Nearly 500 people attended last year’s annual March of Dimes Commercial and Industrial Real Estate Awards at DeSales University Center.

The March of Dimes Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Awards Committee has announced that the 24th Annual Awards Breakfast will be held on Friday, October 27 at the DeSales University Center in Upper Saucon Township.

For more than two decades, this prestigious event has honored individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the local community, as well as the projects that have helped create jobs and advance economic development in the Lehigh Valley.

This year’s recipients are:

• Charles Marcon – Individual/Organization of the Year
• Hamilton Crossings – Project of the Year

Proceeds from the awards breakfast will benefit the March of Dimes Northeast Pennsylvania Market.  The March of Dimes’ mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

“We are very pleased to honor the outstanding individuals, companies, and projects that have made a significant impact on the Lehigh Valley economy, while simultaneously raising money and awareness for an important organization that has touched the lives of countless children for more than 75 years,” said Christa Kraftician, committee chairwoman.

Doors open for networking at 7 a.m. The program and breakfast begin at 8 a.m. and will conclude at 9 a.m., followed by additional time for networking.

Colin McEvoy, Director of Communications with the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), serves as a member of the March of Dimes Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Awards Committee.

Charles Marcon

Charles Marcon is President of Duggan and Marcon, Inc., the largest commercial finishes contractor in the Lehigh Valley. Marcon joined the family construction business in 1967, and became its President in 1983, and helped establish it as one of the largest employers of construction workers in the region.

The company’s project portfolio includes several major Lehigh Valley projects, including the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley Mall, and Allentown campus of St. Luke’s University Hospital.

Additionally, Marcon has been active on numerous boards, with past affiliations including the Allentown YMCA, Communities in Schools of the Lehigh Valley, First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, Lehigh Valley Contractors Association, General Building Contractors Association of Philadelphia, Renew Lehigh Valley, and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

He has also been a Management Trustee for Philadelphia and Vicinity Regional Council of Carpenters Pension and Welfare Funds and United Brotherhood of Carpenters International Training Fund. Marcon attended Bethlehem public schools, and previously served as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Hamilton Crossings

With Hamilton Crossings, the Goldenberg Group and TCH Development have transformed a blighted former mine site into a first-class retail project creating hundreds of retail jobs and more than $1 million in new property tax revenue.

The project, located on 72 acres along the Route 222 Bypass in Lower Macungie Township, is a 559,345 square foot commercial town center anchored by a Target shopping center, as well as the first Costco Wholesale Club and Whole Foods Market in the Lehigh Valley.

The development of this project faced many physical challenges, and conventional wisdom long held that the site was simply not developable. The property had been the site of open-pit iron mines since the 1870s, and by World War I was perforated from end-to-end with iron mining pits, some as deep as 28 feet.

They were filled with highly-saturated mine wash, an industrial byproduct from the iron mining with the consistency of peanut butter, which long made it impossible to build upon. The completion of this project is a true testament to the tenacity of everyone involved, including the tenants, lenders, local government officials, and the development team.

About the Event

The Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Awards committee was formed in 1993 by commercial and industrial real estate professionals in the Lehigh Valley, some of whom still serve. The event has grown from approximately 175 attendees to a sold-out crowd of nearly 500 comprised of realtors, bankers, architects, construction professionals and others in the real estate community.

Funds raised by the Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Awards help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) family support programs and advocacy efforts for moms and babies.  Today, one in every ten U.S. infants is born premature. The March of Dimes is committed to funding research to find the answers to problems that continue to threaten the lives and health of babies.

The Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Awards committee would like to thank BB&T, its presenting sponsor for the 2017 Awards Breakfast. It would also like to thank our event sponsor, DeSales University, and its media sponsors The Morning Call, Viamedia, Service Electric Cable TV, and Adams Outdoor Advertising.