Good news: the commercial real estate industry is closing the gender gap. This year, CREW Orange County's annual SPIRE Awards, which honors superior performance in real estate, celebrated the impact when have made, the growing presence of women in leadership positions and the great strides that women have made in the industry this year. Linda Padilla Smyth, the co-chair of this year's event, said that the list of nominees and winners were among the most impressive the organization has seen. "These types of events are elevating the status of females, and there are women out there that can shape the future of Orange County and the future of industry leaders," Padilla Smyth, Chapman University's director of real estate and property management, tells GlobeSt.com. "It is a good time for women. There are barriers, but we are seeing a shift in those barriers." The SPIRE Awards recognizes superior performance in a variety of commercial real estate categories. This year, American Family Housing took home Superior Performance in New Construction for its Potter's Lane project; LPA, Inc., Tangram Interiors, DPR Construction and Edwards Life Sciences won "Superior Performance in Building Renovations" for Edwards Life Sciences Starr Atrium; Howard Building Corporation, RAPT Studio, and Vans HQ received the "Superior Performance in Tenant Improvements" for Vans HQ; Savills Studley was awarded "Superior Performance in Leasing" for Cylance World Headquarters; Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Reata Glen Orange County CCRC LLC, and Spieker Senior Development Partners won "Superior Performance in Lending" for Reata Glen CCRC / The Orchards HC; Chapman University and CBRE get "Superior Performance in Sales" for Chapman Grand; Sharon Kline, Executive Vice President, CBRE Capital Markets Debt & Equity Finance received the "Superior Performance by a Woman in Commercial Real Estate" award; and Steven T. Card, Senior Managing Partner of Savills Studley was named "Superior Performance in Philanthropy." "Our particular awards program is judged by a panel of your peers, so the judges come from every walk of real estate that you can imagine, from CPAs to brokers to consultants," adds Padilla Smyth. "It is a really great detail that you are judge by such by high-caliber people for the quality of projects. It also highlights CREW Orange County, supports the narrowing the gender gap in commercial real estate. I think that it is a way to show that women are shaping the Orange County skyline." This year, one project in particular highlighted the way that women are shaping the industry. The Simpluris Tenant Improvement project, which was nominated by didn't receive an award, was created by a team of all women, from the design and architecture to the construction leadership. "That is a change. We don't usually see that. It is rare to see that happen," says Padilla Smyth. "That speaks volumes to what we are trying to do with the SPIRE Awards."