Carlson Real Estate Company: Four-Time Recipient of National "A List" Award

April 3, 2009 – Minnetonka, MN—Carlson Real Estate Company has been awarded the National Commercial Real Estate Customer Service Award for Excellence – Category IV for 2008. This is the fourth time that the company has received this “A List” Award. Carlson Real Estate Company has been recognized as the “Best in the Industry” for demonstrating outstanding management performance and providing a premier quality of service which achieved the highest levels of satisfaction amongst its tenants.

This exclusive recognition is awarded annually to surveyed real estate firms that provide superior service to their customers. Each year CEL & Associates, Inc. compiles customer satisfaction survey data from thousands of buildings and communities to determine which real estate organizations and properties are indeed the “Best in the Industry”. CEL & Associates, Inc.'s National Real Estate "A List" Awards for Service Excellence are awarded to those clients who truly provide a superior level of service.

“We are thrilled that our company has once again been recognized for providing exceptional customer service. Each and every Carlson Real Estate Company employee contributes to our overall success and I would like to thank them for their sincere efforts and for another award-winning year,” said Janet Herlyck, Senior Director of Carlson Real Estate Company’s Phoenix portfolio. “I would also like to thank our tenants for taking the time to complete the survey and for providing valuable commentary on the level of service they receive every day at our properties.”

Carlson Real Estate Company received the award at the company-wide level and 14 of its properties received the individual property-level award. The properties earning the “A List” designation for 2008 in the Minneapolis, Minnesota market were 301 & 401 Carlson Parkway, Carlson Center East I & II, One &Two Carlson Parkway and Plaza Seven, in the greater Phoenix, Arizona market were Cotton Corporate Center Office, Cotton Corporate Center Flex, Cotton Corporate Center III, Cotton Center IV, Warner Business Center and West 101 Business Center and in Charlotte, North Carolina was CLT Logistics Center.

“We are honored to be considered among the best commercial real estate owners and managers in the nation,” said Kris Harris, Senior Director of Carlson Real Estate Company’s Minneapolis area properties. “It speaks very well of the emphasis we place on building positive, long-lasting relationships with our tenants and putting their needs at the top of our priority list on a daily basis.  We are very pleased to hear that our efforts have been recognized by our tenants.” 

Carlson Real Estate Company iis an affiliate of Carlson, a global group of integrated companies providing hotel, marketing, restaurant and travel services directly to consumers, corporations and government entities. Carlson Real Estate Company is dedicated to developing long-term client relationships by operating with caring and integrity and providing innovative and accommodating solutions. Its portfolio of office and flex/industrial space concentrated in Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina exceeds 6 million combined square feet. For more information about Carlson Real Estate Company, visit www.carlsonrealestate.biz.

CEL & Associates, Inc. is the nation’s largest surveyor of customer satisfaction within the real estate industry. The firm specializes in providing the real estate industry with: strategic planning services; benchmarking and client/customer satisfaction surveys; compensation program assessment and data; leadership training; and operational audits that increase their clients bottom line. Serving the needs of over 500 clients in the U.S., Canada and Europe, CEL & Associates, Inc.’s advice, guidance, data, forecasts, insights and predictions have become integral components in the 24/7 business operations of its clients. For over 30 years, the principals of CEL & Associates, Inc. have been in the business of recommending solutions on complex and challenging issues; improving its client’s profitability, performance and productivity; supplying proprietary data and information needed by its clients to make important strategic, investment and leadership decisions; and creating innovative strategies and operational improvement recommendations that give its clients a competitive edge. Many of its strategies, benchmarks and solutions have become industry standards. For additional information, go to www.celassociates.com.