We have officially entered summer and with that came BOMA International's annual Every Building Conference and Expo held at the end of June in Orlando, Fla. The conference included education sessions, renowned speakers, panel discussions, 400 plus exhibitor trade show, and concludes with a TOBY (The Outstanding Buildings of the Year) Awards Banquet. These awards honor buildings and owners/managers/staff that have achieved excellence in their category nationally. BOMA Southern CT would like to congratulate all those who were nominated and those "who took home the gold."
BOMA Southern CT holds several informative and educational programs throughout the year, but we enjoy meeting socially as well. While we are a business association of professionals, relationships are built on more than the technical-end of our working environments. In doing so, our sold out annual Golf Outing was held at Great River Golf club in Milford, with 36 foursomes. The organization also gives back to members by awarding two college scholarships to member's children who apply. A softball challenge was held against another local chapter, BOMA Westchester, at Crawford Park in Rye, N.Y. The two teams battled over bragging rights of course and while BOMA Southern CT was not victorious, a great time was had by all, followed with a socializing barbeque. Our most recent event, the Summer Social, was held on June 10th, at Hotel Zero Degrees in Norwalk. A beautiful day allowed us to use the hotel's rooftop terrace to mingle, play chess, ping pong, and practice putting. A great way to share some time together before the rest of the summer gets broken up by more business and/or family vacations.
Looking ahead, we have already scheduled events for the coming months. With September being Emergency Preparedness Month, the program committee is planning educating members on the benefits of an Emergency Crisis Card. The standardized card system works with local jurisdictions to allow authorized building personnel access into restricted zones during a crisis. October will be the annual TOBY Awards for our local BOMA Southern CT chapter. Applications have already been submitted and judges will be visiting each property to evaluate each one in several categories. November's luncheon will focus on changes in Connecticut's building and life safety codes and how they will affect the planning stages as well as cost for construction and operational budgets.
As we move more into the hotter period of the season, I hope everyone has a safe, yet fun filled summer.
Victor DeCicco is the president of BOMA Southern Connecticut, and is with HB Nitkin Group, Greenwich, Conn.