Dear BOMA New York Members,

I am truly honored to begin the new year as president of BOMA New York.

Looking back, we are extremely proud of BOMA New York for making 2017 unforgettable! We had the privilege of celebrating a milestone – our 50th anniversary as well as introducing new initiatives like Tech Bytes, and our new website. This year, we plan on continuing the fine work started by the prior administration by advancing our long-range plan and growing the association through membership, education and your support.

Looking forward, we are just counting down the days until we celebrate the annual BOMA New York Pinnacle Awards. Each year the nominees continue to raise the bar in this competition – one of the most prestigious New York Real Estate award ceremonies! For more information about purchasing tickets, scroll down to the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter!

Again, I would like to thank all our members, sponsors, staff and volunteers of BOMA New York for your continued support. I am excited to share another year of growing and learning with all of you!

Sincerely,

Ronald S. Zeccardi
President of BOMA New York

Welcome to the “Get to Know Your Board” section of the monthly newsletter. Each month, we interview and feature a board member to help you get to know them better. Last month, we interviewed Cynthia M. Boyea of Paramount Group, Inc. This month, we sat down with Deborah Tomasi of Boston Properties. Let’s read what Deborah had to share.

Legislatively, we are in the calm before the storm. The new Council Members and Speakers are settling in to their new roles, and Council staff are hard at work getting ready to re-submit legislation that expired at the end of the year, and to write and submit new legislation.

Meanwhile, Daniel Avery, Director of Legislation at BOMA New York, has been elected to the Board of the New York Energy Consumers Council and asked to Chair their new Regulatory Committee. As you probably know, we work on a steady basis with NYECC, co-signing letters and attending meetings together. His position on the Board and chairing the Committee further strengthens that bond and our overall coalition, and it will provide us additional tools to develop policy and advocate causes in energy-related areas already of concern to BOMA New York members.

On another matter, BOMA International held its Winter Business Meeting and National Issues Conference in Washington D. C. at the end of January. The D.C. location happens every two years and includes a trip to Capitol Hill to lobby Congress on issues important to BOMA. This year we sent two groups up to lobby Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Representatives Crowley, Jeffries, and Malloney. We had productive discussions with their staff members and covered reforming the Americans with Disabilities Act, the need for infrastructure improvements, and the importance of saving Energy Star. As was the case two years ago, the experience was enlightening and genuinely fun, so feel free to join us two years from now when we go again.

With starting off this new year on a good note, the long-awaited tax bill preserves commercial real estate tax provisions. BOMA International has created a tax reform analysis breakdown that outlines the new tax provisions crucial to the strength of the commercial real estate industry. 

On the technology front, research conducted by Cushman & Wakefield showed how technology played an instrumental role in office leasing growth in 2017, leading to a strong finish in the fourth quarter. Of the 87 U.S. office markets, those with a robust technology presence were among the 2017 best performers in leasing, vacancy levels and absorption.

Additionally, the Green Buildings Initiative recently acquired the global rights to Green Globes, a green building rating and certification program for commercial and multifamily buildings, from JLL. Green Buildings Initiative has certified almost 300 million square feet of real estate since its founding in 2004 and now will have the opportunity to expand the rating system globally due to this recent acquisition.   

Each year, BOMA International offers the best and most accurate benchmarking resources for office and industrial sectors. For BOMA to provide these essential resources again this year, we need you to share your data with the 2018 EER Survey. In doing so, you can unlock a variety of benefits that will surely improve your building’s performance. Click HERE for the survey and click HERE to reference the Industrial Chart of Accounts if submitting data to the Industrial EER survey. The deadline is March 30th so be sure to take part in this remarkable and beneficial opportunity!

If you missed it, we had BOMA New York’s first monthly Lunch & Learn of the year. This month’s topic was “Early Detection is the Best Detection!”  BOMA New York members took part in an exciting session focused on the effective methods of utilizing a building's CCTV network as a Smoke Detection System by interfacing the CCTV with the Fire System. Click HERE to view photos from the event.

The first Accelerated Review Class of the year was a huge success. Instructor James Durrah discussed Real Estate from an investment and finance perspective, which gave BOMA New York members a chance to learn and receive both a RPA and FMA designation upon completion of the BOMI course.

Location: One World Trade Center

Time: 8:00 AM – TBD

Please join BOMA New York for a special “Brunch and Learn” at One World Trade Center. ThyssenKrupp Elevator will highlight their vision for the future of vertical transportation with a special presentation. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about elevator technology and to receive a VIP ticket for the observation deck, included in the ticket price. Click HERE to register.

Location: Chelsea Piers

Time: 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Please join BOMA New York at the 2018 Pinnacle Awards as we honor New York City’s top owner and management firms. Don’t miss out on the chance to register for a seat or table today at one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in the commercial real estate industry. Click HERE to register.

Location: Club 101

Time: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Please join BOMA New York for our first Seminar of the year on “Repositioning Yesterday's Buildings for Today’s Changing Workforce.” Moderator, Kevin T. Hoey, Director of Operations at L&L Holding Company, will lead a panel discussion on a successful building repositioning strategy. Registration Coming Soon!

All BOMA New York members were provided with 2018 Dues Renewal invoices in November 2017, and January 2018. If you have not renewed your dues yet, please contact Ami Shah, Director of Membership & Special Events at ami@bomany.com. Remember, the deadline to renew your dues is Friday, March 30, 2018.

For all Allied Members: Membership will be discontinued immediately if not renewed by March 30th. If you wish to rejoin, your application will have to be placed on the waiting list. The waiting list has more than 100 applications, so we urge you to renew your dues immediately.

Please join us in welcoming our new BOMA New York members.

If you have a candidate for membership, please contact Ami Shah, our Director of Membership and Special Events at membership@bomany.com. And visit us at bomany.org for information on the difference a BOMA New York membership makes.

Stay connected with BOMA New York by following us on our social media platforms. We use social media to post photos from our events, share industry related content, and keep our members informed! Don’t fall behind, catch up with BOMA New York here: 

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn 

Instagram 

YouTube

*Add us on Snapchat at @boma_ny

You saw him at our Annual Holiday Luncheon- Corporate Comedian Durwood Fincher! His hilarious act had the crowd captivated with nonstop laughter. If you missed out on all the laughs, click HERE to view his comedic act on the BOMA NY Website Videos Page.

We are excited to announce that the BOMA NY Website just launched a Videos page! With it, you’ll be able to watch videos of some engaging talks and even memorable moments from some events. Click HERE to watch a video on the website now!