 See August Motivational Luncheon Speaker Nadia Bilchik
Nadia Bilchik, CNN News anchor and motivational speaker, will be the featured speaker at the 2011 August Motivational Luncheon on Aug. 10, 2011 at Twelve Atlantic Station, 361 17th Street NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30363. The luncheon is sponsored by FireStar and Parker Young Construction. Bilchik will present her topic "How to Light the F.I.R.E.: Tips & Techniques to Build Rapport Every Time You Communicate." In addition to the luncheon, you can also register separately for the follow-up conversation with Nadia from 1:15 until 2 p.m. after the luncheon. She will provide some interactive exercises as well as Q&A. Limited registrations are available for this opportunity, so register early. To register for this event, complete the registration form. 
 Volunteers Needed for Third Annual HomeAid Construction Project
On Oct. 21, 2011, BOMA-Atlanta will partner with HomeAid of Atlanta for the third annual HomeAid Construction Project. This year, BOMA-Atlanta will help renovate two different buildings; the Mary Hall Freedom House, serving women and mothers by empowering them to break the cycle of addiction, poverty and homelessness; and Trinity House - Big Bethel, a residential transitional program designed to serve homeless men with issues regarding drug dependency. To see this year's scope of work, click here. To see the sponsor/donation needs, click here. Anyone who is interested or would like more information about this volunteer opportunity should contact Tim Thomas with Double T Contracting at HomeAidVolunteer@DoubleTContracting.com or call (770) 489-7772.
 SPSU to hold Construction Management Department Fundraiser
Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) is conducting a Construction Management Department Fundraiser at the Cobb Galleria on Sept. 29, 2011 to raise funds for scholarships and advancement. In attendance will be general contractors, subcontractors, construction vendors and students in the Construction Management program. The event includes cocktails and a silent auction with many high-value items. BOMA-Atlanta is an advisory board member for the SPSU Construction Management Department.
For more information about the banquet, please contact Kenneth Barnett at (770) 294-4375 or email kennethbarnett@vanwinkle.com.  FEMA Encourages Participation in September's National Preparedness Month
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready Campaign, in partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council, announced the launch of new web tools that will make it easier for individuals and organizations throughout the nation to join the 2011 National Preparedness Month (NPM) coalition and pledge their support to help prepare their families, businesses and communities for various emergencies.
The eighth annual NPM will kickoff this September, using the slogan: "A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare." The campaign seeks to transform awareness into action by encouraging all Americans to take the necessary steps to ensure that their homes, workplaces and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of all kinds.
Read the entire press release.
Important Education Opportunity for BOMA-Atlanta Members The third annual Law Enforcement/Private Sector Business Continuity summit will be held on Friday, Oct. 7, 2011 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center and will be FREE to all attendees. Registration will take place at 7:30 a.m. and the program will last from 8:30 a.m. until approximately 4 p.m. This day-long, highly informative summit will address the latest international, national, regional and local threats to law enforcement, businesses, security and our local communities. To learn more about this educational seminar, see the flier.  2012 BOMA-Atlanta Leadership Nominations
BOMA-Atlanta is accepting nominations for leadership positions for 2012. Nominees have the opportunity to serve on the BOMA-Atlanta Board of Directors and as a BOMA-Atlanta officer. These leaders help set the direction for the association for years to come.
If you are interested in serving BOMA-Atlanta in a leadership capacity or know anyone who is a good candidate to serve, please forward the individual's name, company, and phone number to Gabriel Eckert at geckert@boma-atlanta.org, or call (404) 475-9980. Nominations are due by Sept. 16.
