2021 ACE Nominations

Glamour, ball gowns, and paparazzi all take the back seat to honoring the very talented and simply amazing nominees for exemplary leasing, maintenance, property support, management, senior housing and affordable housing in Oregon.

The ACE Awards celebrate the front-line professionals who proudly create thriving apartment communities that are the role models for others to strive to emulate.

Jump to:

• Nomination Categories
• Nomination Submission Links
• Nominee Materials
• ACE FAQ
• Important Dates
• Nominee Luncheon
• ACE Awards Ceremony
• Sponsorship Opportunities

Nomination Categories

 Affordable Housing Manager of the Year (1-199/200 + units)
Being an Affordable Housing Manager requires strong organizational skills, keen attention to detail, full working knowledge of affordable housing program rules and excellent time management skills. This is a great way to recognize someone in your organization that works countless hours to ensure their property is always in compliance.

Assistant Manager of the Year (1-199/200 + units)
The Assistant Manager of the Year award recognizes efforts to aid the manager in outstanding performance in the operations of a property. To be successful, an Assistant Manager must have a strong commitment to leadership, resident retention, vendor management and overall property performance.

Civic Award
The Civic Award is given to those who go above and beyond in their community and through their charity efforts. Those that show care and compassion helping others will make perfect candidates for this award.

Leasing Associate of the Year (Any Size community)
This award recognizes the top performers in leasing. A good leasing person is performance driven and naturally successful because of enthusiasm for the position, follow-up, sales skills and exemplary customer service. A property cannot be successful without the commitment of a dynamic leasing person and their exceptional closing skills.

Maintenance Manager of the Year (1-99/100-199/200+ units)
Maintenance Manager of the Year will be awarded to one who has shown outstanding efforts and organizational skills and who has maintained overall property performance and appearance. This professional demonstrates a strong ability to train and mentor others. A successful Maintenance Manager leads by example, possesses good leadership skills and always gives 110%.

Maintenance Tech of the Year (1-99/100-199/200+ units)
The Maintenance Tech of the Year award was added to recognize efforts to support properties and management with outstanding performance. This person demonstrates a strong work ethic, a professional attitude and a willingness to learn from their managers to create a successful maintenance team.

Portfolio Manager of the Year (Any Size Portfolio)
This award recognizes the efforts, leadership and commitment of those Portfolio Managers whose attributes, quality and performance have helped to make their portfolio of properties and team a success. Those nominated for this award should possess exceptional leadership, property performance, financial performance and organizational skills. It is the leadership and skill set of the Portfolio Manager that motivates and inspires their team's performance. This person must have at least two years’ experience in this role.

Property of the Year (New 1-5 Years/Established 5+ Years)
This award is given to a property that is exemplary. The property that receives this award will have set the standard for property operations, curb appeal, outstanding customer service and a cohesive team that truly cares about the property's overall appearance and operations.

Property Manager of the Year (1-99/100-199/200+ units)
The Manager of the Year award recognizes outstanding performance in the operations of the property. To be successful, a Property Manager must have a strong commitment to leadership, financial performance, resident retention and overall property performance.

Rookie of the Year (Any Position)

This award is a great opportunity to recognize those individuals who have excelled within their first year and demonstrated a strong potential for long-term success in our industry. This person must have been in the industry for at least six months and have less than one years’ experience in property management.

Support Person of the Year (Any Size community)

Do you have an excellent nominee that doesn't quite fit in the categories above? Maybe it's someone in a specialized position or someone in the corporate office. Maybe they focus on single-family properties or on marketing. This is the category to shine a light on these superstars that deserve recognition.

Nomination Fee

There is a nomination fee of $70.00 for each nominee. This fee covers the nomination and judging process.

Each nominee will need to purchase a ticket to the event. This can be done individually or through the nominating company. Most companies purchase the tickets for the nominees, via purchasing a table or two.

Nomination Packets

In order to ensure the fair and thorough consideration of each nominee, nominations must be complete before being sent to the judging panel.

 A complete nomination packet includes:

• Nomination Form - worth up to 10 points
• Nominee Questionnaire - worth up to 25 points
• Letter of Recommendation– worth up to 15 points
• Photos/Site Plans (for property nominees only)

Don’t know where to start? Here are a few tips & tricks to help you.

• Show, don't just tell. Giving examples of how you excelled will help round out your responses.
• This is your time to brag about you! Tell us all of the awesome and amazing things you have accomplished.
• Get your letter of recommendation from someone who has the time to write a complete recommendation. You are judged on the content of this letter.
• Get a co-worker or friend to run you through a few interview questions before you record your audio submission or have your phone interview.
• Start thinking about your experiences over the last few years, good ones and bad ones, this way when you are asked questions you will have a story that will immediately come to mind.
• If you want to win you need to complete your full nominee packet.
• When in doubt ask your nominator. They believe in you and want you to win!

ACE FAQ

What are the ACE Awards?

The first ACE Awards were introduced in 2000 at a luncheon to honor outstanding professionals in the local multifamily industry. In 2002, the event was moved to a dinner at the Embassy Suites. In 2004, the Ross Dey Award was added to honor an individual who exhibits professionalism and leadership and contributes to the credibility and betterment of the property management industry. In 2008, the Sally Johnson award was introduced for an industry supplier who continually shows support of the Association in the community and is a resource to the Association and the industry through their volunteer efforts. The ACE committee chose to take a hiatus in 2011 and spent a year and a half updating and revamping the nomination and award process. The result of this effort was a stunning return in 2012 at the Portland Art Museum. Since 2012, we have held the event at the Portland Marriott and the World of Speed. For 2021 our event will be hosted by NW Events at their venue in Hillsboro. 

 Who can be nominated for an ACE Award?

ACE Award nominees encompass a wide array of Property Management employees. We encourage companies to nominate at all levels, from on-site leasing staff to portfolio managers. The titles may differ across companies, but generally ACE nominees are: Leasing Agents, Maintenance Technicians, Assistant Managers, Maintenance Supervisors, Managers and Portfolio Managers. The nominating company must be a current member with Multifamily NW. 

How many nominees are in each category?

Nominations vary across categories but average about 15-30 per grouping. Companies may only nominate 8 employees and no more than 2 per category.

How are the winners chosen?

Winners are determined by a tabulation of the scores from the nomination questionnaire, nominee questionnaire, phone interview and letters of recommendation for a possible score of 75 points.

Once the nominee packet is completed, all specific nominee & company information is redacted from all documents. The nominee questionnaire and the letters of recommendation are sent to out-of-state judges. They make their decision based only on the information provided with no background about the individual or company. The phone interviews are completed by Multifamily NW staff and not seen by the out-of-state judges.

Our judging panel consists of volunteers from Apartment Associations across the country. We strive to keep the anonymity of our nominees and using out-of-state judges helps us accomplish this goal.

The scores are combined and sent to an accounting firm who will determine the winners based upon the total scores. The accounting firm will provide the winners in sealed envelopes that will not opened until the winner is announced on stage the night of the ceremony.

UPDATED - Important Dates for the 2021 Event

• Nomination Open Now

• Nomination Deadline 9/3/2021

• Nominee Submission Window 9/7/2021 to 9/28/2021

                           (This is the dovument the nominees submits for judging)

• Judging 10/4/2021 to 10/18/2021

• Scores to Accounting Firm 10/22/2021

• Nominee Luncheon 10/29/2021

• Sponsorship Registration Open Now

• Attendee Registration opens 9/1/2021

ACE Awards Ceremony

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Sponsorship Opportunities

Download our sponsorship flyer