(Omaha World Herald) Seven men who have helped drive Omaha's growth and commercial development — a few bankers, apartment developers, a lawyer and a builder — have been selected as the newest members of the Commercial Real Estate Summit Hall of Fame
The 2014 inductees, nominated by peers and then picked by a committee of brokers, lawyers, architects, developers and other professionals in the industry, will be honored April 4 during the 25th annual commercial real estate conference at the CenturyLink Center Omaha (registration and information at AttendCRESummit.com.
The 2014 inductees, nominated by peers and then picked by a committee of brokers, lawyers, architects, developers and other professionals in the industry, will be honored April 4 during the 25th annual commercial real estate conference at the CenturyLink Center Omaha (registration and information at AttendCRESummit.com.
The hall of fame dates to 2003 and recognizes individuals and their companies for contributing to the state's growth through construction, banking, law and development.
This year's honorees:
» Tom Fellman and Howard Kooper, owners of Broadmoor Development, have built about 6,500 apartments from Lincoln to Des Moines, including luxury apartments at Aksarben Village and One Pacific Place. Both have been instrumental in the growth of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Omaha.
» Sid Dinsdale, chairman of Pinnacle Bancorp Inc., has led his bank in lending to commercial real estate development projects in the Lincoln and Omaha areas as well as across the state of Nebraska.
» Bruce Lauritzen, chairman of First National of Nebraska, led construction of the city's tallest building, First National Tower. He also helped lead the redevelopment of 14 downtown blocks, created two downtown parks open to the public and sponsored the creation of the Lauritzen Gardens.
» Steve Robinson, president of FWBank (First Westroads Bank), specializes in commercial real estate lending and has been involved in major Omaha area developments and in apartment projects that have helped stabilize downtown Omaha's residential market.
» Jerry Slusky, a partner with Omaha's Smith Gardner Slusky law firm, specializes in real estate planning and financing and is one of six Nebraskans to be inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. He founded the Commercial Real Estate Summit, now in its 25th year, and is a certified mediator.
» Ken Stinson, chairman emeritus of Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc., helped spearhead a $75 million private fundraising drive to help build Omaha's convention center and, as chairman of the Ak-Sar-Ben Future Trust, oversaw decisions that helped revitalize the former racetrack into a thriving business, recreational and educational complex.