Top Company 2023: Real Estate

Now in its 36th year, ColoradoBiz magazine’s Top Company Awards program recognizes businesses and organizations based in Colorado or with a significant presence in the state that are leading the way in their fields, as demonstrated by financial performance, notable company achievements and community engagement.

To be considered, Top Company entrants submitted applications throughout the year online at ColoradoBiz.com. From those entries, which numbered in the hundreds, the magazine’s editorial board narrowed the field to three finalists (in most cases) in each industry category. A judging panel made up of area business leaders and ColoradoBiz staff then met to compare notes on the finalists and decide winners in 14 industries plus the Startup category, for companies in business four years or less.

Congratulations are in order not only to the 41 winners and finalists profiled on the following pages, but to all the companies that took the time to tell us about their achievements and obstacles surmounted over the past year that make them worthy of Top Company consideration.

READ: Fall 2023 Issue — Top Company Awards, Inside the CHIPS and SCIENCE Act, and More

WINNER 

Atlas Real Estate

Denver, CO

Website: realatlas.com

Founded in Denver in 2013, Atlas transacts more than $1 billion in real estate annually and manages more than 8,500 residential units. Since its founding, Atlas has expanded to markets in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Kansas, Missouri, Idaho and Texas. 

The 227-employee firm touts a program called Uplifting Humanity through Real Estate, dedicated to helping clients build wealth through the firm’s core services: investment; property management; institutional acquisition; and buy/sell brokerage services. 

Three years ago, Atlas introduced the Uplift Cycle, a concerted effort to help renters become homeowners and homeowners become investors in real estate.  The message Atlas shares with new residents when they move into an Atlas-managed property is they have a shared goal that their next move is into a home that they own.  In 2022, Atlas introduced an initiative focused on the single-family homes they own and manage that provides a pathway for a resident to earn the equivalent of a 3.5 percent down payment over a four-year period of renting from Atlas. 

Through the Atlas Uplift program in 2023, 82 homeowners bought their first investment; 1,800 residents expressed interest in moving from renter to homeowner, and four Atlas team members invested in their first home.  

Also, in 2022, Atlas fulfilled a long-time goal of launching a new business segment to make a meaningful impact on the environment – Net Energy.  Net Energy works with owners of single-family rental properties to make property improvements that drastically reduce carbon emissions and other resource consumption while increasing the value of the property for the investor. 

Additionally, Atlas is leveraging new technologies to create a more efficient environment for clientse — renters and property owners. For example, Atlas has embraced innovative solutions that make security deposits easier on residents; provided options on rent payment management and automation; and offered upgrades that include smart home technology. 

FINALISTS 

NAI Shames Makovsky

Denver, CO

Website: naishamesmakovsky.com

Founded by Motty Shames and Evan Makovsky in 1971, NAI Shames Makovsky is a full-service commercial real estate firm offering brokerage, development, property management, and lending for retail, business office, medical office and industrial properties. 

NAI Shames Makovsky is part of NAI Global, the single largest global network of commercial real estate firms in the world. 

In the last 16 months, the property management team at NAI Shames Makovsky has tripled its existing portfolio to include more than 3 million square feet of properties across the Denver area.  

NAI Shames Makovsky also recently won the Denver Metro Commercial Association of Realtors’ “Retail Deal of the Year” award for the sale of a property in Five Points. The sale of the approximately 97,103 square-foot property is part of a larger deal between a national real estate owner, operator and developer and Volunteers of America Colorado, a nonprofit with a mission to support Colorado’s most underserved residents with food resources and services. NAI Shames Makovsky has a long history of working with mission-driven organizations such as VOA Colorado to help them map out their real estate needs and make smart decisions for their future. This deal exemplifies the team’s creativity and expertise in bringing two strong community-minded clients to navigate a complex yet successful deal that will benefit both VOA Colorado and the neighborhood. 

Aimco

Denver, CO

Website: aimco.com

Aimco (Apartment Investment & Management Co.) invests primarily in the multifamily sector within targeted U.S. markets. Its vision is to be best-in-class real estate investors, developers and portfolio managers, committed to strong financial performance and outstanding corporate citizenship. 

The primary focus of publicly traded Aimco (NYSE: AIV) is on value-add and opportunistic multifamily investments located in the following target markets: South Florida, Denver and Washington, D.C. metro areas. 

The Denver-based company boasts a workforce rich with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, including 67 percent women in executive management; 43 percent women and racial/ethnic minorities in senior leadership positions; and 53 percent women and racial/ethnic minorities companywide. Aimco’s 2022 team engagement survey resulted in a record 4.52 out of five stars, with a record 92% of employees responding.  

Aimco’s parental leave program offers both mothers and fathers 16 paid weeks to take care of their biological or adopted children.