Industrial News

Charlotte, which is the center of the largest metropolitan region between Washington, DC, and Atlanta, enjoys one of the United States’ most vibrant economies. The second largest banking center in the country, Charlotte is characterized by continued population growth, continued new job creation and low unemployment. The 13-county Charlotte metro region has a population of over 2.4 million, and the third healthiest housing market in the nation. Meanwhile, the solid real estate market here has attracted many of the country’s major home builders and developers.

The awards ceremony, which was held at the Westin Hotel in Uptown Charlotte, honors the region’s best and brightest builders, developers, sales teams, new communities and their marketing initiatives. Rhein Medall’s Developer of the Year award reflects their work at The Palisades – their nationally-acclaimed master-planned golf community above Lake Wylie in southwest Charlotte -- as well as their work developing several other of the region’s most successful residential communities, including Dominion at Highland Creek in Cabarrus County, Heydon Hall in Charlotte, MacAulay in Huntersville, and Cannon Crossing in Concord.

Eleven of the awards won by Rhein Medall were for The Palisades. At the awards ceremony, The Palisades won the Gold award for Community of the Year, and also won ten marketing awards.

Below is a full list of the awards won by Rhein Medall at the 2008 MAMEs:

* Gold - Developer of the Year – Rhein Medall Communities

* Gold - Community of the Year - The Palisades

* Gold - Marketing Campaign of the Year/Developer - The Palisades

* Gold - Best Website/Developer -- The Palisades

* Gold - Best Brochure for a Community -- $500,000 - $750,000 – The Palisades (for The Palisades Magazine)

* Gold - Best Community Signage/Developer -- The Palisades

* Gold - DVD of the Year/Developer – “The Reel Life at the Palisades”

* Gold - E-blast of the Year/ Developer – The Palisades

* Silver - Print Ad/ Developer - The Palisades

* Gold - Public Service Event of the Year – Project PinStripes House – The Palisades

* Gold - Broker Outreach/Developer- The Palisades Realty Guild

* Gold - Best TV Commercial/Developer – The Palisades, Charlottesfuture.com

The awards reflect the continued success of Rhein Medall and The Palisades in the Charlotte regional real estate market. In 2007, The Palisades led luxury home sales in the Mecklenburg County section of the southwest growth corridor with $41 million in sales. The Palisades opened in 2004 and has consistently been southwest Charlotte’s leader in luxury home sales since the community’s inception. In 2007, Rhein Medall saw strong sales in several of their other communities, including Dominion at Highland Creek.

The Palisades Magazine and “The Reel Life” – which both won MAME Gold awards -- can be viewed online at www.thepalisades.info.

“We strive to create communities that reflect our unwavering commitment to quality and attention to the needs of their residents,” said Jim Medall, president of Rhein Medall Communities. “In order to tell the story, much of our company’s focus is on the marketing and positioning of our communities. It is an honor to have our peers recognize our efforts.”

For additional information about Rhein Medall Communities and The Palisades, contact Glenna Musante at 919 604-7213.

The Palisades™ (www.thepalisades.info) Charlotte’s 2007 Community of the Year will be comprised of over 30 distinct neighborhoods woven together by several miles of rustic nature trails designed to accommodate horseback riding, cyclists and hikers. In addition, The Palisades offers a wider array of lifestyle amenities than any other new community in the Charlotte region. This includes the Palisades Episcopal School, a soccer training facility, an equestrian center, The Palisades Boat Club, The Palisades Country Club, with its private Nicklaus Design championship golf course, and the Tim Wilkison Signature Sports Complex, which offers a wide array of family-focused tennis, swimming and fitness programs. The Palisades is also home to The Championships at The Palisades, an annual championship pro tennis tournament featuring legendary tennis players over the age of 30, such as Jim Courier and Pete Sampras. In July of 2006, The Palisades became the first golf course community in North Carolina –and one of only five in the world – to earn designation as a Gold Audubon International Signature Sanctuary. Palisades Realty (704 583-1111) represents many of the builders at The Palisades and can provide additional information on homes available in the new neighborhoods.

Rhein Medall Communities (www.rheinmedall.com), Charlotte’s Developer of the Year for 2005, 2006 and 2007, is nationally recognized for building master-planned communities that are both commercially successful and based on environmentally sensitive land planning. This includes working with the natural topography of the land, respecting the natural beauty of the landscape and weaving trees and open space into each community design. The winner of the National Arbor Day Foundation’s prestigious Building With Trees Awards of Excellence and as the developer of one of the first Audubon International Gold Signature Sanctuary golf communities in the world, Rhein Medall is a leader in the field of environmentally-sensitive land development. Known for crafting carefully thought out, innovative, award-winning neighborhoods, Rhein Medall is dedicated to setting the standard for the industry by creating communities in all price categories that consistently offer superior value, designed to surpass the test of time.