Awards honor leaders in Hawaii real estate development

HONOLULU — The NAIOP, a national organization working to promote responsible residential and commercial real estate development, has named the winners of the 14th annual Kukule Hale Awards. The awards recognize community contributions and accomplishments in Hawaii’s commercial real estate industry, including recognition for new and renovated commercial projects statewide.

The late Herbert K. Horita was honored with the Holo Pono Award for Lifetime Achivement. His company, Horita Realty built over 13,000 homes and condominiums on Oahu and Maui. Horita was inducted into the Building Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2007. Belt Collins Hawaii was named Engineering Firm of the Year.

Among the eight projects receiving the Award for Excellence were the renovation of Hawaiian Hall at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (Mason Architects and Constructors Hawaii) and the renovation/expansion of the Roosevelt High School auditorium.

Developers of the Year Lend Lease and Forest City, two of the nation’s leading development companies, were awarded contracts through the Military Housing Privatization Initiative to refurbish, replace, maintain and manage a total inventory of nearly 17,000 military homes and the offices, community centers, parks, playgrounds and other amenities for military installations throughout the state. In addition to delivering quality homes for Hawaii’s military families, the two companies make significant contributions to the local non-military community by donating their services for capital improvement projects, repair and maintenance of local charities and schools.