Comic Groucho Marx once said he wouldn’t join any organization that would take him as a member. For me, I find myself as chair of the most prestigious commercial real estate organization in the world, and, as I said during my swearing in at the BOMA International Conference & Expo, I’m humbled—it’s a true privilege to lead such a world-class organization.
So, here we are. Our annual conference was great (see pages 24-31), and now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and build on all that was talked about in Salt Lake City, all that we’ve been building on for the past few years. I look forward to continuing the momentum of my predecessors in delivering our new strategic plan, and I encourage all members to read our summary. It’s a great plan that balances our priorities going forward, and I’ll be its biggest cheerleader, working that plan to help membership maximize value for their careers, organizations and assets.
Toward that end, I plan to visit the C-suites of organizations far and wide, always laying out BOMA’s value proposition. I believe these visits will foster support for membership involvement at the local, national and international levels. It’s a message that I hope will reach even more leaders in our space.
Another key this year is to focus on the resilience of our assets. Our investments are getting bigger and more expensive to replace. Lost revenues from major catastrophes can be devastating and, of course, the safety of building occupants is crucial. We all need to do our part to improve the reliability of our infrastructure. BOMA is well suited to be a leader in that discussion.
This is a subject dear to my heart. I started my career with a focus on developing mission-critical facilities, such as data centers, which need to operate without interruption in the worst of situations.
That need for operational best practices sharing led me to BOMA. A mentor encouraged me to join the BOMA local association in Fort Worth and even convinced me to teach a few classes. That’s when it all clicked. Relationships grew and my involvement skyrocketed. I joined other committees; found a new, welcoming home with BOMA/San Francisco; and ultimately moved up the BOMA ladder to BOMA International leadership.
Some may recall Glenda Simcox, who was the BOMA association executive (BAE) for BOMA/Fort Worth when I first joined BOMA all those years ago. Her inspiration is why I’m so active today. Her encouragement to do more, and have fun along the way, was greatly appreciated. Today, it’s important for us more experienced BOMA folks to take time and encourage the next generation of leaders just like she did. Talk about value add!
This next year is going to be great. I’m excited to meet so many new people wherever I travel and get them excited about the future of commercial real estate—and the future of BOMA.
Our work is cut out for us. So, let’s all get to work together. And, I promise, we’ll have fun along the way.
Today, it’s important for us more experienced BOMA folks to take time and encourage the next generation of leaders. Talk about value add!
This article was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of BOMA Magazine.