Learn about resources on the BOMA OEB website (See page 5.)
Focus on Life Science
Property Management
An eager audience listened to experts on how to effectively manage life science properties (See page 8.)
Learn more about Principal Member Jennifer Bartolomei, PJMB Commercial, and Associate Member Paymon Hifai, Horner Law Group. (See pages 10-11.)
BOMA OEB members gathered on May 11 for a Lunch & Learn program entitled “Reading Between the Lines: Understanding, Identifying & Addressing Implicit Bias.” Tiffany Martin, TKMartin Consulting LLC,
BOMA members displayed creative themes and costumes. (See page 14.
Above: Kelly Acevedo and Sarah Ann Gonzales, Universal Site Services, Inc.)
led a discussion to help bring clarity and understanding about what implicit bias is, how to identify it, and what to do when faced with it. The program offered strategies to help attendees better navigate and respond to how our unconscious associations impact the way we perceive and interact with others.
You may download the slide deck from the program by visiting the Online Learning Center on the BOMA OEB website (www.bomaoeb. org/bomaoeblearningcenter).
Some key points from the handout provided by TKMartin Consulting are outlined below.
“Bias” consists of attitudes, behaviors and actions that are prejudiced in favor of or against one person or group compared to another. “Implicit bias” is a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, and nevertheless affects judgments, decisions and behaviors.
Implicit bias characteristics:
w Affects our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner
w Includes both favorable and unfavorable assessments
w Leads to feelings and attitudes about other people based on characteristics
w Develops through the course of one’s life as a result of both direct and indirect messages.
Some impacts of implicit bias:
w Organizations may experience barriers to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce
w Communication between individuals can become strained
w Individuals often feel disrespected or demeaned when they are the ones impacted by someone else’s implicit bias.
(Continued on page 13)
Backpack to Briefcase series helps emerging professionals gain skills. (See page 15. Above: Amy Coffer, CBRE.) Tiffany Martin, TKMartin Consulting LLC, speaks at the BOMA lunch & learn.Summer is officially here! For me, that means looking forward to sunshine, vacations and evenings on my deck. It also means it’s time for the BOMA International Conference, being held in Kansas City this year.
I’m looking forward to representing BOMA OEB and sharing with all of you the new and exciting things that I learn. Along with others from our association, I will be cheering for 1111 Broadway as the team competes for an International TOBY Award.
by Liz Despins
to the office more and more, the number of employees working from home is still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels. This has led to the demand for office space to continue to decrease. With interest rates increases, we are starting to see a decrease in commercial real estate values. As many of the small banks have high exposure in CRE, this is causing the financial crisis to continue to be at risk of getting worse.
The good news is that the industrial and life sciences sectors are continuing to grow. At this point, we are all hoping things have stabilized within the banking industry, but the long term effect of all of this on the office sector of CRE is still unknown.
“As you start your RFPs and prepare to get your 2023 budget numbers, the BOMA OEB Directory is a great place to find the best vendors for your company.”
On all of our minds this year as we exit spring and head into summer is the effect the fall of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank will have on
In the CRE world, summer also means the start of budget season. As you start your RFPs and prepare to get your 2023 budget numbers, the online BOMA OEB Directory is a great place to find the best vendors for your building.
There is a new feature on our directory system that allows companies to specify if they are at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by minorities, veterans, women and/or disabled persons. If your company falls in that category, be sure to go to the directory section of the website to update this information. Our principal members can now search for companies that fall within these categories. Another great resource as you begin working on your budget is the Online Learning Center.
Lots of our workgroups have been extremely active this year, even meeting in person again occasionally. The Marketing Workgroup has been the one behind the scenes posting to social media and keeping us informed about what we’ve been up to this year. I love seeing all of the local information that they share with us on a
Be sure to follow BOMA OEB on social media to keep informed of all of our upcoming events this summer. I hope to see many of you on July 12 at our Annual
Platinum Partners
Gidel & Kocal Construction Company
Kastle Systems
Gold Partners
ABM
Allied Universal
Century Commercial Services
Metcon TI
Legacy Mechanical & Energy Services
ProGuard Security Services
Silver Partners
BSM Facility Services
CBRE
Gachina Landscape Management
SavATree
Securitas
WCI-GC
Bronze Partners Metro Services Group
Newmark
Northern California NECA
Paramount Properties
Petalon
PJMB Commercial, Inc.