 BOMA-Atlanta Government Affairs Committee to Present Permitting Reform Seminar
The BOMA-Atlanta Government Relations Committee (GAC) is pleased to host a FREE lunch-and-learn seminar featuring Don Rosenthal, City of Atlanta's Director of the Office of Buildings, on Aug. 16, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the BOMA-Atlanta Conference Center. Atlanta's permitting process has long proven to be frustrating and confusing. As the city's new director of buildings, Rosenthal has some common sense plans to reform our city's permitting process in order to make it more efficient and beneficial for those who need it most, namely the commercial real estate industry. Attending this presentation will offer a chance to understand Rosenthal's plans for permitting reform in Atlanta. He will not only outline his plan, he will also ask those in attendance to ask questions and give suggestions. In October, Rosenthal will be taking his permitting reform proposal to the Atlanta City Council. If you live or own/manage a building in the city of Atlanta, you cannot miss this lunch-and-learn discussion with Don Rosenthal. This is your chance to help affect policy and support making our city a better place to live, work and play. Attendance is FREE to all members of BOMA-Atlanta, Council for Quality Growth (CQG) and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), but registration is required. Space is limited, so secure your spot today to avoid missing out. Registration will be open until Aug. 9. For more information and to register, please click here.  The 2011 EER is Now Available
Budget season is upon us and what better way to build better budgets and pro formas than to use the now available 2011 Experience Exchange Report (EER)® to see how your building matches up to other buildings in its market? The 2011 EER contains data from 6,500 buildings and 278 markets across the U.S. and Canada. Its convenient, online access allows you to generate reports for more than 140 cities anytime, anywhere. With its custom search features and exportable tables and charts, the EER can track key performance indicators such as energy and cleaning costs to evaluate and refine operating strategies for your asset or entire portfolio. The EER truly works for you to help you increase the level of performance in your asset and provide comprehensive metrics to owners, investors and tenants effectively. It can also be used to evaluate income and expenses in new markets and is a necessity for analyzing and underwriting acquisitions. Subscribe to the EER today. 2011 Budgeting Tips! (From BOMA International)  Win Big at the 2011 Sports Outing
Time to register is running out for the 2011 BOMA-Atlanta Sports Outing presented by SERVPRO Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration on Sept. 30 at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga. The Sports Outing is one of Atlanta commercial real estate's highly anticipated and attended events. Attendees can choose to participate in recreational or competitive golf tournaments or play in the tennis tournament. There are only a few tennis and golf slots left! Register today before it is too late! The day concludes with an awards ceremony and dinner. This event always sells out. So don't wait to register. If you would like to register to attend this event, fill out the registration form.  BOMA 360: Set Your Building Apart
The BOMA 360 Performance Program is an online self-assessment that evaluates six major areas of building operations and management and benchmarks a building's performance against industry standards. In a time when owners and asset managers are looking for more ways to distinguish their properties in the marketplace and attract tenants, the BOMA 360 Performance Program is designed to recognize outstanding achievement and provide a tool that can be used to market buildings as meeting and exceeding best practices. The program ensures that a building is operating to the highest standards of excellence; helping to both keep existing tenants and attract new tenants. Other rating programs only focus on a specific area of operations, such as sustainability. To learn more about the BOMA 360 program, visit the information page on the BOMA-Atlanta website.  Be a BOMA Star and Share Your Data
BOMA International is a vocal proponent of making commercial buildings more energy efficient and has rolled out several programs to help members achieve this goal. A critical step in this process is benchmarking your portfolio using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager and sharing your energy management data with BOMA International's Master Account. Sharing this data helps BOMA highlight our industry's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. BOMA uses this data to track the progress of the commercial real estate industry in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the voluntary marketplace. It allows BOMA to show policy makers that we can reduce energy consumption without new mandates. The BOMA STARS campaign recognizes those companies that see the value in this important step as a means to effectively show that market transformation is working. For more information, visit the BOMA STARS web page.  Green Education Opportunities
BOMA is a leader in sustainability. BOMA also offers a variety of green educational opportunities for real estate professionals. BOMA offers classroom preparation courses for the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP Operations and Maintenance exams. The courses provide an in-depth preparation to take the LEED exams. In addition to in-person training, participants also receive access to 60 days of post-class online exam simulators, which reinforce the knowledge gained by attending the course. Visit the links below to get registered for the course or green event you need. Online Exam Prep: LEED Green Associate - Aug. 3 LEED AP Operations and Maintenance Exam Prep Course - Aug. 30 Green Real Estate Network: September Breakfast - Sept. 20 LEED Green Associate Exam Prep Course - Sept. 27 Sustainable Real Estate Seminar: Green Building Renovations - Oct. 19 Green Real Estate Network: November Breakfast - Nov. 15 | 
