The annual NAIOP Greater Toronto Chapter Real Estate Excellence (REX) Awards evening is the premier event of the season for those of us in the office and industrial real estate industry in the Greater Toronto Area. It is the awards show and dinner gala where we recognize and honour our peers who have earned the status of “Best of the Year” in six team award categories plus we honour the recipients of three very special individual awards.   

The awards event as we know it today grew out of NAIOP Greater Toronto Chapter's recognition program which, between 1995 and 2000, was a hugely successful yearly Luncheon designed to honour a deserving industry leader. In 2001, the Board of Directors decided to expand the REX Awards program.  In keeping with the association’s broadened mission to provide recognition for outstanding achievement in the industry, the gala event in particular has become an annual highlight in the industry unrivalled for its magnitude, significance and blue-chip attendance. The REX Awards Gala blends elegance and ceremony with a unique networking opportunity that brings together NAIOP members, our valued corporate sponsors, and friends of NAIOP for an exhilarating evening of community building.

Submissions are now open for NAIOP Greater Toronto Chapter's Ninth Annual REX Awards.  The awards program includes six “Best of the Year” team categories: Industrial Development, Office Development, Industrial Lease, Office Lease, Investment Deal and the Green Award. Submissions will be judged and winners selected by independent experts in a balloting process administered by PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. 

Additionally, the NAIOP REX Awards program includes individual honourary awards for Lifetime Achievement and Community Service. The final award, in the individual category of Developing Leaders, is given to NAIOP members, 35 years or under, who distinguish themselves with great promise as leaders in the commercial real estate industry. One or more Developing Leaders Awards may be presented in any given year. The recipients of all individual awards are selected by a panel of NAIOP Greater Toronto Chapter Directors and Past Presidents.

True to the spirit of honouring achievement, the REX Awards program also serves as a forum for the association to recognize and support the efforts of a deserving charity. This year’s selected charity again is the Geneva Centre for Autism.  A significant portion of the proceeds from ticket sales for the REX Gala will be donated to help fund the Geneva Centre’s critically important programs that assist individuals with autism and their families to fully participate in their communities.