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Normandale Lake Office Park Announces 8200 Tower LEED Certification and New D’Amico & Partners Restaurant

MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 27, 2010) — NorthMarq today announced two new developments related to the 8200 Tower at Normandale Lake Office Park, which recently received an Award of Excellence from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP): the Tower has earned LEED Gold certification and D’Amico & Partners will open a new restaurant there in June 2010.

Owned by TIAA-CREF, the 8200 Tower was completed last year and is the new regional office for AON/Benfield. At eleven stories and 275,000 square feet, this fifth building in Normandale Lake Office Park, Minnesota’s premier suburban office complex, expands the total area to over 1.7 million square feet.

New Restaurant
D’Amico & Partners has signed a long-term lease for the first floor of the 8200 Tower. The yet-to-be named restaurant will be a new concept for D’Amico & Partners, which owns and operates other premium restaurants in Minnesota including Campiello, MASA, D’Amico Kitchen and D’Amico and Sons.

D’Amico & Partners was represented by John Johannson of Welsh Companies.

LEED Gold Certification
NorthMarq also announced that the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the 8200 Tower its LEED Gold Level certification for Core & Shell. The certification recognizes energy saving efforts related to building exteriors, including base building elements like structure and building-level systems like central HVAC. The building's high-efficiency mechanical systems, storm water design and low-emitting materials were among the key contributing factors to the LEED Gold certification. As an EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for the last two years, sustainable operating experience in energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gases is a key focus for TIAA-CREF.

“The building offers cutting edge design while being energy-efficient and socially responsible,” said Nick Stolatis, Director, Strategic Initiatives, TIAA-CREF Global Real Estate. “Reducing the environmental footprint of our real estate portfolio is central to our investment philosophy and adds value for clients and tenants and reflects the interests of our clients.”

About TIAA-CREF Global Real Estate
TIAA-CREF is one of the largest institutional real estate investors in the United States, with an approximately $55 billion global portfolio of direct and indirect investments (9/30/09). TIAA-CREF originated its first commercial mortgage in 1934 and began direct investment in commercial real estate in 1947. Today, on behalf of individuals, public and private institutions in the U.S. and abroad, TIAA-CREF Global Real Estate directly owns approximately $14 billion (9/30/09) of primarily high-quality properties in the office, retail, industrial and multifamily sectors across the U.S., Canada and Western Europe. TIAA-CREF is a national financial services organization and the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields with $402 billion in combined assets under management (9/30/09).

About NorthMarq
NorthMarq offers a full range of commercial real estate solutions from its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn. NorthMarq Real Estate Services provides brokerage, property management, tenant representation and healthcare advisory services to investors and space users in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. NorthMarq Corporate Solutions works nationally with mid-sized corporate users to manage their real estate needs. The NorthMarq Capital group offers commercial real estate investment banking, investment services, real estate debt and equity financing, and commercial loan servicing in 30 offices coast-to-coast, with an average of $10 billion in annual production volume and services a loan portfolio of more than $37 billion. For more information, please visit www.northmarq.com.

About D’Amico & Partners
D’Amico & Partners, one of the nation’s preeminent restaurant and catering developers, owns and manages 24 restaurants in Minneapolis and Florida. Their properties include: D’Amico Kitchen (1), Campiello (2), Café and Bar Lurcat (2), D’Amico & Sons (12) and MASA—featuring upscale, contemporary Mexican cuisine. The Wall Street Journal hailed MASA one of the United States “top 10 most anticipated restaurants…” when it opened.

TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, and Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., members FINRA, distribute securities products.

© 2010 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund, New York, NY 10017
C46762

Contact:
Martha Nevanen
952.893.7539
martha.nevanen@marquettere.com

Gwen Chynoweth / Keith Negrin
Maccabee Group
612.294.3131