NAI Hanson's Mildred C. Hanson is awarded first Millie
By Mel Fabrikant Thursday, December 17, 2009, 03:07 PM EST
The Millie Award
"Millie's career and participation in SIOR is without equal among other female members," noted David Zimmer, SIOR, in his nomination of
Hanson. "She was a pioneer in the industry and through her success opened many doors for female real estate practitioners to follow."
The foundation conceived the award in memory of Hanson, who passed away in December 2007, and will present it, on occasion, to a female
who is an active member of SIOR, has spent a distinguished career in outstanding service to the society and has made significant strides in
the commercial real estate industry. The SIOR Foundation also created the Mildred C. Hanson, SIOR, Memorial Scholarship, an annual $3,000 cash award to further the education of an outstanding female undergraduate at a college- or university-level accredited real estate program in the United States or Canada.
Hanson joined James E. Hanson in 1973, at a time when women working on the commercial side of the industry were rare. By the end of her 34
year career, she held the title of Senior Vice President for NAI Hanson and had brokered more than $1 billion worth of deals. NAI Hanson named her Sales Associate of the Year seven times in the last 10 years of her career, and she earned the company's Most Transactions Award in 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2005, as well as its Outstanding Performance Award in 2005. Real Estate New Jersey also named her a
2006 Commercial Broker All Star. She had been an active SIOR member for over 25 years, serving as the first female president of its New
Jersey chapter, in 1989, and the first female president of The Industrial & Office Brokers Association of the New York Metropolitan Area, from 1990 to 1991.
Additionally, she was an active advocate of the performing arts-- particularly her true love, cabaret--supporting Cabaret Scenes magazine; the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, including underwriting its Hanson Award for an up-and-coming performer; and the Mabel Mercer Foundation, which produces the annual Cabaret Convention. She also served as a volunteer and advisor for The ARC, which serves children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Her husband, Peter Hanson, SIOR, chairman of NAI Hanson and past national president of each SIOR and the SIOR Foundation, as well as her daughter, Nina Berman, accepted the award on her behalf on Oct. 29, 2009, at the SIOR Fall World Conference in Toronto. Since its establishment in January 2008, the SIOR Mildred C. Hanson Award and Scholarship Fund has garnered pledges of over $360,000 from more than 100 donors.
