With Cushman & Wakefield brokers quarterbacking each transaction, deals for Nike and the National Football League won the city’s top retail brokerage prizes for 2016.
The Real Estate Board of New York’s retail awards were handed out on Tuesday evening to Joanne Podell of Cushman & Wakefield for the Nike transaction at 650 Fifth Ave., and to Kenji R. Ota, also of Cushman & Wakefield, for the NFL deal at the upcoming 20 Times Square.
Thirteen entrants were vying for the two awards.
Podell took home the key award for the Most Ingenious Retail Deal of the Year that demonstrates exceptional broker acumen including ingenuity and creativity.
Her intriguing entry was titled, “From the Back of a Napkin to a Flagship: How Ice Cream Sundaes Brought Nike to 650 Fifth Avenue.”
First-time winner Ota, an executive director, took home the Most Significant Retail Deal of the Year, which recognizes the overall characteristics and importance of a deal to the New York City retail market.
His entry was titled, “Finding the Endzone — How the NFL Connected with Cirque du Soleil for a Times Square Touchdown” at 701 Seventh Ave., aka 20 Times Square.
Opening in November, the NFL Experience will bring visitors “on a hero’s journey where they enter as a fan, become a player and leave a champion.”
