name is Wes Nicoll and I would like to introduce myself. I am the newly elected president of the Greater Hartford chapter of BOMA. I am currently a property management professional working for Griffin Land and Nurseries, Inc. I have been a BOMA member for 7 years. I have participated on the membership, programming and TOBY committees, as well as been a member of the board of directors. I have entered buildings in the TOBY awards (and won!), I have done TOBY inspections, I have completed my RPA designation, I have lobbied to local politicians, attended a MAC (Mid Atlantic Conference) and a NIC (National Issues Conference), and I have enjoyed it all. BOMA has become a passion for me. I would like to take a minute to thank our outgoing president, JoAnn Church for her two years as president, as well as her commitment to the association. She is a great example and I am proud to have served as her vice president.
I would like to thank the board members that are remaining on the board for another term. I have some high expectations for the year and I am confident I have a strong team to help accomplish those goals. I look forward to continue working with Ron Goodin of Fletcher Thompson, who will be the vice president. Also remaining will be JoAnn Church of EDENS who will assume the immediate past president's role, Karen Tietjen of Ashforth Management who will be moving from immediate past president to a director's position; Pam Bayer of ACRE Group and Dave Fagone of R.M. Bradley who will also remain as directors; and Russ Stevens of Emcor/ NEMSI will stay on as the allied representative to the board. I would like to offer up a very warm welcome to Christian Burns of Northland Investments as our new secretary and Carolina Yrayta of State House Square as our new treasurer.
As the year kicks off, we already have a few things to look forward to. We have our annual meeting and first program lined up for January 17 at the Society Room. This program is titled: "Learn How To Maximize Rebate Incentives." You will hear from Jessica Bailey from the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, James Motta from CL&P, as well as Matthew Mullen from Emcor Services New England Mechanical, and Brycen Spencer from Siemens. Both Emcor and Siemes are two of our great Allied members and supporters. Seriously, who couldn't use more rebate $$$? We are in process of finalizing details for our February 26 program. We are very excited to host the new head of the Capitol Region Development Authority, Michael Freimuth. A self Described "Trench Guy," he is poised to revitalize the Capitol region. The programming committee has been tasked with looking into some new ideas regarding programs as well as venues and tours for the upcoming year. Be sure to watch for some great new programming this year as well as a few of the favorites from years past.
In addition, we have begun planning for three of our favorite events of the year: Nine/ Wine/ Dine - a great start to the golf season; The Gus Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament - our signature summer event for over 30 years; and the TOBY Awards - a fabulous end-of-the-year gala where we recognize excellence in our buildings and management teams.

We have mailed out invoices to all 2012 members for their 2013 dues, with a great response so far. BOMA members know the value of being a member of a strong organization with strong ties both locally and internationally. Our aim is to offer a great package of education, networking, and opportunities to all of our members.
As I mentioned, I have some high expectations for the upcoming year, as well as some ideas to help grow our local BOMA. I feel the key to these activities is to get everyone involved. So please give some thought to giving a little bit (more?) of yourself to BOMA by joining a committee, and giving some input. I feel the key to our success lies in our members and our programming. I am eager to hear from all members of the local to see what their expectations are and what they are looking to get out of BOMA. Please feel free to reach out directly to me to let me know if you have suggestions or if you would like to see how you can help. After all, we are an organization of people and the people are what will make this organization stronger.
I would like to thank all of our great sponsors for their support in 2012. (Gold Sponsors - EDENS and EMCOR Services New England Mechanical Services. Silver Sponsors- Griffin Land, Premier Maintenance, and Otis Elevator. Bronze Sponsors- Apollo International, New Boston Real Estate Investment Funds, OFS, Paniccia Construction Corp., ServPro of Hartford County, Siemens Building Technologies, and Wattsaver Lighting Products). I appreciate everything that they do for us. I would also like to encourage the rest of the members to consider becoming an annual sponsor for BOMA Greater Hartford for 2013. It is the best opportunity to highlight your company to the other members, receive free passes to monthly meetings, and to financially support your organization.
So, as we embark on 2013, I encourage you to get involved, stay informed, contribute, speak your mind, and share your ideas for BOMA Greater Hartford. We are poised to have a great year, and would like everyone to be involved. You can keep up with our activity through our website www.bomahartford.com
Wes Nicoll is the president of BOMA Greater Hartford, and is with Griffin Land, Bloomfield, Conn.