WASHINGTON (May 18, 2020) – Savills received the top DC transaction awards from the Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Association (CREBA) in Washington, DC. The CREBA Annual Awards competition is open exclusively to CREBA members and recognizes remarkable sales and leasing performance in the DC area. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, the award winners were announced in a series of virtual announcements.

Scott Hoffman and Tyler Bensten earned the Lease Transaction of the Year Award for their work on behalf of EAB Global and its 150,000-square-foot lease at 2445 M Street, NW. Savills advisors Ben Plaisted and Greg Scheipers were awarded Lease Transaction of the Year (under 75,000 square feet) for efforts on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) at 1000 F Street, NW.

Representing EAB, Hoffman and Bensten simultaneously arranged a lease bifurcation, lease termination, lease assignment and a new lease, providing the education consulting firm nearly $100 million in real estate cost savings. The multifaceted process resulted in the disposition of a 137,000-square-foot lease via a lease amendment and assignment to WeWork at 655 New York Avenue, NW; the giveback of 65,000 square feet via a termination with Brookfield/Jemal; and a 150,000-square-foot new lease at 2445 M Street, NW. Hoffman was also named a CREBA top leasing agent for 2019 and Bensten was honored as a top leasing agent 35 years old or younger. This recognition comes after Hoffman and Bensten were awarded Lease Transaction of the Year by the Washington Business Journal in 2019 for their work on behalf of Williams & Connolly for the law firm’s office lease at the Wharf on D.C.’s Southwest waterfront. 

Plaisted and Scheipers completed a long-term, 20,400-square-foot lease to relocate RIAA to 1000 F Street, NW, an 11-story, boutique trophy office building located in the heart of the East End/Penn Quarter neighborhood. The building offered acoustical performance space via a 4,000-square-foot, column-free mezzanine between the 2nd and 3rd floors, with exposed brick, 20-foot ceilings and historic elements perfect for RIAA’s frequent musical performances. The team negotiated a termination of RIAA’s existing lease two years early without penalties and a sublease assignment two years prior to its expiration.

For the full list of the 2020 CREBA award winners, visit: https://www.crebaannualawards.org/