President's message: There continues to be green sprouts of growth and opportunity

As the green sprouts of spring begin to appear in the Boston region, everyone continues to search for signs of green sprouts in the economy. Throughout BOMA Boston, there continues to be green sprouts of growth and opportunity. Our educational offerings have been filled with opportunistic professionals looking to gain an edge in their industry knowledge. This year courses in Law & Risk Management, Refrigeration Systems and Accessories, Environmental Health and Safety Issues, Fundamentals of Property Management, Ethics, Design Operations and Maintenance of Building Systems and Asset Management have already been presented. Spots are still available for future 2009 classes in Design Operations and Maintenance of Bulding Systems, Real Estate Investment and Finance, Facilities Planning and Project Management, and Ethics. BOMA Boston is proud to be able to continue their scholarship program which allows several qualified individuals the chance to take part in our course offerings free of charge. An especially well received benefit in these challenging times. Our spring and summer gatherings provide a great mix of timely real estate topics and enjoyable out of the office networking opportunities. We are especially excited about new LEED offering on June 23rd at the offices of WilmerHale in Boston which will addresses all your LEED Existing Building concerns. Also, on the sustainability front, keep an eye out for BOMA Boston's "Eco Race," a corporate challenge that will premier later this year! Our engineering membership continues to grow, in large part to an innovative program that goes beyond typical classroom offerings and allows participants the chance to get behind the scene, back of the house tours of existing and active construction sites. Over the next month, we will be gearing up for the judging of our annual award categories - The Office Building of the Year, Earth Awards, Industry Awards - so start thinking of quality candidates and do not hesitate to contact us with nominations. Our government affairs team continues to keep their fingers on the pulse on all activity in Washington DC, on Beacon Hill, and in our local municipalities that may affect building owners and managers, and provide a strong voice for our industry's welfare. If you haven't already done so, please mark your calendar for June 28th - 30th, as the BOMA International Annual Convention will be taking place in Philadelphia, PA. For every paid industry registrant, a company engineer can attend the convention at no charge. There's an offer you don't want to pass up. On behalf of everyone affiliated with BOMA Boston, we look forward to seeing you at a future event. Richard Beal is the 2009 president of BOMA Boston.