Page 18B —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— September 16-October 6, 2015
Spotlight
ow does one really get
into property man-
agement? Most of us
just find ourselves
“falling” into the industry. For
example, I started as a temp
through an office personnel
agency. Coming from a small
town and being naïve to the
opportunities before me, I had
no idea there was a sizable
“building management” world
out there. I was amazed how
much toilet paper one office
building could go through in a
month! I quickly found myself
working in a downtown high-
rise office building.
But after getting my feet
wet and becoming comfortable
with my general duties, what’s
the next step? Find a mentor?
Take educational classes? Meet
and collaborate with peers and
other industry professionals? I
was extremely fortunate that
my manager took me under
her wing and was able to show
me the whole picture, not lim-
ited to just my general duties.
I also was fortunate to be able
to further my education by
taking additional courses and
now have my RPA and LEED
GA.
The Emerging Professionals
group within the Denver Metro
BOMA is working to bridge
the gap of getting to the next
step. In May, the Emerging
Professionals group met for
the first of a series entitled
“Stories of Success,” hosted
by BOMA’s Immediate Past
President Sandrena Robinson.
The meeting provided an
opportunity for an established
industry professional to speak
with individuals who are in
the early stages of their profes-
sional career and to provide
insight into what guided them
in their career. She also pro-
vided helpful tips and advice to
upcoming leaders.
Let me preface by saying
that Sandrena is an amazing
woman and I could just listen
to her talk
for hours.
She spoke of
her experi-
ences – when
she first got to manage her
own building, meeting her new
team and then finally having
to leave that first building. She
also spoke to the group about
how you should treat your
team, including vendors. If you
treat them all with respect,
they will help you in any way
when you need them most. The
Emerging Professionals plan-
ning group is in the process of
scheduling additional Stories
of Success sessions for the
remainder of the year.
There is no quick way to
know everything in property
management, but develop-
ing a relationship with an
established professional and
gaining a mentor can help
you gain access to a wealth of
knowledge. Often, your direct
manager is a great resource,
especially because you work
with him/her on a daily basis.
Joining a real estate organiza-
tion like BOMA and contribut-
ing to a committee allows you
to gain different perspectives
from other managers. Learning
from different managers helps
you discover and develop your
own managerial style.
Expand your network by
attending events to meet other
people new to the industry
as well as other experienced
managers. BOMA’s monthly
luncheons are a great place to
start networking. These indi-
viduals can be valuable sound-
ing boards when you have an
issue or a situation that you
are unfamiliar with. Don’t for-
get to network with your local
vendors. As you build these
connections, you will have a
cadre of resources at your fin-
gertips throughout your career.
Additionally, make sure to
look within your building to
gain knowledge in unfamiliar
areas. Your general manager
is always a great resource,
but also seek a connection
with your chief engineer or
someone from your engineer-
ing department. They love to
help new people learn about
building systems and how they
interrelate with the balance of
building utilities and tenant
comfort. Expand your horizons
– start asking questions and
see where the conversations
lead you.
Just remember, you will con-
tinually learn throughout your
profession. There is a plethora
of information out there; you
just have to reach for it. There
may be ups and downs in your
career, but know that these
experiences will mold you and
help you mature into an aston-
ishing manager. Knowledge,
experience and a well-devel-
oped network of resources is
invaluable in advancing your
career to new levels. It’s time
to “take the next step!”
H
Krystal Sears
Cushman and
Wakefield of CO
nd the Inter-
national TOBY
Award goes to …
” There is nothing
more exciting than the build-
ing you manage winning an
International TOBY Award.
The BOMA Outstanding
Building of the Year (TOBY)
Award is the highest honor
the commercial real estate
industry can bestow on
a building and its prop-
erty managers and owners.
Buildings may be entered in
one of 15 categories. Five cat-
egories are based upon square
footage, two are for suburban
office parks, and one each for
renovated, historical, corpo-
rate facility, medical, govern-
ment, retail and industrial
office park buildings. There is
only one Earth Award.
The road to the
International TOBY Awards
begins at the local level. A
team of two experienced
property managers and a
chief building engineer tour
the buildings entered, review
information about the build-
ing and then each assigns
scores – in several categories
– independently of the others.
A building must score a mini-
mum number of points to be
eligible, and then must have
the most points of all entries
in its category to win the local
TOBY.
Local award winners are
eligible to enter the regional
competition. Denver is part of
the Midwest Northern region
of BOMA International,
which includes Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska,
North Dakota and South
Dakota. Entries are sub-
mitted electronically at the
regional level. The regional
competition is based upon the
same criteria as for the local
competition except the build-
ing is rated on a portfolio of
information and photographs
rather than a physical inspec-
tion. The Midwest Northern
online regional judging will be
held in March.
When a building wins a
regional honor, it goes on to
compete for the highest honor
at the international level.
The criteria are the same as
regional, and the winners
are determined by a panel of
international judges. Regional
winners in each category are
acknowledged at the awards
dinner at which over 1,000
people attend. International
winners from each build-
ing category are presented
with the most prestigious
award in the industry – the
International TOBY Award.
This year’s local Denver
metro winners will be
announced at a black tie gala
at the Seawell Ballroom at
the Denver Performing Arts
Complex on Friday, Nov. 6.
Next year’s international win-
ners will be announced at the
annual BOMA International
Conference June 26-28 in
Washington, D.C. Those who
have entered this year’s com-
petition could already be on
the road to D.C.
“A
Here are a few things I have
learned this year. The Denver
metro area has a strong eco-
nomic forecast. Our economy
has diversified and isn’t focused
on only oil and gas. All types
of businesses have come to
Denver. Whether they have
moved, expanded or are just a
startup, Denver’s economy is
strong. The construction indus-
try is back and over 50,000
people a year are moving to the
Denver metro area. Yes, hous-
ing costs are high, but multi-
family apartment construction
is everywhere and this is all
caused by jobs. Denver has jobs!
Networking within BOMA,
working with the building
ownership and property man-
agement, allows the Allied
members not only the oppor-
tunity to learn but also to see
the buildings’ value within the
community. By joining commit-
tees, the interaction between
Principal members and Allied
members grows and develops
into true business partnerships.
We learn to work together as
trusted partners.
I did mention fun – well that
is all about networking. The dif-
ferent events are where you get
to know people better and have
fun! Whether you play golf,
attend a summer party or visit
the latest venue in Denver, it’s
always fun to get together infor-
mally with your colleagues. We
are all working for a common
goal … and these opportunities
equate to fun in BOMA.
Wow! That was wordy, but
here is the real reason I belong
to BOMA. I am with Western
Paper Distributors. I know you
can tell by the name we sell
commercial janitorial supplies
… not. BOMA has given me an
open door to tell people what I
do, it has allowed me to show
my work ethic and allowed me
to meet the key players in my
industry. I am not the BOMA
member who has lunch with
the BOMA gang once a month.
I participate, I join committees
and I have had the opportunity
to meet the great people who
belong to this organization. I
introduce myself as the lady
who sells toilet paper, but you
know what I sell. It has led to
my success, not only within
BOMA but in my career as well.
This is about being a leader in
your industry! Now ask your-
self, are you confident you know
all the key people in your indus-
try? I do.
Here are the ways you can
become a confident member of
BOMA:
• Become a BOMA member.
• Join committees and par-
ticipate.
• Be willing to learn and
share what you know.
Wow! That’s easy. It is a great
organization, so why aren’t you
a BOMA member?
The BOMAOutstanding
Building of the Year (TOBY)
Award is the highest honor the
commercial real estate industry
can bestow on a building and
its property managers and owners.
