the voice of boma

THE VOICE OF BOMA
VOLUME 96 No. 3
BOMA Board
President
Kevin C. Clarke, RPA, LEEP AP
Avison Young
Vice President
Susan Niedbala, RPA, CPM
Highwoods Properties
Treasurer
Bruce Longenecker
Elmhurst Company
Past President
James F. Ayers
L G Realty Advisors
Board of Directors:
Frank J. Butter
Jones Lang LaSalle
Lydia A. Cessna, RPA, CPM
Cushman & W akefield of PA
Lori Beretta
CBRE
Edward J. M anko, RPA, CPM
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Richard Veith, CPM
Jones Lang LaSalle
M ary Jo Vicario, RPA
Draxxhall M anagement
Associate M em ber R epresentatives
Ben Huber, RPA
The Huber Group
Philip A. Krut
OSS Security Inc.
Suzanne Sieber, CEI
Elevator M anagement Services
Executive Director
John R. Java, RPA
Assistant Director
Barbara E. W ise-Rau
The Koppers
Building
436 Seventh Ave,
Suite 2915
Pittsburgh, PA
15219
412/261-2328
www.
bomapittsburgh
.org
March 2014
BOMA Pittsburgh Lunch Meeting
Thursday, April 3
Gene Ciavarra, VP, Operations
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Cabaret at Theatre Square
Registration & Networking: 11:30 am
Buffet Lunch: Noon
$40 Member / $50 Non-Member
Reserved Parking available
Luncheon Cost Change: Effective immediately, the luncheon price
for all members will be adjusted to fit the menu and venue. This is due
to the rising and variable costs of both food and location. The member
price will apply to ALL employees of member entities.
Reservations required; no shows may be required to pay for their lunch if we
are unable to re-sell their seats
The Cultural Trust has had, and continues to have a tremendous impact
on Pittsburgh and we invite you to have lunch in the heart of the
Cultural District, and take a look at what’s on the horizon.
CALENDAR
Mar 30 - Apr 1 - MAC Conference, Boston MA
April 3 - BOMA Lunch
April 17 - CEU Seminar, Wexford
May 1 - BOMA Luncheon & Election
BOMA Pittsburgh (The Building Owners & Managers Association) is
federated with BOMA International, a leading source of information on
office building development, leasing, operating costs, energy consumption
patterns, building codes, legislation, occupancy statistics and technological
developments. BOMA's 17,000-plus members own or manage more than
nine billion square feet of commercial properties in the U.S.
President’s Message
Kevin C. Clarke, RPA, LEED AP
Things to Appreciate
There are many things we only
notice when they don’t work.
So let’s take a moment to
appreciate some of the modern
day wonders that have special
meaning for those in our
industry.
Elevators. We notice when they aren’t working. We
certainly notice if a tenant gets stuck - even briefly in an elevator. But the next time you step on an
elevator, take a moment to appreciate how well they
do work. Step in, push a button and you’re whisked
straight up to your floor. Elevators are the one thing
that made high-rise buildings possible.
Certainly the January weather made us all appreciate
the heating systems in our buildings. Systems that
were working overtime to keep tenants warm. Along
with the building engineers that keep these systems
running. Whatever the weather outside, we simply
expect that our offices will be a comfortable
temperature; winter or summer. Several generations
ago, staying warm inside meant hauling coal or
firewood for a pot belly stove in the corner of each
room.
Having light to work by meant filling oil lamps and
replacing candles all day. Now, flip the switch, and
there’s light. With motion sensors, you don’t even
have to flip the switch - just walk into the room.
Something else we only miss when the lights don’t
come on. Imagine that stunned instant of blank
confusion if you hit the switch and nothing happened.
The technology that is so important to us - computers,
calculators, printers, copiers, scanners - are worthless
if the electric current isn’t flowing.
These are things you don’t think about until you flip
the switch and ..... nothing. As a building manager
keeping these systems working is an integral part of
your job. Now and then, notice and appreciate how
nice it is when they are working.
Councilman Dan Gilman
In February, our BOMA reps met with new City
Councilman Dan Gilman, formerly Chief of Staff for
now-Mayor Bill Peduto. He shared some interesting
statistics - half of Pittsburgh City Council is under
35. As a result, he truly sees a new energy and a far
more tech-savvy group, and he is optimistic about the
future.
Mr. Gilman agrees that the permit / code processes
are very bad. Numerous examples of running from
office to office were cited. In one case he had
proposed a solution, with the applicant
getting/paying for all permits at one office, with that
office distributing payments to other departments. In
a classic ‘turf war’ mentality, each department made
it clear they did not trust the other groups to act
fairly.
Building Inspections are another very big issue as
they only take calls on certain days; and function by
phone only (no internet or hand-held devices). The
lack of technology extends to snow plows working
from paper lists, instead of GPS.
We certainly hope that Pittsburgh can move forward,
and offer Councilman Gilman our support.
New Home for CEU Seminar
After many years at Regional Enterprise Tower, our
annual continuing education seminar for real estate
license holders moved to Two Chatham Center.
Because this is a “deadline” year for CEUs, we will
offer a second program - April 17 in Wexford.
