The 2014 Utah Real Estate Challenge concluded its most successful year to date with a showdown between four finalists, with the Traedmark Enterprises team ultimately winning the judges’ favor with its Crossroads development concept.

The Traedmark Enterprises team of Christian Traeden, Matt Strong and Steve Brozo took home the $20,000 prize for their idea for a townhome and apartment complex. The teams were mentored by, and ultimately judged by, a group of industry professionals from all aspects of Utah real estate.

More than 200 people attended the morning presentations of the teams’ ideas in the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building auditorium, as well as the awards luncheon in the building’s Bill and Pat Child Family Community Hall.

“This year’s Utah Real Estate Challenge featured some of the best proposals, and some of the best competition, since its inception,” said Danny Wall, director of the David Eccles School of Business’s Real Estate Development program, host organization of the competition. “Multiple universities were represented, and the students involved had a great experience.

“The Utah Real Estate Challenge is as close as you can get to the real thing in an academic setting.”

The awards ceremony featured keynote speaker Michael C. Phillips of Phillps Edison and Company, Ltd.  Phillips co-founded the company in 1991, and it is now the largest privately held owner-operator of grocery anchored shopping centers in the country. He also established PECO University, an ongoing education and development component of Phillips Edison and Co., and facilitates experiential-based training events and presentations for university-level students and industry professionals on topic ranging from real estate to leadership.

The other competitors included:

Riverfront Development; Project: Parkway Towne; Team members: Steve Somers, Zac Wright, Whitney Ward

LeVernam Development; Project: Meadow Springs Manor; Team Members: Cameron Balls, Nathan Peterson, Spencer Taylor, Levin Gunter

Innovative Development; Project name: Mountain Sunrise Academy; Team members: Catherine Harmon, John Hardy

Pictured (left to right): Dave Jackman from Zions Bank, Christian Traeden, Chris Jewett from Zions Bank, Steve Brozo and Matt Strong