Restoration Management Company
RiverRock Real Estate Group Security 101
For Partnership opportunities, contact Julie Taylor at julie@bomaoeb.org.
In addition to Partnerships, there are also opportunities to sponsor events.
Brendan
Clifford R. Horner
Horner Law Group, PC specializes in business and real estate litigation and represents a diverse client group in all aspects of disputes involving the development, ownership, operation, management, leasing, construction, finance and purchase and sale of real estate and all types of contractual, partnership, ownership and other related business disputes and issues.
We are pleased to announce that Paymon Hifai has become a Partner in the firm.
As a preeminent real estate and business litigation “boutique” firm, we offer the highest level of exceptional and personally tailored client service, experience and superior work product that is on par with the national law firms with a very competitive rate structure. A majority of our attorneys have more than 25 years of experience, and attorneys working on our clients’ matters possess an aggressive style tempered by common sense and sharp business intuition. Our goal is to meet each client’s individual objectives, which makes us ideal problem-solvers even in the most challenging and complex cases.
800 S. Broadway, Suite 200 w Walnut Creek, CA 94596 925.943.6570 w www.hornerlawgroup.com
To advertise, contact: Ellen Eason at 415.596.9466 or ellen@easoncom.com
SavATree has vast experience working with commercial clients to keep their properties safe and beautiful. Count on us for prompt and reliable service, courteous and professional crews, and outstanding cleanup.
Tree Care
Budgets & Planning
Tree Management
Plant Health Care
Removal & Replacement
GIS Mapping & Tree Inventory
Arborist Reports
www.savatree.com
925.701.8733
Congratulations to the team at 1111 Broadway for winning a TOBY Award in the Pacific Southwest Region. After being awarded the BOMA Oakland/East Bay’s 20222023 TOBY Award in the 500,000 –1 million square feet category, the property automatically advanced to the regional competition. The prestigious 25-story building in Oakland’s central business district is managed by Swift Real Estate Partners and owned by SF111 1111 Broadway, LLC. As a regional winner, 1111 Broadway proceeded to compete for a BOMA International TOBY Award at the BOMA International Conference in late June.
Have you recently visited the BOMA OEB website (www.bomaoeb.org)?
There are a number of features that will enhance your visibility and allow you to manage your membership, invoices and activities. Once you sign in as a member, here are a few tips on what you can do: Set a profile picture to appear in the online directory
Look for the upload button under the “My Profile” tab. (See screen capture to the right.)
Easily view and print outstanding invoices
Select the “My Invoices” tab and then select “View Invoice” to the right of each line item.
Manage your membership: add, review or edit affiliates
Select the “Associates” tab and then “Add Affiliate” or select the contact you wish to modify. Four affiliates are included with membership.
Be sure to utilize the online directory to identify vendors and other partners that can assist with your property or project. You may search for providers by category — from Architect to Window Cleaning. You may also refine your search to identify companies that are at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by minorities, veterans, women and/or disabled persons.
And while you’re online, check out the Online Learning Center to access slide decks, handouts and recordings from past BOMA programs.
June 2023 also marks my seventh anniversary as your BOMA Oakland/ East Bay Executive Director. As I look back, I’m so proud of our members, volunteers and board members who have served the organization. Over the past seven years, a new strategic plan was created, the committee structure was aligned with the four strategic goals, education sessions were expanded, and membership and attendance grew.
This time of year always makes me a bit melancholy. Summer is approaching and with it sun and fun. This year my son graduated from high school — not quite sure how he grew so fast!
met on Zoom and Remo to share the challenges the pandemic caused and learned from each other about solutions.
