagues International.
Economic Impact: Tracy Howren, senior vice president, UMB Bank; Lisa Morrison, senior associate, Lawrence Group; Erin Valentine, vice president of business development, McCarthy Building Companies; Valerie Gaadt, account executive, Midwest Elevator Co.; Abigail Kepple, president-tax credit Services, Enterprise Bank & Trust; and Chrissy Maurer, AVP relationship manager, Enterprise Bank & Trust, for their pivotal roles in the redevelopment of St. Louis Union Station. Robert (Bob) O’Loughlin, chair and CEO of Lodging Hospitality Management, was also recognized for his leadership in the $187 million development project.
Impact: Nancy Rodney, project manager, Rosemann & Associates P.C.
Career Advancement for Women: Molly Studer, senior vice president, Gershman Commercial Real Estate
The 2020 honorees were also recognized at the event since a formal ceremony was canceled last year due to Covid-19.
“The 2020 theme was Engage, which was a challenge, but we did it,” said Kamps. “We held more than 75 events, and our members never wavered.”
For further details and photos, go to www.crewstl.org.