CREW Tampa Bay Announces Finalists for 14th Annual Excellence Awards
TAMPA, FL – Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Tampa Bay, is pleased to announce the finalists for the 14th annual Excellence Awards GALA to be held on Thursday, November 12th at Armature Works. The Excellence Awards GALA has become a premier gathering of business leaders to recognize outstanding professionals who exemplify business excellence and leadership in commercial real estate in Tampa Bay. It is an evening for ‘Celebrating Excellence’ that transforms ideas into reality.
The CREW Tampa Bay Excellence Awards GALA is more than an awards ceremony. It is a celebration of the projects, partnerships, and professionals driving growth and innovation throughout our region. Whether you are a nominee, sponsor, CREW member, or industry guest, this event offers a unique opportunity to connect, celebrate success, and support the advancement of women in commercial real estate. In advance of the evening, for industry awards, a panel of real estate leaders served as judges to narrow down the applicants and chose finalists in each category. The awards highlight the achievements completed during the period of August 16, 2025 through August 15, 2026.
Congratulations to this year's Excellence Awards Finalists!
LIVE VOTING AWARDS:
• CREW Member to Member Deal of the Year Excellence Award
Horizon West Bay – City of Largo: Rae Ann Boyle/ASD | SKY; Dawn Dodge/Kimley-Horn; Andea Welch/CI Group; Steve Hernandez/Suddath
Interbay Commons: Jarrod Bray, David Scher & Jennifer Scher/SSG Commercial LLC; Megan Dempsey; Amber Tomasiello/Otero Engineering; Chris Culbertson/EMPAD Architecture; Megan Reeves/ Goddard Schools South Tampa; Michael Braccia/ Bay Street Commercial
Old Tampa Bay Title North Tampa Relocation: Natalie Fenderson/Old Tampa Bay Title; Ceci Tricoli/JTC Realty; Steve Hernandez/Suddath; Cheryl Gielow/Reimagine Office Furnishings (ROF)
• Community Impact Excellence Award
Loveland Center: Halfacre Construction Company/Jack Cox, Reed Giasson & Tom Rees
Orient Wellness Facility: Relofant/Danielle Clark; Hillsborough County/Angelica Cordero; Diaz Fritz Group General Contractors/Manuel Rivera; PBK/David Sobel; Office Solutions Florida/Steve Baricko
Moffitt Speros Campus: Moffitt Cancer Center/Josh Carpenter; Hammes/Wade Milligan; Horus Construction/Jonathan Graham; Barr & Barr Inc./Matt Gilbert; DLR Group | Tsoi Kobus Design/Michelle Blakemore
MEMBER EXCELLENCE AWARDS:
• Member Rising Star Excellence Award
Amanda Bolli – AIC Architecture
Morgan Denty – ASD | SKY
Kelsi Sterett – Dauntless Contracting
• Member of the Year Excellence Award
Tara Birchfield – Commercial Solution Title
Paula Buffa – Legacy Member
Tessa Mellinger – Lee & Associates Tampa Bay
• Heart & Soul Excellence Award
ATTEND THE EVENT TO FIND OUT!
• President’s Award
ATTEND THE EVENT TO FIND OUT!
INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS:
• Woman of Influence Award
Mercedes Angell - Cushman & Wakefield
Angye Fox - AdSizzle Realty, Inc.
