NAIOP at Hyatt Regency
By Jeremy Roseman at ringside.
On Thursday, May 14, 2009, NAIOP SoCal’s Night at the Fights marked its two-decade milestone at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom in Irvine. Known for networking, boxing and cigars, the annual black-tie gala is considered the industry’s premier event. This year, hundreds of commercial real estate professionals joined together to watch three boxing matches, including two Title Fights that were awarded to one male and one female boxer. More than entertainment, the event has come to symbolize the best in real estate networking. This year, the NAIOP SoCal chapter honored the past 20 years of event chairpersons as well as invited the chapter’s last two decades’ presidents as part of the milestone recognition.
In the opening fight of the evening, Ludwin Mondragon (0-1) of Santa Ana took on Misael Martinez (0-4) of Los Angeles, in a three round exhibition bout at the 115 pound limit. In a special “You Be the Judge” contest, fight fans in attendance voted on the winner at the end of each round, with the winner pocketing an extra $100 cash. With the extra incentive at stake, both fighters came out swinging for the fences, having the NAIOP crowd on their feet from start to finish. Mondragon won the contest by way of split decision.
In the 108 pound Women’s Title bout, Melissa McMorrow (2-1) of San Jose won a hard fought six round split decision to claim the vacant Women's NAIOP Championship over defending Marconi Champion Suzannah Warner (8-7-1, 2 KO’s) of New York. Having taken the fight on short notice, this was McMorrow’s second fight in two weeks, as she improved to (3-1), while Warner fell to (8-8-1, 2 KO’s).
In the 131 pound Men’s Title bout, undefeated Robert Vargas (2-0-1) of Santa Ana kept his winning streak alive over Edgar Portillo (4-1, 3 KO’s) of Odessa, Texas by way of split decision, to claim the vacant Men’s NAIOP Championship. In what could have been considered the fight of the night, both fighters came out slugging from the opening bell, with the intentions of going home with the belt. Vargas, who suffered a cut over his right eye early on in the battle, did not let the blood interfere with his vision as he kept his eye on the prize, improving to (3-0-1), while Portillo dropped to (4-2, 3 KO’s).
Night at the Fights is an annual fundraiser for NAIOP SoCal’s legislative advocacy efforts, raising funds for efforts that protect and enhance the regional business climate in Southern California. The chapter will allocate these proceeds in support of legislative affairs and issues affecting the commercial real estate industry including the State of California budget crisis, opposition to the SB 375 global warming mandate and California’s water supply and infrastructure problems. As part of the event, the chapter will donate $10,000 to the Building Block Foundation Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together the real estate community to support at-risk youth in Orange County.
Some contributions by the OC Register.
