March 1, 2024 – Tennessee Housing Development Agency has named four individuals and organizations as winners of the 2024 Tennessee’s Best awards.
The Tennessee’s Best awards honor outstanding contributors on behalf of affordable housing, whether producing, designing, developing, financing, promoting housing policy or inspiring others to serve Tennesseans’ housing needs. The winners were recognized at the 2024 Tennessee Housing Conference held on Feb. 29-March 1 in Nashville.
“The Tennessee’s Best awards recognize and honor those who are working to expand access to affordable housing throughout the state,” THDA Executive Director Ralph Perrey said. “These award winners embody that spirit and have helped Tennessee make great strides towards providing more affordable housing options.”
Winners for the 2024 Tennessee’s Best awards and their category include:
Regional Impact Award: ALCO Management in Memphis, Tenn., for utilizing over $36 million in tax credit and bond equity from THDA to renovate four properties and over 400 units of affordable housing for low-income individuals and families in Chattanooga, Madison, McEwen, and Jellico.
Neighborhood Stabilization Award: First Creek at Austin, a Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation property in Knoxville, is a three-phase redevelopment that serves as the city’s first mixed-income, affordable housing community. The first two phases of the project utilized over $104 million in funding through THDA's Low Income Housing Credit and Community Investment Tax Credit programs.
Legacy Award: Joe Torrence, appointed the first executive director of THDA when it was created in 1973, was recognized for his five-decade career working to increase meaningful access to affordable housing through work in both the public and private sectors.
Director’s Award: Archie Willis of Memphis’ ComCap Partners, for leading his firm’s affordable housing, community development and real estate development activities, providing services to numerous nonprofit sponsors and private developers in financing more than 4,200 units of affordable housing and 1,100 units of mixed-income multifamily housing.
