REIT INDUSTRY HONORS HENRY AND BULLER WITH LEADERSHIP AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
NAREIT Awards Recognize Career Contributions of Industry Leaders
PHOENIX, AZ, Nov. 15 —The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) today presented its 2016 Industry Leadership Award to David B. Henry, Co-Founder of Peaceable Street Capital and retired Vice Chairman, President and CEO of Kimco Realty Corp. NAREIT also presented its 2016 Industry Achievement Award to Steven Buller, Portfolio Manager at Fidelity Investments.
The NAREIT Industry Leadership Award is presented annually to a REIT executive who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the growth and betterment of the industry. The award is presented in memory of Edward H. Linde, the late CEO of Boston Properties.
Henry served at Kimco for 15 years, joining as CIO in April 2001, adding the role of Vice Chairman to his duties a month later, becoming President in 2008, and succeeding co-founder Milton Cooper as CEO in 2009. He is credited with refocusing Kimco’s strategy on its core community shopping center operations and deftly steering the company through the Great Recession. He also served as NAREIT’s First Vice Chair in 2015, and as a member of NAREIT’s Executive Board.
“David has been a strong supporter of NAREIT’s policy outreach initiatives and our efforts to take the REIT story to Capitol Hill,” said Timothy J. Naughton, Chairman and CEO of AvalonBay Communities, Inc., and NAREIT’s 2017 Chair, who presented the award. “His efforts have helped build a better understanding of our industry and the REIT approach to real estate investment among policymakers.”
The NAREIT Industry Achievement Award given to Buller this year is presented annually to professionals serving the REIT Industry whose acumen and integrity have helped heighten awareness and understanding of the value of REITs and publicly traded real estate. The award is presented in memory of E. Lawrence Miller, the former CEO of one of the industry’s first REITs, Bradley Real Estate Trust.
“Steve Buller is a 24-year veteran of Fidelity. When he took over Fidelity’s dedicated REIT fund management in the early 1990s, he was one of the earliest REIT fund managers,” said Edward J. Fritsch, President and CEO of Highwoods Properties and NAREIT’s 2016 Chair, who presented the award.
“As a pioneer in REIT fund management, he played an important role in providing access to the public investment capital that fueled the growth of the REIT industry at the start of the Modern REIT Era,” Fritsch said. “He also has been a committed advocate for REITs in the investment community beyond Fidelity.”
Both awards were presented at REITWorld 2016, NAREIT’s Annual Convention for All Things REIT in Phoenix.