A Big New Year For BOMA
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By Cecily Ann Ching
2008 BOMA Hawaii President
The Hawaii chapter of Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), the state chapter of BOMA International, is the primary resource on office building development, leasing, building operating costs, energy consumption patterns, building codes, legislation, occupancy statistics and technological developments.
As the 2008 president of BOMA Hawaii and on behalf of the 2008 BOMA Hawaii officers and directors, I’m honored to present to our members an exciting agenda to support the commercial property management industry. In January, a sold-out joint program drew members and guests of the Hawaii chapters of BOMA, CCIM and IREM to hear a well-respected panel of real estate professionals and economists present their forecast of Hawaii’s real estate market for 2008. Throughout the year, BOMA also plans networking opportunities through social and charitable events and an industry trade show, plus continuing education, programs on sustainability, fast-tracking the permitting and construction management process, capital budgeting, tenant retention and satisfaction, and disaster recovery planning.
On Feb. 12, BOMA will debut a BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) handbook that marks the culmination of a yearlong project that began under the leadership of 2007 BOMA Hawaii president Dennis Gillum, the project chairman Bill Short and the subcommittees. The BEEP program, founded through a partnership between the international BOMA Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program, seeks to create an innovative operational excellence program through which the commercial property industry can learn about and take advantage of savings from reduction in energy consumption.
A result of the BOMA Hawaii chapter efforts is the energy efficiency handbook that was developed in partnership with Hawaiian Electric Company. The BOMA BEEP handbook includes topics such as conducting an energy audit, funding energy projects, designing projects for energy efficiency, and an overview on a wide variety of subjects and topics relevant to commercial property owners, building and facility managers, and other industry professionals. The goals of this handbook are to help BOMA members and industry professionals optimize the operations of their Hawaii commercial properties by 1) lowering fossil fuel use through efficiency and operational changes, and 2) increasing the use of renewable energy. For Hawaiian Electric, reducing energy consumption through energy conservation and efficiency measures are critical to helping keep the company’s generation reserve margins at desired levels to ensure reliable service.
The invaluable handbook is free to BOMA members and to all attendees of the Feb. 12 program, where the handbook will be presented. Other interested parties can call BOMA at 847-0143 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information.
Also in 2008, BOMA will look to provide testimony on key bills being considered for legislation, such as Bill 87. Effective 2010, the bill mandates that all new buildings meet the Green Building Rating System established by The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). LEED encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of tools and performance criteria.
As you can see, BOMA Hawaii is poised to meet its mission this year in “Advancing the Commercial Property Management Industry through Education, Networking and Advocacy.”
Cecily Ching is president of BOMA (Building Owners & Managers Association) Hawaii. She has been an active BOMA member since 1998 and served on the BOMA Hawaii Board of Directors since 2006. Ching is general manager of The Shidler Group at Waterfront Plaza/Restaurant Row, which is comprised of more than 120 retail and office tenants. A licensed real estate broker since 1996, Ching has 20 years of experience in financial and investment analysis, real estate sales, and commercial leasing and property management.
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