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 is pleased to announce the 23rd Annual Awards Breakfast will be held on Friday, October 14, starting at 7 a.m., at the DeSales University Center in Center Valley.

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:

• David Weinstein – Individual/Organization of the Year
• Charles Chrin Interchange – 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 raise money and awareness for an important organization that has helped countless children for more than 75 years, while simultaneously honoring outstanding individuals, companies, and projects that have enhanced the region and made a significant impact on the Lehigh Valley economy,” said Costas Hrousis, committee chairman.

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.

About the Honorees

Individual/Organization of the Year: David Weinstein (Sunburst Property Management)

David Weinstein has enjoyed a 36-year career in the Lehigh Valley in real estate management, renovation, restoration, and construction with commercial and residential facilities.  Since 1980, he has been the president of Sunburst Property Management, which has been trusted throughout eastern Pennsylvania for superior full service property management and maintenance. The firm’s supervisory staff has over 75 years of combined experience, and its maintenance staff has over 100 years of combined experience.  Weinstein has also been heavily involved in the community, serving as a Northeast Chapter Volunteer and past president of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as well as Board Chair of the Lehigh County Housing Authority.

Project of the Year: Charles Chrin Interchange

More than two decades in the making, the Charles Chrin Interchange in Palmer Township is poised to make the 800-acre Chrin Commerce Centre the Lehigh Valley’s next region for growth. Located between the ramps for Route 248 and 191 on Route 33, the interchange represents a great opportunity for high visibility development projects and will attract top-tier companies to invest in the Lehigh Valley.

The Charles Chrin Interchange, which opened to traffic in July, was first envisioned by Palmer Township officials 20 years ago, when they included it in the formation of a strategic plan to advance future development in the northern end of the township.  At the time, due to the high cost and large scope of the project, it seemed unlikely it would ever come to fruition.

It was the collaborative effort – led by Charles Chrin but including multiple partnerships between the public and private sectors – that made this project a reality, incorporating the region’s strengths in manufacturing and transportation with the mixed-use spaces available in the Chrin Commerce Center. The project was expected to create 5,000 new jobs and generate $16 million in tax revenue annually.

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.  Over the past twenty years, they have come together to support the mission of the March of Dimes by raising money for funding research and programs to find causes of premature birth.

The committee would like to thank BB&T, the presenting sponsor for the 2016 Awards Breakfast. They would also like to thank the  event sponsor, DeSales University, and the media sponsors: The Morning Call, Viamedia, Service Electric Cable TV, and Adams Outdoor Advertising.

About the March of Dimes

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 March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes helps moms have full-term pregnancies and research the problems that threaten the health of babies. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com (English) or nacersano.org (Spanish).

For more information about the Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Awards Breakfast or the March of Dimes, please contact Tracy Trapp at 610-814-7002, or visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org.