Pat Halter, CEO of Principal Real Estate Investors, recently received an honorable mention for Sustainability Executive of the Year by Commercial Property Executive magazine. The award is based on "creativity and unique contributions to the commercial real estate industry in the past year, as well as transactions, strategies and initiatives at the company and property level."

The publication pointed to Halter and his team's outstanding sustainability efforts, including the formalization of its Pillars of Responsible Property Investing program. The program addresses three areas in real estate investment and management: market resilience, corporate governance and property performance. The magazine also noted how Principal Real Estate Investors launched one of the first institutional commercial real estate funds focused on green properties and includes numerous LEED- and Energy Star-certified assets in the portfolio.

A commercial real estate veteran, Halter joined the firm in 1984 and has held various positions within the real estate group. He is past chairman of the Board of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers and a member of the Real Estate Roundtable, the Pension and Real Estate Association and Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate.

Winners of the 2013 CPE Executive of the Year awards are featured in the December issue of Commercial Property Executive. They were determined by a peer vote among members of the CPE 100 board, which consists of top-level executives from across the industry. Commercial Property Executive describes the award recipients as leaders who "helped move the industry forward through their efforts, innovations and achievements."

Earlier this year, Commercial Property Executive ranked Principal Real Estate Investors No. 2 on its 2013 Greenest Companies list, which recognizes firms that are "changing the commercial real estate world." The publication reported that at least 85 percent of respondents are increasing green building activity this year and 48 percent of their existing LEED-certified properties are currently rated either Gold or Platinum.

About Principal Real Estate Investors
Principal Real Estate Investors manages or subadvises $47.8 billion in commercial real estate assets1. The firm's real estate capabilities include both public and private equity and debt investment alternatives. Principal Real Estate Investors is the dedicated real estate group of Principal Global Investors, a diversified asset management organization and a member of the Principal Financial Group®.

About Principal Global Investors
Principal Global Investors is a diversified asset management organization and a member of the Principal Financial Group®, with expertise in equities, fixed income and real estate investments, as well as specialized overlay and advisory services. Principal Global Investors manages $300 billion in assets2 primarily for retirement plans and other institutional clients3.

About the Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal®)4 is a global investment management leader offering retirement services, insurance solutions and asset management. The Principal offers businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement, asset management and insurance through its diverse family of financial services companies. Founded in 1879 and a member of the FORTUNE 500®, the Principal Financial Group has $466.2 billion in assets under management5 and serves some 19.0 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

1 As of Sept. 30, 2013.

2 As of Sept. 30, 2013.

3 Principal Global Investors is the asset management arm of the Principal Financial Group ® (The Principal ®) and includes the asset management operations of the following subsidiaries of The Principal: Principal Global Investors, LLC; Principal Real Estate Investors, LLC; Principal Enterprise Capital, LLC; Liongate Capital Management LLP; Spectrum Asset Management, Inc.; Post Advisory Group, LLC; Columbus Circle Investors; Edge Asset Management, Inc.; Morley Financial Services Inc.; Finisterre Capital, LLP; Origin Asset Management, LLP; Principal Global Investors (Europe) Limited; Principal Global Investors (Singapore) Ltd.; Principal Global Investors (Australia) Ltd.; Principal Global Investors (Japan) Ltd.; Principal Global Investors (Hong Kong) Ltd.; CIMB-Principal Islamic Asset Management Sdn. Bhd.; and the majority owned affiliates of Principal International, Inc. Assets under management includes assets managed by investment professionals of Principal Global Investors under dual employee arrangements with other subsidiaries of The Principal and assets managed in accordance with investment advice provided by Principal Global Investors through the delivery of a model.

4 "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

5 As of Sept. 30, 2013.

Principal Financial Group
Jaime Naig, 515-247-0798
naig.jaime@principal.com