 The BOMA Winter Business Meetings, Miami:
the Blue Monster vs. the Green Thing
My 2008 BOMA presidency got off to a great start in Miami. Not only did we get to escape the cold and rain of NorCal but we spent five days in the Sunshine State basking in 75 degree weather. The worst part of it all however, is the anxiety one spends inside dark and cold meeting rooms discussing the initiatives-du-jour while da steel drum play outside by da pool, mon.
On the first day of the Winter Business Meetings, the BOMA PAC raised money for their capital hill battles by hosting a golf tournament at the world renowned, Blue Monster golf course at the Doral Country Club. This is the east coast equivalent to our Pebble Beach in terms of course difficulty and notoriety (Tiger has won here three out of the last four years). I went out and made a complete fool out of myself on the very first hole by shooting a dismal 10. Our Executive Director, Robert Robledo, went out and tore it up as well. But, hey, it wasn’t about golf as you know. They raised $4,000 as the initial kickoff toward a goal of $75,000 to help tee up the BOMA initiatives in front of lawmakers on the Hill this year. But the Blue Monster won the first round.
Unless you’re Rip Van Winkle and have been sawing Z’s for the last few years, you are fully engaged in some way, shape or form with the “Green Thing.” BOMA has been leading the charge along with the U.S. Green Buildings Council and the EPA for several years and green initiatives were atop the leaderboard again in Miami. BOMA International President, Brenna Walraven, lobbied hard for local associations to adopt the BOMA 7-Point Challenge which is, in essence, a commitment to reduce the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources, and waste production and work in coordination with building management, ownership and tenants to achieve a 30% decrease in energy consumption across all BOMA portfolios by 2012. We will be dedicating an upcoming luncheon on this challenge so please stay tuned. The Green Thing takes round two.
Our own energy Czar, Tod McElvey of the law firm of Berding and Weil, also attended the WBM and, as our representative at BOMA CAL, Tod has the situation dialed-in. At the Energy Committee meeting in Miami Tod presented that BOMA CAL accomplished an estimated $19 million in annual savings to BOMA members in the PG&E area as a result of negotiations in the General Rate Case. That equates to $36 million for the sector or $27.6 cents per square foot. Tod was able to proudly announce that we had gotten approval through the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) allowing building owners to implement submetering which gives us a toe hold on truly helping push conservation measures beyond the just the common areas. Tod claimed, “We are working toward dynamic pricing in the third phase of the PG&E General Rate Case while working with the CPUC to improve electric system efficiency and reliability. BOMA truly looks to California as a trend setter and we did not let them down.” And, did I mention he plays a mean acoustic guitar? Green Thing 2; Blue Monster 1.
The luncheon speaker on Saturday was Chris Lee of Christopher Lee and Associates (I’m guessing he’s the head honcho). Chris was “christal-balling” the future of the commercial real estate industry and made it quite clear that we are in for another wild ride in ‘08. Aside from the fact that the talent pool of real estate managers is shrinking (the average age of a PM is 43.5) and that the credit crunch and loan foreclosure issues are sideways, Chris sees these as opportunities. As many of you know, BOMA San Francisco has mounted a fabulous campaign to attract new people to our industry by producing a video which can be viewed on their web site www.bomasf.org. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be doing property inspections in a walker so I’m doing my best to get the word out to college grads that property management is a respectable career. Chris also touted the virtues of branding and service excellence as a means of setting oneself apart from the competition.
At the Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, the topic turned to carbon emissions trading. Unbeknownst to this old dog, I was not aware that this creative scheme of reducing energy and receiving monetary credits for doing so was old news in Europe. Rather than trying to give you my take on it, here is the Wikipedia definition: A central authority (usually a government or international body) sets a limit or cap on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. Companies or other groups are issued emission permits and are required to hold an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) which represent the right to emit a specific amount. The total amount of allowances and credits cannot exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Companies that need to increase their emissions must buy credits from those who pollute less. The transfer of allowances is referred to as a trade. In effect, the buyer is paying a charge for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions by more than was needed. Thus, in theory, those that can easily reduce emissions most cheaply will do so, achieving the pollution reduction at the lowest possible cost to society. Got it? BOMA International is currently taking the lead in ensuring that this concept is implemented fairly to owners of commercial property in the U.S. before regulators pounce on it. Green Thing 3; Blue Monster 1.
Sunday’s closing reception featured another fund raising effort again for the benefit of our PAC efforts. Basically it was karaoke for dollars. The game was to vote somebody up on stage by placing your monetary contribution in an envelope and assigning to that person (or groups of persons as it turned out) a special song. With my reputation for shyness around a microphone it wasn’t long before my name was announced. Prior to my taking to the stage however was a ringer from the Miami area who totally worked the room with her rendition of the classic disco hit, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston. I mean this woman ran from table to table doing the diva thing to the max. Of course, they then called my name. How in the world was I going to follow that? I quickly changed songs from “My Girl” which would have put everyone to sleep to “Sweet Home Alabama” to give it a little push. I figured at least BOMA Birmingham would like me. Now, as some of you know, I am used to having my bandmates be my crutch up there but this was solo time. I delivered a total game show dork rendition of Sweet Home but at least it all went to a good cause and helped put my musical ego into check.
Flying home with Rockin’ Robbie and Lisa Vogel, Past President of BOMA San Francisco was a good time to reflect upon the accomplishments of the WBM. Green trounced Blue and everyone learned a great deal about carbon, coconuts and karaoke. What a country!
Scott Kirkpatrick, President |
