UDI Awards ceremony was a bustling evening for the over 500 people in attendance. “It really is a time to celebrate,” said UDI president David Podmore during his opening address. “Our industry is doing very well and the province’s economy is thriving.”
Premier Gordon Campbell echoed these sentiments in a videotaped message and said that UDI plays an important role in British Columbia’s future. “Your creativity, imagination and commitment to excellence will help us meet the challenges ahead.”
He wasn’t the only politician to speak at the banquet. Olga Ilich, Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts said that she wanted to double tourism and her experience in the industry will help her achieve this goal. Larry Campbell, Vancouver’s mayor, said that he actively works with UDI to help make the city of Vancouver a better place.
This year’s theme was “Partners in Community Building”. The event recognized and celebrated the partnerships in community building forged between members of UDI and governments at all levels.
Diana McMeekin, chair of the jury panel and member of the awards ceremony, said that there was a great deal of spirited discussion between the jury members regarding this year’s awards. “I’m confident, given the experience of the jurors, that we examined every aspect of the nominations,” she said.
Ward McAllister, president of UDI Canada, and Michael Geller, past president of UDI Pacific, hosted the evening’s festivities with wit and grace. Award winners were as follows:
- Mixed Use Development: Time, Grosvenor Capital Corporation & Fairmont Pacific Development Limited
- Commercial/Retail Development: The Village at Park Royal, Park Royal Shopping Centre Holdings Ltd. and HighGate Village, Bosa Properties Inc.
- Resort Development: Poets Cove Resort & Spa, Poets Cove at Bedwell Harbour Partnership
- Revitalization, Renovation or Heritage: The Taylor Building, The Salient Group
- High-rise Multi-Family Development: Carina & Callisto, Delta Land Development
- Mid-rise Multi-Family Development: The Beresford, Cressey
- Low-rise Multi-Family: Chancellor House, Intracorp
- Ground-oriented Residential Development, Single Family: The Village of Kettle Valley, Kettle Valley Development
- Ground-oriented Residential Development: Multi-Family: Nature’s Walk, Mosaic Homes
- Ground-oriented Residential Multifamily, Urban Infill: Vine Street Townhouses, Formwerks Homes Inc.
- Seniors Housing: The O’Keefe, Concert Real Estate Corp.
- Partnerships in Non-Market Housing: Westchester, Ledingham McAllister Properties
- Sustainable Development: The Cornerstone, SFU Community Trust
- Landmark Award: The Opus Hotel, Trilogy Properties Corp.
This year the board of directors created two new award categories: Directors’ Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry and Directors’ Award for Service to the Institute. The late Amalio De Cotiis was named winner of the Contribution to Industry Award.
Amalio immigrated to Canada in 1959 with no money and no job. Within a few years he began offering his neighbours gardening service and was soon running De Cottis Landscaping Ltd. “His goal was to succeed,” said his son Marcello De Cotiis. In 1964 he convinced his brothers to help him construct an apartment building in Lonsdale. This was the beginning of what would become a long, successful career in real estate development, construction and property management. He eventually founded Amacon, which went on to become a leader in concrete high-rise development through the 1990s and 2000s.
Marcello summarized his father’s working philosophy. “He used to say that ‘no’ doesn’t mean no. It means, ‘Maybe not now, just try again later.’ ” Although Amalio had only an elementary-school education, he knew enough to persevere and never give up until you achieved success.
His family was on hand to receive the award on his behalf and the standing ovation from attendees. “This is very rewarding for our family,” said Teresa, his eldest daughter. “He would not have accepted the award for himself. He would have wanted his business to receive the award.”
Afterward, she said that he was most proud of his children and family. “He was happy about what his children and family achieved through him, and that we became involved and generally interested in the business.” She thought that he would be most remembered by the community for his contributions to the Vancouver skyline.
Eric Martin, Vice President, Development for Bosa Development and former president of UDI, was honoured with the Service to the Institute Award. “He has the highest integrity of any individual in the industry,” said David Podmore. “He’s very approachable, very helpful - just a class act.” Maureen Enser, executive director of UDI, agreed. “He epitomizes what a true partner is,” she said. “I know if I ever have a challenge, I can call him up and he’ll be right there for me.”
Friends and colleagues described Eric as having unwavering dedication, strong principles and outstanding qualities as a spokesman for the industry. A surprised Eric came up to the podium and explained that surrounding yourself with great people will cause you to do well. He was optimistic about the future. “What I loved about this evening were the younger award recipients of our industry. I saw some great people come up here tonight. They are the future of our industry.”
To be successful, he said people need to learn their strengths and weaknesses. “If you have principles and work ethic you can make it through the good times and bad times.”
