CHICAGO, IL - Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, a national full-service real estate firm, is pleased to announce two employees recently received individual accolades for their work in the industry. Colleen Needham, assistant vice president and regional manager, was recognized with a Multi-Housing News Excellence Award as Property Manager of the Year, and Tasha Rush, property manager at the company’s Aspire Residences in Chicago, was honored with a Real Estate Management Excellence (REME) Award as ARM® of the Year by the Institute for Real Estate Management (IREM) at its October Global Summit in Dallas.
“Our employees have always been the foundation of our firm’s success, so we are gratified to see Colleen and Tasha honored for their individual accomplishments and commitment to their respective positions,” said Julie Stevlingson, senior vice president and director of management services at Chicago-based Draper and Kramer. “They are two of the best in the business, displaying their dedication to addressing resident needs, providing excellent customer service and improving efficiencies at our properties on a daily basis, and exemplifying the hard work it takes to be impactful leaders in this industry.”
A 22-year veteran of the real estate industry, Needham joined Draper and Kramer in 2009 as property manager at Brook Run Apartments in Arlington Heights, Ill. She was promoted in December 2021 to regional manager, a role in which she oversees multiple apartment communities within the firm’s portfolio, including Lake Meadows Apartments in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, 1350-1360 N. Lake Shore Drive in the Gold Coast and Aspire Residences in the South Loop.
Needham is a Certified Property Manager (CPM), Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) and Certified Association Manager (CAM) through IREM as well as a licensed broker with the National Association of REALTORS®. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago.
As property manager at Draper and Kramer’s Aspire Residences, Rush oversees day-to-day management of the 24-story, 275-unit rental tower at 2111 S. Wabash Ave. in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. She joined Draper and Kramer in the summer of 2022. She previously spent six years as assistant property manager at a subsidized senior housing community in Bolingbrook, Ill.
Rush serves as a member of IREM’s national board of directors, where she is chair of the DEI Committee, and also chairs the Social Media Committee for IREM’s Chicago chapter. She is a graduate of Columbia College and is currently pursuing her Certified Property Manager designation through IREM.
About Draper and Kramer, Incorporated: Founded in 1893, Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, is a trusted financial and property services provider with a deep commitment to people, excellence, service and integrity spanning more than 125 years. Family-owned and one of the leading privately held real estate services firms in the U.S., Draper and Kramer is headquartered in Chicago with a national reach and broad offering of services. The company’s decades-long heritage has evolved over the years and today spans expertise in residential and commercial development, acquisition, property management and leasing; debt and equity financing for commercial properties; and residential mortgage services through affiliate Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. Draper and Kramer provides a single source of real estate-related counsel to a diverse group of real estate investors across the U.S., including corporations; private and institutional owners and users of real estate; government agencies; and foundations. For more information, visit www.draperandkramer.com