The Chicago-area commercial real estate community channeled its competitive spirit for a good cause as teams of athletes from 14 companies competed in this year’s second annual JDRF Real Estate Games on May 16. The event raised a total of over $245,000 to help find a cure for Type One Diabetes (T1D), thanks to the competitors and another 18 companies that joined in the Games as sponsors.

For the second straight year, the team from HFF took top bragging rights in the competition at the Fitness Formula Club Union Station. The team from theMART raised the most funds. After the Games, the 112 "athletes" and their cheering sections gathered at the Little Toasted Restaurant to toast the winners and celebrate surpassing the event’s fundraising goal of $220,000.

“We are pleased and honored that the JDRF Chicago Real Estate Games has become such a successful event,” said Rich Plonsker, co-chair of the Chicago Games organizing committee. “The $245,000 we raised for research is a testament to people affected by this disease. We are committed to finding a cure and feel privileged to be able to do our part to reach that goal along with the JDRF and an incredible group of our real estate industry colleagues.”

JDRF is the leading global organization funding T1D research. Using a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion, and energy, JDRF has raised more than $2 billion for research into the disease.

Co-chair Matt Cohen added, “We have come a long way in the search for a cure for T1D, but we are not there yet. We have more work to do through events like the Real Estate Games to raise more money to push the research forward.”

Savills is the Founding Partner of The JDRF Real Estate Games. The Games were started in 1990 in Washington, DC by Adam Singer of Savills’ Suburban Washington office. Adam is a member of the International Board of JDRF and The Games have raised $10M over the years. He is the Honorary Chair of this year’s 30th DC Games. John Johnson of Savills’ New York office is the co-chair of this year’s fourth annual JDRF Real Estate Games in New York on June 13. The Games will expand to another ten cities by 2021 with the leadership of Savills professionals in each city.

Participating teams included Avison Young, CBRE, CIBC, Cushman & Wakefield, Golub & Company, HFF, JLL, Leopardo Construction, theMART, Pearlmark, Riverside Investment and Development, Savills, Telos, and White & Case. Sponsors included Bear Construction, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, CIBC, Cushman & Wakefield, EQ Office, ESD, Fried Frank, Gensler, Hearn Company, The Hill Group, Industrious, The John Buck Company, Locke Lord LLP, theMART, Pearlmark, Project Management Advisors, R2 Companies, SunTrust, Thomas M. Tully & Associates, Titan Electric, and View.