Southern CT BOMA hosts annual TOBY Awards Dinner

It was a great night of congratulations, awards, networking, and food. Southern CT BOMA hosted their annual TOBY Awards Dinner at the Stamford Marriott on October 23rd. Over 200 people gathered in the marble foyer for the cocktail hour, enjoying great appetizers and networking. After moving into the ballroom, the real festivities started. Rona Siegel of Collins Enterprises was the night's emcee. She called up the judges to present the TOBY Awards to 19 Old Kings Highway South, 600 Steamboat Rd., Stamford Square, The Towers-Norwalk, 800 Long Ridge Road and Graham Capital Management. These properties were honored for their excellence in property management. Also honored that evening was AQR Capital Management for their "Best Tenant Fit-Out," Michelle Savino of CBRE for Member of the Year, Keith Crosby of Crosby Construction for Allied Member of the Year, Cartus for Corporation of the Year, and Frank Pfaffenberger of DTZ/General Reinsurance Corp as Engineer of the Year. Also presented was an award to John O'Connor's family for his work as an engineer at RFR. John passed away this year, and his many years of service were recognized by RFR, his employer. Southern CT BOMA will host the Regional TOBY Awards at the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) at the Stamford Marriot in 2015. Those properties that are local TOBY winners will compete to win a Regional TOBY Award. The Regional Awards will be presented on May 1, 2015 and the regional winners will then move on to the International judging. Speakers at the conference will discuss what's taking place in Connecticut in the commercial real estate industry. Connecticut's large cities continue to grow and thrive and the speakers will discuss what each individual city has to offer. The November 13th program on Codes and Standards gave the members insight into the changes taking place, and how we, as property managers and owners, can make sure our buildings are safe and up to code. Thanks to Bruce Spiewak, AIA of Consulting Architect, LLC, Bradley Carmichael, PE of Hoffmann Architect and Karen Lika of CPG for participating in this panel discussion. On December 4th, we will all gather again to bring in the holiday season at the Innis Arden Country Club in Old Greenwich. This year's annual holiday social is sponsored by Hoffmann Architects. Over 80 attendees will enjoy the beautiful setting at the club-holiday decorations throughout the room, great food and a chance to mingle with the BOMA members and their guests. The program committee is putting together 2015 luncheon meetings on topics of interest to the commercial real estate industry. As our jobs get more demanding, our knowledge needs to increase as well. Managing our assets at peak performance is our main job, and having the resources to do this comes, in part, from the speakers we bring in. Don't miss any of the programs in 2015! Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday! Victor DeCicco is the president of BOMA Southern Connecticut, and is with HB Nitkin Group, Greenwich, Conn.