Thanks for the Memories

December 2011 

You may have heard me tell the story of how I became involved with BOMA already. If so, skip ahead to the next paragraph. Otherwise, read on…once upon a time I went to work for Mr. Thomas “Tad” Lacey at City Center. Since I had come from a Leasing background and was new to Property Management he told me I needed to go see Mr. Walter Finch and start taking BOMA courses. That was 1994. Flash forward to 2005. After a detour through San Francisco and becoming an RPA along the way I returned to my first love, Oakland and the East Bay. I went to work for Mr. Christopher Donohoe at Prentiss Properties. He was involved in BOMA Oakland/East Bay and encouraged me to get reconnected. That is when I met Robert Robledo. With a warm friendly smile, right away he had me “volunteering” for the Membership Committee and the Board. I’ve remained connected to this day.

Being a Member of BOMA Oakland/East Bay, like joining the Marine Corps, is voluntary. Membership is not a requirement but rather a choice. We volunteer our time and money. I was recently reminded, twice, that in all volunteer organizations it is critical that we don’t forget to say thank you. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people I’ve encountered, grown to know, and shared experiences with over these past six and a half years. Thank you: Tod McKelvy, Tim Ballas, Stacey McCarthy, Polly Smith-Telfer, and all of those from the Board of Directors in my earlier years here. Thank you to those on the Board now: Marilyn Banks, Scott Kirkpatrick, Deanna Drake-Copelan, Lynn Linhares, Fred Seely, Manny Moreno, Helen Ahrens, Gary Faleschini, Michael Meyer, and Diana Hernandez. Thank you to the Members (current and past) I’ve made special connections with: Sue Rinetti, Liz Allio, Karen Cowan, Debbi Nakahara, Mark Langermann, Rennie Ediger, Fred West, Mike Biagini, Elizabeth, Murphy, Scott Goggin, Bob Briones, Laurie Muschel, Kim Tamayo, Tiffany McLaughlin, Don Thiry, Paul Cenni, and Fred Kalbrosky. Thank you to the Committee Chairs: Anne Sparks, Tederal Glover, Lisa Llamas, Myra Wright, Chuck Gaskin and to all of the Committee Members. Thank you to those from BOMA San Francisco: Marc Intermaggio and Ken Cleaveland. Thank you to those from BOMA International: Henry Chamberlain and Bob McClure. Thank you to the Membership at large and to those that I’ve forgotten to mention. A very special thank you to Ms. Melody Thebeau for being our Vice President; Kelly Jauregui at my office; Chris Donohoe (my Boss) for letting me spend the time to be involved; and Lori, Katherine, Nathan, and Sam Rogers (my Family) for the sacrifices you’ve made. I’ve saved the biggest thank you for last, for Robert Robledo. You are truly passionate about BOMA Oakland/East Bay. Thank you for your service and all that you have done for me!

 These past 2 years have flown by amazingly fast. Although many of us have been in survival mode for most of it due to the horrible economy I am still looking forward to the future. We’ve developed a strategic plan for 2012 – 2014 and in the blink of an eye Ms. Melody Thebeau will be our President. The future does truly look bright. I enjoy the connections I’ve made with all of you and plan to stay involved for years to come. Thank you! Semper Fi.

Don Rogers, President