The GTA's best celebrated at 2012 BILD Awards

GREATER TORONTO, April 30, 2012 /CNW/ - With nearly a thousand of the GTA's biggest builders, designers, sales and marketing professionals all under one roof, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) recognized the industry's best at the 32nd Annual BILD Awards.

The Awards recognize the very best of the GTA's new home construction industry and with a record-setting 1,200 submissions in 49 categories, this year's event was the biggest yet.

Geranium Homes was crowned 2012 BILD Home Builder of the Year for the first time ever. The award, created in 1998, is based on quality, service and customer commitment from the moment the agreement of purchase and sale is signed right through to post-closing service period. A key component of the judging process is the Association's survey of the builder's recent occupants in various communities.

Empire Communities and Tridel both defended their Green Builder of the Year titles. Empire came through with a great campaign in the low-rise category after an equally impressive rookie year. Meanwhile Tridel continued to excel in the high-rise category, winning it for the fifth time in the last six years.

Other pinnacle awards included the development-oriented Place to Grow Community of the Year Awards. Mattamy Homes was crowned victorious in the low-rise category for its Mount Pleasant Village development in Brampton, while The Remington Group received top honours on the high-rise side with Downtown Markham.

In a momentous occasion, Remington Chairman and CEO Rudolph P. Bratty was honoured with the prestigious BILD Lifetime Achievement Award. A long-time member of BILD, the real estate developer and lawyer has been involved in a wide range of business ventures in a myriad of fields including residential and commercial developments, publishing, construction and finance.

"Rudy has a lifetime of achievements in this industry and the Association is so proud to recognize and congratulate him for all of his accomplishments," said BILD Chair Paul Golini Jr.

Other awards related to development included Project of the Year, recognizing the builder whose project combines the best overall marketing campaign with excellence in community and product design. Treasure Hill Developments won the low-rise category with block in Toronto's west end while Lindvest Properties took home the prize in the high-rise category for B.streets Condos at Bathurst and Bloor Streets.

The Riley Brethour Award for outstanding and consistent professional achievement in residential sales and marketing was presented to Mira Tomljenovic of In2ition Marketing Insights. Mira has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, real-estate and project management and is recognized as a leader in the real estate sales community.

In a tribute to the late Stephen Dupuis, BILD's President and CEO of over 20 years, the Association presented the inaugural Stephen Dupuis Community Building Award to The Mikey Network. The charity, founded by the Heron Group of Companies and Heathwood Homes, works to install defibrillators - called MIKEYs in memory of the late Mike Salem - in public venues so that victims of cardiac arrest have an increased chance of survival.

"This is a great example of a BILD member committed to community building through exceptional charitable and community involvement," Golini said, noting that so far, 1,200 MIKEYs have been installed saving 13 lives.

For a complete list of recipients, as well as winners from previous years, visit www.bildawards.com. You can also find additional information by visiting BILD's official blog at www.bildblogs.ca or the Association's Facebook (facebook.com/bildgta), Twitter (twitter.com/bildgta) or Youtube (youtube.com/bildgta) accounts.

With more than 1,350 members, BILD, formed through the merger of the Greater Toronto Home Builders' Association and Urban Development Institute/Ontario, is the voice of the land development, home building and professional renovation industry in the Greater Toronto Area.  BILD is proudly affiliated with the Ontario and Canadian Home Builders' Associations.

For further information:

Andrei Zaretski 
Manager, Marketing & Media Relations                                                  
416-391-3450 or 416-843-4898                                              
[e-mail]                                                    

Amy Lazar
Manager, Communications
416-391-3452 or 416-543-3903
[e-mail]