In addition to presenting awards to three outstanding leaders and recognizing volunteers for their service over the past year, the RECA Annual Awards Luncheon featured a presentation by Keller Williams Co-founder and Chairman of the Board Gary Keller.

With interest rates poised to rise, NREI recently talked with Richard Barkham, Ph.D., executive director and global chief economist at commercial real estate services firm CBRE to discuss what lies ahead for the U.S. commercial real estate market in 2016.

As 2015 comes to a close, we're taking a look back at the most interesting technological advancements in the construction industry throughout the last year. In the past, construction was somewhat behind the times when it came to adopting new technologies. However, 2015 saw countless instances of advancements that could have major impacts on the industry. As we head into 2016 and a new year of innovation, here are the eight coolest technology stories from 2015.

The worry has turned more concrete. Commercial real-estate prices are soaring and Fed officials face the conundrum of what, if anything, to do.

There were 50 speakers and moderators and a record crowd north of 500 people at Bisnow’s annual multifamily conference in DC. We learned about new markets, design trends and what to expect in 2016. Here’s what you need to know:

Move could bring billions of dollars of additional investment into an already-robust market for office buildings, apartments and malls.

According to a new report by commercial real estate services firm JLL, the new trends have allowed some small and midsize cities to rival the larger, more established cities in drawing investment capital. These "new world" cities score high with residents and businesses for livability, sustainability and fast adaption of new technology and transportation infrastructure, says Jeremy Kelly, director of global research programs at JLL.

Toyota is closing up shop in California and moving its 3,000-employee, North American headquarters operation to Texas. That move isn't due to tax breaks or a more friendly business environment, but because of lower housing costs, according to Albert Niemi, dean of the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and an insider with knowledge of the move, Los Angeles Business News reported.

Tech companies are starting to choose San Antonio over Austin, creating a new tech hub, Kennedy Wilson managing director Ernest Brown tells us. Ernest credits San Antonio’s pricing, cost of living, influx of Millennials and culture.

A new spin on student housing is headed to the University of Texas area next fall as Austin-based developer Johnson Trube & Associates brings the eight-story development, The Corner, to West Campus. The Corner, which sits - you guessed it - on the corner of San Gabriel and 25th ½ Street, will feature 62 units with a mix of two to five bedrooms, totaling 207 beds.

Austin Towers reports that the team Capital Metro chose to head the development, led by Endeavor Real Estate Group and Columbus Realty Partners, filed site plans before Thanksgiving. Included in those plans are a new office building, about 800 apartment units (including 100 for seniors), a 55,000-square foot grocery store, 73,000 square feet of restaurant space, and about 11,000 square feet of additional retail.

Everyone knows the current technology hubs, dominated by the San Francisco area and gateway cities including New York and Boston. But as technology firms’ office rents in these regions inch close to $100 per square foot, tenants are searching for emerging markets that offer an educated talent pool coupled with lower real estate costs.

Investors are on track to buy $4.5 billion in student housing properties in 2015—up from just $3 billion the year before, according to data from commercial real estate services firm CBRE.

Thanks to BuildingGreen and Construction Dive for this list of soon-to-be-released products that hope to push the green envelope further than it has gone before.

In a new report from one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the world, Newmark, Grubb, Knight and Frank, the old model of the isolated suburban office park is already obsolete. Their report revealed that office building tenants now have already different preferences.

Stuck with a property that just won’t move? Consider throwing in a pizza oven – and maybe a little history.

Thursday, February 4, 2016
6:30 pm - 11:30 pm

JW Marriott
110 E. Second Street

RECA’s signature event, the shindig to end all shindigs, the one that started it all...KNOCKOUT NIGHT! This black-tie, fundraising gala is complete with a cocktail reception and dinner, casino gaming, entertainment and more! Sponsoring this event is a wonderful outreach opportunity to position you and your company to existing and potential customers and contacts. Proceeds from this event fund RECA's continued operations as the leading voice for commercial real estate.