NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–The commercial real estate development association NAIOP has named its finalists for Deal of the Year Awards in three categories: creative, office and industrial The awards will be given out this year at a gala on May 15 at The Palace at Somerset Park.

Also, at the 27^th annual gala Lawrence Russo, Jr. of Russo Development will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Russo's company, begun in 1969, recently completed its first data center project for Bloomberg LP, as a joint venture with Sentinel Data Centers.

The finalists for Creative Deal of the Year are:

• The rebranding and repurposing of Sanofi's former pharmaceutical research campus known as the New Jersey Center of Excellence at Bridgewater. Advance Realty plans to redevelop part of the property with residential units, a hotel, restaurants and retail. The parties involved were: Jones Lang LaSalle, Advance Realty, Sanofi, JM Zell, Ashland Inc., CrossHarbor Capital Partners, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Colliers International, Cresa NJ and Bridgewater Township.

• The sale of the former Bell Labs research facility in Holmdel for redevelopment as Bell Place, a mixed-use town center. by Somerset Development, after an 11-year struggle to define a future for the Eero Saarinen-designed property. Involved in the deal were: Somerset Development Cushman & Wakefield, Alcatel-Lucent, and Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, P.C.

The finalists for Office/Mixed Use Deal of the Year are:

• The lease of 310,000 square feet to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International at SJP Properties' Somerset Corporate Center in Bridgewater Cushman & Wakefield served as exclusive agent for Valeant. The deal, which benefited from the new Grow NJ program, retained 274 jobs in the state and will create another 550 new full-time jobs.

• GAF's acquisition of a new headquarters in Parsippany. CBRE conducted a multi-state search for a single facility where the roofing manufacturer could consolidate its current multi-building campusy. Normandy Partners is advising GAF, including acting as the project manager, on the upgrade of the new corporate headquarters.

The finalists for Industrial Deal of the Year are:

• Home Depot's lease of a half-million square feet at Federal Business Centers in Keasbey to expand its intermodal distribution capabilities. CBRE brokered the deal.

• Two build-to-suit projects at NFI Park at Florence Crossings in Florence: A 526,050-square-foot distribution center for Subaru of America and a 238,732-square-foot pharmacy fulfillment center for Express Scripts Pharmacy. Involved in the deal were: NFI, Subaru, Express Scripts, CBRE, Arco Design Build, Ware Malcomb, Taylor Wiseman & Taylor, Wells Fargo and Florence Township.