December 2015
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Spirited Giving in the Season of Giving

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Every part of the December 11 Holiday Luncheon was filled with the spirit of giving, from the awards and honors, to the spectacular Rhythm and Hue performance by David Garibaldi. BOMAfacts retells the story here in the images that best captured the event.

Giving Back to BOMA/NY

The member-volunteers that will lead BOMA/NY next year as Officers and as new members of the Board of Directors took the oath of office, administered here by Robert Brierley, Vice Chairman of BOMA International.

With Robert Brierley at the podium, shown here (l-r) are the four BOMA/NY officers, Secretary Matthew Duthie, RPA (JLL), President James R. Kleeman, RPA (Port Authority of NY & NJ), Treasurer Hani Salama, PE, LEED AP (CBRE) and VP Ronald Zeccardi (Moinian Group); directors Deborah Tomasi, (Cushman & Wakefield), Bridget Cunningham (Vornado Realty Trust), William Grosvenor (Related Management Company), Javier Lezamiz (Normandy Real Estate Partners), Frank Lynch (Colliers International) and Jeremiah O'Shea (Madison Square Garden). 

Passing the Torch

In his last public address to the full BOMA/NY membership, President Thomas L. Hill, RPA (photo, left) emceed the giving of awards and honors, acknowledged past leadership and expressed his sentiments on his term in office... "As I look around this room, I am grateful to every one of you...for the work you do for this association, the friendships that have formed between us, and the dedication you all express to our magnificent city."

At the end of his remarks, he brought his successor James R. Kleeman, RPA, (photo, right) to the stage to hand over the official gavel of office. Calling him a "true professional and dear friend," Tom concluded by saying, "I have known Jim for quite a while and have no doubt that his leadership, and sense of ownership and management skills, will enable BOMA/NY to rise even higher.

Jim praised Tom for being a "master builder... a president who has set the bar extremely high" providing a strong organization to build upon, and "I look forward to continuing that work with the help and insight of all of our members." The incoming president then outlined his goals and called on the more than 600 people at the luncheon, "representing the best minds in the industry. Let’s put these great minds to work for BOMA/NY and work together to make this organization even stronger than it is today. My door is open to all of you."

Dual Lifetime Honors

Peter L. DiCapua, who served BOMA/NY as President during 1993 and 1994, two years of great change that encompassed the first World Trade Center bombing, was honored with a Lifetime Membership in both BOMA/NY and BOMA International. On receiving these honors, Peter said, "This means everything in the world to me."

The 2015 BOMA/NY Scholarship Recipients

Long-serving chair of the Scholarship Committee Gail P. Duke, RPA, CPM announced the 2015 Scholarship recipients, listed here with the designation associated with their scholarship: Ronald D’Amato (RPA), SL Green Realty Corp, Chief Engineer; Sandra Meza (RPA), Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., Property Manager; Matthew Narby (RPA), CBRE, Property Manager; Yasmin Osorio (RPA), Jones Lang LaSalle, Property Administrator; Amanda Stowers (RPA), Jones Lang LaSalle, Tenant Services Coordinator; Hella Westerfeld (RPA), RXR Realty, Assistant Property Manager; and Eric Winter (RPA), Winter Properties, Property Manager.

Pictured (l-r) are: Frank J Keating, who chairs the BOMA/NY Golf Committee that raises funding for the scholarships: Gail Duke as noted above; recipients Osorio, D'Amato, Westerfeld, BOMA/NY Director of Education Mary Sorgente, Narby, Winter, Stowers, (Meza not shown).  

An Encore for Senior Citizens in Need

This year’s BOMA/NY Civic Betterment winner, Encore Community Services, a division of Catholic Charities, was selected for its 4-decade commitment to serving the elderly in need. Growing from a support program for the frail elderly to a multi-purpose agency that provides an array of services to elderly persons, Encore provides meals, social services, health and recreational support. BOMA/NY’s donation of $2,500 to the charity was announced by Deborah Tomasi.

Making the presentation (l-r) are: Tom Hill, Name, Sister Lillian McNamara, Sister Elizabeth Hasselt and Deborah Tomasi.

Start Spreadin’ the News....

Sensational performance painter David Garibaldi wowed the crowd with three dynamic portraits—the Statue of Liberty (complete with the BOMA/NY logo), Frank Sinatra and Albert Einstein—painted the works before our eyes to a pulsating soundtrack of New York-themed music.

Garibaldi, who would break away from the crowd to share his thoughts, most notably—"don’t change what you do, just change why you do it"—is also well known for his charity work. Though only performing solo for less than five years, he has already dedicated himself to raising more than $1.7 million through the sale of his works.

BOMA/NY joined in the spirit and purchased his painting of Frank Sinatra, which it will auction off at a future time to raise money for a worthy cause.

Time Out!

After burning the midnight oil and arriving on-site first thing in the morning December 11 to supervise the final preparations for the Holiday Luncheon, BOMA/NY staff Ami Shah (left, bottom) Director of Membership and Special Events, and Rebecca Perez, Director of Finance (right,bottom), took a brief break for a selfie with artist David Garibaldi as he was prepping for his showcase performance.Standing next to Garibaldi, (top,right) is his manager Dave Shults.