Julia Silva - Lee & Associates Tampa Bay
• Transaction of the Year Excellence Award (Under 5,000 SF)
Cecelia Drive - Dauntless Forever Home: Dauntless Contracting/Kelsi Sterett; JTC Realty/Ceci Tricoli; Bank of Central Florida/Leah Pearson; Old Tampa Bay Title/Natalie Fenderson
Overhead Door Company of Clearwater Northbound Expansion: Lee & Associates Tampa Bay/Tessa Mellinger & Julia Silva
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) Deal: CBRE/Molly Molloy Catlett
• Transaction of the Year Excellence Award (5,000 SF – 50,000 SF)
Exalt Riverview: Ryan Companies US, Inc./Patrick Chesser, Ann Cibulka, Lana Pearson, Marena Wright
TECO & Gasworx Paseo to 3rd Ave Relocation Project: Tampa Electric Company/Phillip Marshall; KETTLER/Damian Presiga
Town 'N Country Seabra Foods: Bay Street Commercial/Michael Braccia; SSG Commercial LLC/Jarrod Bray, David Scher & Jennifer Scher; Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP/Jeffrey Shear; Otero Engineering/Amber Tomasiello; Strategist Law, PLLC/Townsend Belt
• Transaction of the Year Excellence Award (Over 50,000 SF)
Homegoods Distribution Center / TJX Companies: Lee & Associates Tampa Bay/Julia Silva; Foundry Commercial/Justin Ruby;
Kimball Electronics: Commercial Partners Realty, Inc./Bob Alter, Scott Clendening & Marko Rados; CRE-USA/Bill Alton
Westshore 54 Deal: CBRE/Jubeen Vaghefi, Joey Blakely, Charles Crapse, Scott Peek, Denny St. Romain
• Project of the Year Excellence Award (Under 10,000 SF)
Forbici Restaurant: EMPAD Architecture & Design/Sean Barber; NXT Level Brands/Jeff Gigante; Franklin Street/Geoffrey Furey; Paradise Ventures/Frank Kriz; Atelier Zebulon Perron/Zebulon Perron; AYERS/Justin Vargas
Giancarlo's Café + Spirits: Giancarlo's Café + Spirits/Travis Kaiser; AIC Architecture/Andrew Matson; Leonard Contractors/Riley Labarre; Emerald Engineering/Ralph Elenbaum
Goddard Schools Westshore: Goddard Schools South Tampa/Megan Reeves; SSG Commercial LLC/Jarrod Bray & Jennifer Scher; Bay Street Commercial/Michael Braccia; EMPAD Architecture/Chris Culbertson; Otero Engineering/Amber Tomasiello; Leonard Contractors/Chris Leondard
• Project of the Year Excellence Award (10,000 SF – 75,000 SF)
PM-International Americas HQ - Phase 1: Catamount Constructors Inc./Stephanie Martinez; Manatee Logistics Center LLC/David Wensinger; C4 Architecture/Danielle Ciccone; Mendieta Structural Consulting, Inc./Nick Mendieta, P.E.; Clear Engineering/Darius Adams, PE; Wiginton Fire Protection Engineering, Inc./Randy Almond
The Sapphire Tampa: The Sapphire Tampa/Stephen Hickey; AIC Architecture/Andrew Matson & Ximena Canora; The Sinclair Group/Kyle Siebert; Structures One/Dan Engebretson; Emerald Engineering/Ralph Elenbaum; Crespo Design/Enrique Crespo; Shaw Contract/Kaydee Young
The Vicente - Nebraska Avenue Affordable Housing: Urban Reworx LLC/Thaddeus Bereday; CDC of Tampa/Ernest M. Coney, Jr.; Mancini/Andy Dohment; FIN Construction/Brian Busser; Suncoast Credit Union/Gilene Musah; Nelson Mullins/Terri Montague
• Project of the Year Excellence Award (Over 75,000 SF)
Block 1 at Water Street Tampa: Gensler/Bert Oliva & Dana Muller; Strategic Property Partners/Brad Cooke; DPR/Brian Robbins; GPLA/Chris Blair; Kimley-Horn/Dawn Dodge
The Bluffs: Behar + Peteranecz Architecture/Jordan Behar, Istvan Peteranecz, Sarah-Jane Vatelot, Andres Allwood, Zack Yarnell & Steve Tucker
The Harrison Encore District: Baker Barrios Architects, Inc./Michael Lynch, Eric Ryder, Grayson Silver & Kerra Kuzmick; PCL Construction/Kevin Littlejohn, Eric Nixon & Dan Lennox
Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees. For more information on the event, sponsorship opportunities, and to register to attend, click here.
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CREW Tampa Bay is a chapter of CREW Network, which is the premier business network dedicated to transforming the commercial real estate industry by advancing women globally. Through our Network of more than 80 markets globally and nearly 14,000 members, we proudly support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).