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The Association of Defense Communities has awarded Ford Island Properties, LLC the 2012 Base Redevelopment Innovation award, and Steve Colon, President of the Hawaii development division of Hunt Companies, the 2012 Private Sector Leader of the Year for his work on Ford Island. The awards were presented at the ADC Annual Conference in Monterey, California on August 6th. ADC is the nation’s leading association representing U.S. communities and states with a significant military presence. The Base Redevelopment Innovation Award recognizes a base redevelopment community that has launched a specific project/initiative that represents a significant innovation or a new approach for dealing with an issue common to other base redevelopment communities. The Private Sector Leader of the Year award recognizes an individual from the private sector whose achievements have helped further the goals of defense communities. “Particularly as a retired Navy Captain, it has been an honor to be part of the revitalization of Ford Island and I have been grateful for such involved and willing partners on this project,” said Steve Colón, president of the Hawaii development division of Hunt Companies. “From our partners in Ford Island Properties, Fluor Federal Services to our local congressional delegation – especially Senator Inouye and former Congressman (and now Governor) Abercrombie – to our Navy partners, nothing could have been achieved without their forward-thinking, innovative and committed participation.” The unique public-private partnership with the U.S. Navy was unprecedented and highlights Hunt’s ability to provide innovative solutions in response to changing circumstances. Redevelopment of the island by Ford Island Properties, a joint venture between an affiliate of Hunt Cos. and Fluor Federal Services, enabled the Navy to fulfill its goal to increase naval activities, provide housing for military personnel and provide for the immediate and future development of Ford Island without using taxpayers’ dollars or congressional appropriations. The Navy selected the development team to improve the infrastructure at Ford Island, an active facility located in Pearl Harbor, in exchange for other Navy properties on Oahu. Under the partnership, Ford Island Properties designed, financed and built significant infrastructure improvements on the island, including upgrades to its roads, and electrical, communications and sewage systems. The project also constructed 231 new homes for military personnel and their families. Ford Island’s former theatre was transformed into a 21,000 square foot, $14 million, state-of-the-art conference center. Other achievements include leasing three vintage hangars to establish the Pacific Aviation Museum, and renovating and leasing Ford Island’s iconic control tower to the museum. The effort to upgrade the island’s infrastructure also included development of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 310,000-square-foot LEED Platinum facility on a 30-acre campus. Another project completed was the Ford Island Historic Trail, a 4.5-mile interpretive trail that showcases the historic events that occurred on Ford Island during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The development team relied on a unique labor agreement to employ union and non-union workers on the project, creating a uniform set of rules for dispute resolution. The redevelopment of Ford Island is an example of how federal, state and local partners can come together to create a thriving community. ABOUT HUNT Founded in 1947, and operating in Hawai‘i since 1991, Hunt Companies, Inc. is a leading national real estate company dedicated to building values through development, investment, and management. Hunt is focused in the core areas of public private partnership, military housing, community development, real asset investment management and multifamily housing. Hunt and its affiliates have $13 Billion Assets Under Management. These assets include 144,583 multi-family housing units and 8.3 million square feet of office, retail and industrial properties. Hunt has also developed 89,000 housing units, over 1 million square feet of commercial space and thousands of acres of land. Development project costs have totaled more than $6.3 billion with more than $8.2 billion in construction costs. Visit www.huntcompanies.com to learn more about Hunt, its heritage and commitment to values that build.