Our BOMA community stuck together — from shelter-in-place to masks to vaccines and the uncertainty and losses experienced during the pandemic. Our first in-person event held over a year after our March 2020 luncheon was a homecoming with fist bumps and masks, but we were finally together again! Now we’re faced with an uncertain economic time. Interest rates are high, and workers are not coming back to offices as expected.
BOMA International held its annual conference in late June. The content addressed these issues. Please watch for the next issue of Horizons for resources and insights from your BOMA OEB members who attended.
The first three years of my BOMA tenure were spent setting the foundation for growth and implementation in year four. Then a worldwide pandemic hit. All that work did not go to waste. Your BOMA OEB board and workgroup members used all of the tools we developed to revise our events and resources for you. You
“It has been an honor being your Executive Director for the past seven years. I can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish in the coming years. I’m so thankful to be able to work with such a welcoming, innovative and fun community.”
It has been an honor being your Executive Director for the past seven years. I can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish in the coming years. I’m so thankful to be able to work with such a welcoming, innovative and fun community. Thank you for your service and commitment to the industry and to BOMA Oakland/East Bay.
The life science sector is expanding in the East Bay, and the sold-out BOMA program in April attracted an audience that was eager to learn more about the ins and outs of managing life science assets.
“Life science is one of the fastest growing fields, and we wanted to give a general overview and highlight some of the differences in managing Class A offices versus life science,” said Gretchen Whipple, Assistant Property Manager, BioMed Realty. Whipple serves on the BOMA OEB Education and Careers Workgroup and helped to organize the program.
Panelists included two presenters from Transwestern: Blake Peterson, Managing Senior Vice President, Asset Services | Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, and Charley Berthoud, Chief Engineer at One and Two Tower Place, South San Francisco. The program was held at
Gate510 in San Leandro, described on its website as “an innovative tech and biotech campus in San Leandro for scientists, entrepreneurs, makers, creators and visionaries to collaborate, create, invent and work.”
Key differences between managing life science and office assets are 24/7 availability and extended building hours. The relationship between the property management team and a best-in-class engineering team is critical. Property management is also required to manage specialty contractors; environmental health and safety contracts, inspections and training; loading docks; hazmat disposal and storage; tenant equipment and maintenance; fuel maintenance programs for generators; emergency response plans; and construction coordination. Effective tenant communications are paramount.
Managing Life Science Assets (Continued from previous page)
Leases for life science tenants also differ and may include: specific electrical watts per square foot, permitted uses, access control limitations, leak detection requirements, tenant-provided janitorial, whether HVAC and submetering are provided, special environmental and pollution liability insurance coverage, potential landlord penalties for extended interruption of utilities/services, and detailed moveout and restoration requirements for decommissioning.
Life science buildings feature characteristics that differ from office buildings, such as: large loading docks, separate lab exhaust systems, higher floor-load capacity, redundant MEP systems with back-ups, specialty fire protection, enhanced filtration systems, clean rooms. The premises may include: mobile modular lab benches, sinks throughout, eye wash, emergency shower, above-standard electricity and HVAC capacity with redundancy, and the distribution of various gases.
Chief Engineer Charley Berthoud shared valuable insights at the program and in a follow-up interview. “The complexity of the base building systems that serve these two types of spaces (office and life science) are governed by basic design parameters that differ significantly,” he noted. “The most significant is that life science spaces are critical systems environments. Critical systems are power, HVAC, lab exhaust, clean dry air (CDA) systems, water.”
In addition, power requirements are much higher in life science buildings, on both the emergency and base sides of the house. Metering all power and managing the available amount of e-power available to tenants is important.
Ventilation requirements are roughly four times higher in lab spaces than in office spaces, necessitating multiple pieces of HVAC equipment to handle both the incoming air, but exhaust air as well. (Exhaust air is one of the critical systems mentioned above.)
What do property management professionals need to know about engineering issues in these types of assets?