The February program received good reviews on both
our new location, and our topics and speakers. We
covered everything from Airport Area Development
(Dennis Davin, Allegheny County) to the impact of
downtown’s conversion to residential (Dennis
Yablonsky, Allegheny Conference).
Lou Gradisek and Bill Cosalter
(Scott Electric) joined Mickie
Javor from GE to explain LED
retrofits and available rebates.
Chuck DePietro from SPC
reviewed the importance of
transportation planning, while
Lew Knopp (Templar Titan
Security) explained how to
“create order out of chaos”.
We finished up with attorney
Brad Dornish. If you want to
hold the attention of a crowd,
tell them how to stay out of jail!
Brad explained the laws
governing disposition of
abandoned property, including
both civil and criminal penalties
that could apply.
If you have a PA real estate license and have not
finished your CEUs for the reporting period, sign up
for our April 17 program. Planned topics include
Companion vs. Service Animals; Legionella and
other pathogens; back flow preventers; and dealing
with environmental agencies.
Thursday, April 17, 2014 / 8 am - 4 pm
Four Points Sheraton, Warrendale / $150
Quick Smiles....
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.
A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
Think about it....
BOMA
Medical
Office
Building
Conference
Save the date!
More than 700 of the country’s top experts in
healthcare real estate and healthcare administration
will gather at BOMA’s 2014 Medical Office
Buildings & Healthcare Facilities Conference, April
30 – May 2, 2014 at the Omni Nashville Hotel in
Nashville, TN.
Participants will learn about the latest trends and
critical issues impacting the industry. It is by far the
largest and most comprehensive conference
dedicated to healthcare real estate and healthcare
issues impacting real estate.
Good day mates!
John R. Java, Executive Director
My wife and I got back from our dream trip to
Australia on Feb. 7 and I wanted to share some
observations if you ever had a desire to visit or retire
there. Are you thinking ‘rugged outback’? ‘Land of
Oz’? Crocodile Dundee? Think again! Visit –yes;
retire –no! Australia is a country of only 25 million
people and it is modern, dynamic, heavily taxed,
controlled, and expensive.
Aussies have experienced 23 years of continuous
economic growth although the world economic
climate is starting to slow that down a bit. The
Aussies have used their
wealth to modernize their
country in both cities and
suburban properties. City
housing is in short supply
and housing prices are 3-4
times inflated.
Unemployment is just a
minimized statistic as jobs
and high salaries are
plentiful. However, the cost
of living is atrocious.
Consumer goods are TWICE what we pay in the
USA. As an example a $35,000 car in America would
be about $75,000 AU. Gasoline is over $6/gallon and
everyone uses the metric system. EVERYTHING
except a few fresh food items carries a 10% GST and
the exchange rate fluctuates, now about 90 cents to
the US dollar.
As regards the culture, Aussies are friendly, proud,
and VERY protective of their life style. Immigration
is tightly controlled and voting is mandatory for all
over 18. You are fined if you do not vote or if you
ignore civic warnings for private property
maintenance. Traffic laws are strictly enforced by
cameras and very limited modifications are allowed
to vehicles. American influence is everywhere from
TV, to movies, music, dress, an increasing interest in
multiple sports, fitness awareness, and to, yes, even
graffiti and expanding social causes. And when in
Sydney try the 440 ft "Bridge Climb",
http://www.bridgeclimb.com.
Election
We’re delighted to have so many excellent
candidates for our Board! Bios will be included with
the next newsletter. I hope you’ll attend our May
luncheon to cast YOUR vote!
Breaking News: We have just confirmed Mayor
Peduto as our guest speaker in May.
Building Members:
Tony Young, The Carnegie
Mary Jo Vicario, DraxxHall Management
Chris Pinelli, CBRE / 11 Stanwix Street
Associate Members:
J W Waudby, ServPro
Vince Sorco, Mongiovi and Sons
Phil Krut, OSS Security
Faith Dickinson, D. T. Mistick
DEGREE DAYS
February 2014
1094
0
Degree Days, 2013
1012
0
948
0
115.4%
Na %
% of Normal
I want to thank Mr. Peter Verwer - Chief Executive,
Mr. Glen Byres –Exec Dir NSW, and Ms. Jennifer
Cunich –Exec Dir VIC for their hospitality during my
visits to Sydney and Melbourne respectively. Good
day mates !
Cooling
Degree Days, 2014
Degree Days, Normal
Although Australia was one of the earliest BOMA
International affiliates, and they remain closely
affiliated, they are no longer called “BOMA”. In
1996 they became the PROPERTY COUNCIL of
Australia, with an expanded scope and mission. The
Aussies have incorporated apartment, retail,
brokerage, city planning, and other real estate related
activities into one charter. It works well for them as
they derive the benefits of efficient size, concentrated
administrative effort, lobbying, and professional
management all in one package.
Heating
Max. Temperature
57
Min. Temperature
1
Average Temperature
25.7
Normal Ave Temp
31.1
BOMA PITTSBURGH MEMBER
CODE OF CONDUCT
BOMA Pittsburgh expects a high level of
professionalism from all members. Building
Members are encouraged to utilize the services of
our Associate and Professional Members, and are
expected to treat them with courtesy and respect.
Associate and Professional Members are not
permitted to engage in aggressive marketing during
BOMA events. Conduct in violation of this code
should be brought to the attention of the Board.