The Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco celebrated its role in shaping The City’s commercial landscape at a Gala Centennial recently at the Palace Hotel. BOMA’s efforts have supported and reinforced a first-class downtown San Francisco.
BOMA represents most of the commercial office buildings in San Francisco and also real estate in Sonoma, Marin and San Mateo counties. More than 650 gathered at the Palace Hotel for BOMA’s Centennial Gala May 19.
“We’re 100 years old, but so what? Woody Allen once said that ’80 percent of success in life is just showing up.’ But I don’t buy it. And for us, we have done far more than simply show up. What’s important is making a difference. What’s important is creating meaning,” says BOMA Executive Vice President Marc Intermaggio, who has headed the BOMA professional staff for almost three decades.
BOMA received accolades from the U.S. Congress, the State of California and the City and County of San Francisco for leadership in fostering commerce and economic development in The City since 1911, when the commercial real estate industry began building one of the world’s most iconic cities from the devastation of 1906.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, on hand for the celebration, credited BOMA with leadership in greening San Francisco’s commercial buildings as well as for its annual toy drive for underprivileged children that has helped donate more than 1 million toys. He declared May 19, 2011 “BOMA Day” in San Francisco.
The mayor noted that the commercial office buildings industry, which BOMA represents, paid almost $1.8 billion over the past decade in San Francisco property taxes and contributes $2.5 billion annually to the local economy and provides more than 14,000 jobs.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein issued a U.S. Senate Certificate of Commendation for BOMA saying, “You provide local jobs and are an important organization in representing and protecting property owner rights. These are significant contributions to our community, our future and the economy.”
Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who attended the gala, says, “Healthy commercial real estate provides homes for countless businesses that employ our workforce. BOMA always strives to create better work environments for our future generations. It has been honored for its progressive environmental policies. For 20 years BOMA has partnered with the San Francisco Fire Department and put big smiles on children’s faces. The San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program is the oldest program of its kind in the country and BOMA’s members have donated over a million toys to disadvantaged children through that Program.”
