It was another great month for BOMA Boston programming, as two events focused on The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) Awards, to help property management teams with the submission process for their buildings. In addition, BOMA Boston launched its Online Buyer's guide - a new resource for the BOMA membership as well as the commercial real estate community as a whole.
On August 15th, Equity Office hosted a TOBY Suburban Tour. The tour took place at New England Executive Park (NEEP), the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Regional, and International Finalist in the Suburban Mid-Rise Building category. Owned and managed by Equity Office, NEEP boasts 17 office buildings on more than 60 acres of land. Property manager Michael Byrne and chief engineer Richard Hurd led the tour of 25 attendees and gave insight to those intending to submit their building for BOMA Boston's 2012 Local TOBY Awards. Some key advice offered during the tour included highlighting your building's strengths, encouraging your management team to be involved in the preparation and submission process, and showing the judges that you take pride in your building.
On August 23rd, Brookfield Office Properties hosted a sold out TOBY City Tour. The tour took place at 75 State St., the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Regional winner, and International finalist in the Earth category. The program began with a small presentation and lunch, followed by a tour of the building and concluded on their beautiful roof deck. Property manager Amy Bush, LEED GA, RPA, and her team shared some suggestions for TOBY tours and explained how the building operates in a sustainable environment in an urban setting, which complemented the previous tour of a suburban building. Overall, the tour went very well and many left with information on how to exhibit their building during the TOBY judging process.
Also in August, BOMA Boston launched an Online Buyers Guide - an online tool to assist property owners and managers when choosing a vendor or service provider. The site, which hosts over 100 categories, offers an opportunity for BOMA Affiliate Members to have their services highlighted. With over 200 service providers representing over 100 categories of services, this resource gives BOMA affiliate members the opportunity to showcase their services to the Commercial Real Estate Community. To access the Online Buyer's Guide or for more information, please visit http://www.gbreb.com/boma/buyersguide.
As the lazy days of summer come to an end, BOMA programming is heating up. Please visit www.bomaboston.org for our events calendar.