BOMA Boston chapter update: Summer building tours

BOMA Boston prides itself on providing educational opportunities for the exchange of knowledge in the property management community. In addition to monthly roundtable programs on select topics of interest in the industry, building and facility tours are becoming increasingly beneficial in keeping members of the BOMA Boston community up to date on the latest trends in building management. This summer, BOMA Boston was able to hold several building/facility tours. Two of them were building tours to help property management teams prepare their building submissions for the annual TOBY Awards (to be held on November 14th, at Westin Copley Place). The other two tours were "Tech Tours" geared towards the building engineer community. The "Tour a TOBY Winner" programs took place at 33 Arch St. and 125 & 150 Cambridgepark Dr. in Cambridge. 33 Arch St., the headquarters of CBRE | New England, was the winner of the 2012-2013 BOMA Boston TOBY Earth Award, Mid-Atlantic TOBY Earth Award and a BOMA International TOBY Earth Finalist. 125&150 Cambridgepark Dr. was the winner of the 2012-2013 BOMA Boston, 2012 Mid-Atlantic TOBY Award Winner and a BOMA International TOBY Suburban Finalist in the Suburban Mid-Rise category. Structured similar to a tour a building would go through in the TOBY judging process, attendees were escorted through the building by members of the property management team and encouraged to ask questions about the various operational systems in place. The Tech Tours were held at The Deer Island Water Treatment Facility in Winthrop and the Genzyme Center in Cambridge. The Tech Tour of Deer Island Water Treatment Facility took attendees for a behind-the-scenes look at the treatment facility, led by their tour guide Daniel O'Brien, the director of the facility. O'Brien shared the energy efficiency program they have in place and discussed the facility's experimentation with wind farm technology among other topics. The Genzyme Center is the world headquarters for Genzyme, the third-largest biotechnology company in the world and one of the most environmentally responsible buildings ever built in the United States. The tour included background about Genzyme, and the development of Genzyme Center, from the innovative design elements to the green technologies utilized in the building. The tour was led by Lou Capozzi, facilities manager of the Genzyme Center. BOMA Boston Upcoming Events BOMA Boston's September roundtable program titled "Business Continuity Planning: How to Educate Your Tenants," will be held on Tuesday, September 17th. The program is intended to educate property management teams about the resources and information available about basic business continuity planning that they can share with tenants. The roundtable will feature a panel that will discuss the topic and answer questions: David Cole, vice president of risk management, Fidelity Real Estate Corporation; Kurt Schwartz, undersecretary, Homeland Security & Emergency Management Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security; W. "Russ" Webster, CEM, Federal Preparedness Coordinator, FEMA Region 1; and Paul Winnick, executive vice president, Swerling Milton Winnick Public Insurance Adjusters. For more information about BOMA Boston's upcoming programs and events, please visit www.bomaboston.org.