“Critical systems failures must be avoided at all costs. To do that, a comprehensive maintenance program must exist,” said Berthoud. “I don’t care who you have to use (union, non-union, contractor), but you need to be able to have faith in their ability to quickly resolve critical system issues. You will be working with them very closely, and trust is key.”
He emphasized that there are more regulatory rules and inspections to keep track of. “You will have the local fire department, county health, fire alarm, fire sprinkler, air quality management, and others regularly needing access to your buildings. Many of these inspections come with penalties and potential citations to your owner if they are not maintained. Take the time to get to know the inspectors; they can be really helpful. I always welcome any inspector to any site I’m on. It’s a great opportunity to build goodwill with them, and they will share much more information with you.”
“Here at The Towers, we regularly allow the fire department to bring graduating cadets through the common spaces of our buildings to see evacuation routes, stairs, etc.,” Berthoud remarked.
“TI and construction in occupied life science buildings have a higher number of requirements. Your tenants may have specific needs for vibration and noise that need to be understood. You may have a vivarium (space with live animals) with needs. An example of this would be when a tenant is in the process of going through FDA trials or site inspections for a drug approval,” he explained. “A power shutdown for construction would be ill-advised, but how would you know? It’s very important to have rapport with tenants and contractors, as a high level of communication is required.”
Jennifer Bartolomei, Property Manager
PJMB Commercial
Property Manager Jennifer Bartolomei oversees office and R&D buildings throughout the East Bay and South Bay for PJMB Commercial, running the properties’ day-to-day operations. PJMB focuses on a value-add approach for all asset types. The privately held real estate services company offers asset management, property management, construction management and contract management services.
Before launching her commercial real estate career, Bartolomei was on the residential side of real estate management. “I always wanted to move into commercial real estate and when an opportunity arose six years ago, I made the transition,” she says. “I’ve enjoyed continuing to grow as a manager and learning more about this forever-changing industry.”
Currently Bartolomei chairs the Education and Careers Workgroup at BOMA OEB. “Being involved with this workgroup has helped me grow not only professionally, but personally. Having the opportunity to participate in planning the educational series, Backpack to Briefcase, as well as educational luncheons, has been very rewarding,” she adds.
Bartolomei recently obtained the CMCPTM (Certified Manager of Commercial Properties) certification, a program administered by BOMI for early-stage property professionals. The certification demonstrates an ability to be an effective commercial property manager and a strong understanding of the responsibilities of the role. “Obtaining my CMCP furthered my industry knowledge,” she says. “I took the course associated with the program to help me prepare for the test, which I highly recommend. Having been in the industry for only a few years, there were items on the test that I had not experienced first-hand, and the course prepared me for it.”
Outdoor activities energize Bartolomei during her off-hours. “I really enjoy hiking with my pup and snowboarding with my son in the winter,” she says. “We have recently started to surf, which is challenging but amazing.”
An expert in real estate and business/commercial litigation, Paymon Hifai was recently named a Partner at Horner Law Group, where he was an associate for six years. “A mainstay of my practice is representing building owners, landlords and property managers in commercial lease issues and litigation and landlord-tenant related matters. With respect to real estate litigation that often involves purchase and sale disputes, property rights, liens and construction litigation,” says Hifai. “Business and commercial litigation often focuses on complex contract disputes, partnership disputes, business fraud and misappropriation cases.”
Hifai notes that real estate law is a specialized part of the law with its unique issues and even more so — commercial real estate law. Having expertise in such a niche field gives Horner Law Group’s clients an advantage in the litigation context.
“Commercial real estate is dynamic, especially in the Bay Area, and the laws and regulations are seemingly ever evolving,” he says. “A recent example of this was seen during the pandemic and the resulting commercial rent regulations that were enacted. As businesses now come out of that period, new issues are presented in the face of a changing market.”
“I am fortunate to have experience working in real estate development and management prior to becoming an attorney, so I can understand and have been in the shoes of many of my clients,” he adds. “I am also fortunate to have honed my craft working alongside an attorney with 30+ years’ experience in the field and who is considered a leading advocate, lecturer and writers in commercial lease litigation.”
