18 California Buildings News • Q2 2020
Industry Associations
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BOMA engaged with the San Francisco mayor’s office and relevant state officials through BOMA California to learn about health orders, eviction and nonpayment topics and relevant signage. And it joined a coalition comprised of other area business groups concerned with all aspects of commercial spaces. BOMA has provided useful webinars and even sought advice from BOMA members in China about how they are coping with the pandemic. Michelle Malanca Frey, executive director, Urban Land Institute of San Francisco, says, “As we have moved our activities online, ULI San Francisco members have truly stepped up with creative ideas and new ways to connect, whether it be through webinars with industry leaders, virtual coffees and happy hours, or even group workout classes. We will always have education and information at the core of what we do, but the desire and ability of our members to help each other navigate their careers and lift each other up is equally as valuable. “Times of big change and uncertainty shine a light on the importance of personal and professional networks, and this time is no different. ULI members are demonstrating that we are more than conveners and educators, more than a professional association—we are a support system.” The Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles is offering numerous ways to keep its member connected and informed during the Coronavirus pandemic. Its membership director Desmond Brown identified the following: BOMA/GLA Virtual Community Slack created a space on the communication app for members to connect with one another on general issues as well as providing a COVID-19 issue specific channel. Its webinars added new topics to its e-learning program. Recent topics included: team leader-
ship and motivation, sexual harassw Increased communication through ment training required for California social media and direct emails— supervisors and proactively combating sharing tips, additional events and COVID-19 in your building resources It created a Coronavirus Resource w Virtual happy hours (Cinco de Center with up-to-date webinar Mayo!) for networking and socializing recordings, documents, checklists and “I wish I could say we’ve got it all figuseful resources to help managers ured out, but we don’t! And, that’s OK. prepare their tenants and buildings. It’s a good time to try new things, get It offers an Associate Member Online feedback and try again. SMPS SFBAC Resource Center that publishes a is committed to keeping our members current list of associate members by connected, supported and educated, service type that are regardless of the open for business pandemic.” "The Talent Portal has also ready to serve the Other associaindustry. All this tions are making an grown during the COVID-19 can be found at the effort to continue crisis, offering expanded BOMA/GLA website: to perform their www.bomagla.org core functions, such job listings and many Susie Smith, as the U.S. Green complimentary webinars," director of marBuilding Council keting at Blitz is Los Angeles. “One Ben Stapleton, USGBC-LA. this year’s presiof the regular and dent of the Society popular offerings for Marketing of USGBC-Los Professional Services San Francisco Angeles chapter has always been tours chapter. Her members comprise comof exceptional green buildings. On munications and marketing professionEarth Day, in light of COVID-19, we als that serve the architectural, engidebuted our first such virtual tour, a neering and construction industry. It’s total success: Santa Monica’s new City a chapter of dedicated members, and Services Building, the first municipal it has on occasion won best chapter in Living Building project in the world. international competition, so it stands Set to open to the public that day, the to reason that its members would tour, with special guests, drew 200+ know who to respond in a crisis such viewers from around the globe, and is as COVID-19. now available for free on USGBC-LA’s Smith says, “SMPS is a very supTalent Portal, www.usgbc-la.org. portive professional organization, and “The Talent Portal has also grown the only one specific to marketing and during the COVID-19 crisis, offerbusiness development for AEC. The ing expanded job listings and many SF Bay Area Chapter has a number of complimentary webinars. It held a strategies in place (and are working on special Quarterly Thought Leadership many more!) to care for our members program called ‘An Interim Event in these unprecedented times. Reentry, Redesign, & Resilience.’ It w Weekly Stretch + Wave: a guided convened green building leaders to quick stretch and opportunity to discuss our response to the crisis, both casually connect as we return to work and look to the w Market Share: facilitated peer-to-peer future of building design and construclearning with a specific topic (April tion,” says Ben Stapleton, USGBC's was about the current craziness) executive director in Los Angeles. n
