FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Diana Pfaff                                                                                                                                
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Melissa Cannon                                                                                                                         
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mcannon@irvingtexas.com

Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas Receives
Two First Place Distinguished Building Awards
TEXO honors excellence in construction at annual Distinguished Building Awards Competition

IRVING, Texas (April 24, 2012) - TEXO, the largest commercial contractors association in Texas, honored the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas (ICCLC) as winner of both the Building 6 / Over $75 Million and Interior / All Contract Amounts categories in the 2012 Distinguished Building Awards Competition.

TEXO announced winners for construction excellence in 30 project categories during the annual Distinguished Building Awards Night held Thursday, April 19, at the Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel. Competition winners will be featured under the awards section of TEXO's website, in TEXO's summer edition of the Contractor Magazine and other construction related publications.

ICCLC construction project manager, Austin Commercial, submitted a descriptive report explaining timeliness of project completion despite execution challenges driven by the complexity of building design, materials, engineering and location. The report also highlighted the results of a quality, finished project delivering positive environmental impact while boosting economy in the City of Irving and anchoring the community for future development.

Competition submissions completed by Austin Commercial to the Building 6 / Over $75 Million category and by LASCO, interior finish-out subcontractor for the ICCLC, to the Interior / All Contract Amounts category earned two first place awards for the center.

Following more than 12 years of planning, the copper-clad ICCLC opened in January 2011, being the first major project built under the City of Irving's MWBE policy, and first City-owned building to participate in the voluntary and technically rigorous Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process, an internationally recognized mark of excellence awarded to the center this March, identifying it as a measurably green-designed building committed to implementing green operations and maintenance solutions.

"These awards further exemplify the passion and professionalism of the entire project team that worked together to deliver this extraordinary facility to the meetings industry, and sets the standard for the 'inside and out' commitment for our own service levels, as we finish our first 15 months of operation," said Maura Allen Gast, executive director for the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau.

All Distinguished Building Award recipients qualify for submission to the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) National Excellence in Construction Awards held later this year. Only projects completed in the 2011 were eligible for 2012 competition consideration. 

About TEXO
TEXO is the largest construction association in Texas that represents commercial contractors in North and East Texas, and missions to build the best construction community through unity and leadership. TEXO is a Latin word meaning "to build, to construct, and to weave," and serves as the name for the new association formed from the consolidation of the North/East Texas Chapter of the Associated General Contractors (QUOIN) and the Associated Builders and Contractors North Texas (ABCNT). For more information, visit texoassociation.org/

About the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
Located where Highway 114 and Northwest Highway meet in Irving's Las Colinas area, the $133 million, 275,000 square-foot center takes a bold new direction in a landscape of traditionally "institutional" facilities. Its distinctive design and mission for top-quality service mirrors the sense of quality that exists in Irving's 12,000-acre Las Colinas development. For more information, visit irvingconventioncenter.com

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