At BOMA OEB, Hifai serves as a member of the Strategic Planning Workgroup and also lends his knowledge to his role as Lead of the Advocacy Project. Previously he was involved with BOMA’s Leadership Academy.
In his leisure time, you might find him on the golf course. He also enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.
w Assumptions are made due to preconceived notions, thus impacting how we perceive and engage with others
w Organizational culture can become stagnant and thus insufficient for meeting the developmental and functional needs of staff.
Common types of implicit biases were identified. These include: racial and ethnic, age, gender, and ability. The first step toward addressing implicit biases involves learning to recognize them.
Discussions with small groups followed Martin’s initial remarks. Attendees discussed various scenarios in both workplace and social situations with the goal of identifying the type or occurrence of implicit bias. Martin then addressed some steps for addressing implicit bias. These steps include:
w Identify and evaluate your own biases
w Be proactive in being more inclusive
w Spend time with people who are different from you
w Practice fairness. With respect to the workplace, embrace and support diversity and work to improve planning and resources which will foster a more equitable space
w Change your perspective. Practice empathy and reflect upon how you would feel if someone stereotyped you or made a
negative assumption without knowing you
w Within organizations establish supportive practices and policies which work to overcome implicit bias
w Reframe the narrative by embracing differences as assets and strengths
w Training & education: seek out professional development training opportunities that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Finally, the elements of an inclusive environment were identified. According to the program materials, “you must cultivate a S.H.A.R.C. environment if you want to cultivate and maintain diversity and inclusivity.” S.H.A.R.C. stands for Safe/Secure, Heard, Acknowledged, Respected, and Comfortable.
BOMA members enjoyed a day of networking and friendly competition on the course at the annual Walter Finch Memorial Golf Tournament on May 1. The event benefited CREATE (the Commercial Real Estate Alliance for Tomorrow’s Employees), of which BOMA OEB is a partner. Thanks to all who joined us for this always-fun event!
More Golf Scenes (Continued from previous page)
Our popular Backpack to Briefcase programs continued in May with a session on Best Practices in RPFs. Amy Coffer, CBRE, and Ashley Gidel, Gidel & Kocal, presented from the property management and vendor sides respectively.
Attendees learned about developing RFPs, defining the scope of work and services, setting a schedule or timeline, and outlining proposal requirements. The goal was to help attendees feel more confident managing RFPs from creation to successful completion.
The Backpack to Briefcase series is designed to provide industry information for professionals in the early stages of their careers. Each interactive session features experts in the field, time with fellow members and plenty of time for networking and fun!
The June program focused on CAMs, and there is a full line-up of programs for rest of the year. Upcoming topics and dates include:
Landscape & Water Conservation Tour (August 16), Certificates of Insurance (October 18), and Vacant Building Management (December 7). Watch for more information and registration details in the weekly communications from BOMA.
BOMA Oakland/East Bay
436 14th Street, Suite 1216
Oakland, CA 94612
510.893.8780
www.bomaoeb.org
July 12 – BOMA OEB Gives Back Community Event
Trail Clean–Up at Tilden Nature Area, Berkeley
Networking Afterwards
July 13 – Luncheon: CRE ESG Governance
August 16 – Backpack to Briefcase: Landscape and Water Conservation Tour
August 30 – BOMA OEB Showcase
September 7 – Backpack to Briefcase: CAMS 2.0
September 14 – Luncheon: Building Innovations and Engineer Recognition
Visit
October 4– OAKtoberfest Tour & Toast
October 12 – Luncheon: Government Affairs
October 18 – Backpack to Briefcase: COI
November 2 – Wine Tour & Fall Member Mixer
November 9 – Annual Meeting Celebration
Luncheon
November 27 – BOMA Gives Back Toy Drive
December 7 – Backpack to Briefcase: Vacant Building Management
December 14 – Holiday Party