President's message: Looking forward to a great year!

The Boston Chapter held its annual economic forecast breakfast meeting on January 16th at Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy. Despite the near blizzard conditions, it was a great turnout - with a roomful of industry leaders enjoying coffee, breakfast, networking opportunities and appreciating the snowy scenery of the golf course. The chapter would like to especially thank mayor Thomas Koch of Quincy, who was our keynote speaker for the occasion. Mayor Koch's extensive knowledge of Quincy was impressive as was his historical recollection of the city's leaders of the past. The Mayor's discussion on the growth of Quincy's business and economic structure clearly showed his passion for making the city the best that it can be. As he explained in detail, mayor Koch recognized from the start of his administration that economic development would be the foundation of Quincy's future. He has provided creative incentives to keep and attract major commercial development to the city, creating hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars of new revenue. The cornerstone of mayor Koch's economic development plan was the two-year negotiation of a landmark agreement to redevelop Quincy Center. The plan - which calls for $1.3 billion in private investment encompassing 2.7 million s/f of development - created a unique financing model that will require $300 million in public infrastructure costs to be paid for by the city's private development partner and ultimately "bought" by the city only through new tax revenue generated by private development and without burdening the existing tax base. The agreement creates a new standard for public-private partnerships and was featured in The New York Times as a potential redevelopment model for cities across the country. I would also like to remind everyone of some upcoming training, educational seminars and networking events that the Boston Chapter is hosting in the near future. Please remember to sign up early, space is limited: * Implementing Non-Smoking Policies - 1/29/13 in Quincy * Boot Camp for Property Managers - 2/5/13 in Braintree * Ethics Course - 2/7/13 in Braintree * Advanced Landlord/Tenant Seminar - 2/26/13 in Quincy * Financial Course - 3/4/13 and 3/5/13 in Braintree * Maintenance Course - 3/19/13 and 3/20/13 in Braintree. We are also holding two great networking events in February: * Skiing and networking event - 2/1/13, Loon Mountain, NH * IP Networking - 2/28/13, at Legal Seafoods in Braintree. If you are interested in participating in any of the above trainings or events, please contact Kelley Hannon at the Boston Chapter office or check out the full line up of 2013 trainings and educational seminars at www.iremboston.org. Lisa Leary, CPM is the IREM Boston Chapter #4 2013 president and is also a regional manager at Peabody Properties, Inc., Braintree, Mass.