RANCH RECEIVES NATIONAL LIFESTYLE HONORS

Monaca Onstad, Lakewood Ranch’s director of community relations, was named a silver award recipient for lifestyle director of the year, and Lakewood Ranch was recognized with a silver award for best lifestyle program by the National Association of Home Builders’ National Sales and Marketing Council.

The awards, known as “The Nationals,” honor the best in the building industry for “their determination, integrity, creativity and resilience.” Started in 1982 as the Institute of Residential Marketing Awards, The Nationals recognizes honorees across various disciplines of the new home industry by individuals and sales teams. During a four-day judging process, a panel of 13 industry professionals from across the country determined the award winners from a field of over 1200 entries.

Onstad has handled community relations and lifestyle programming across Lakewood Ranch since 2016, and won the gold award in 2018, and the silver honor in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside Place was awarded the silver honor for lifestyle program of the year. Waterside Place is home to the popular Lakewood Ranch Farmers’ Market and Ranch Nite Wednesdays. The lakeside town center has quickly become a beloved destination for the community since opening earlier this year.

Silver award winners are the top vote recipients in each category and are the finalists for the gold award. Gold awards in each category will be presented in February of 2022 in Orlando, Fla.

“Lifestyle is one of the primary drivers when prospective buyers are choosing where to live,” said Laura Cole, senior vice president of LWR Communities. “People select the community first, then the home. There has been a growing emphasis on creating and nurturing a multi-faceted lifestyle experience within Lakewood Ranch, including markets, sports leagues, holiday celebrations, clubs, and classes. This focus is a prime contributor to the fact that Lakewood Ranch was named the best-selling master-planned community in the country in 2021’s mid-year report.”

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About Lakewood Ranch

Lakewood Ranch is the 33,000+-acre award-winning master-planned community in Sarasota and Manatee counties on the West Coast of Florida. Just minutes from the Gulf Coast beaches and cultural assets in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch is already home to more than 50,000 residents and features A-rated schools, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, the Sarasota Polo Club, the 75-acre Premier Sports Campus, three town centers that include theaters, shopping and dining, and more than 5.5 million square feet of commercial property. For more information, visit lakewoodranch.com.

About Waterside Place

Located in the village of Waterside, Waterside Place is Lakewood Ranch’s newest town center, and the only waterfront retail and lifestyle destination in Sarasota. Waterside Place features a curated mix of food and drink, beauty and wellness, and arts and entertainment on the water’s edge of Kingfisher Lake. For more information on businesses and events visit watersideplace.com.