BOMA International Advocacy Update - Sprinkler Requirement, BOMA on Capitol Hill, and BOMAPAC

Sprinkler Requirement Proposal to Come Before ICC

The code change process is officially underway and BOMA staff is pouring over thousands of proposed code changes in preparation for the International Code Council (ICC) hearings scheduled to begin in late April. BOMA's Director of Codes and Standards Dave Tyree recently attended a meeting of the ICC's Code Advisory Committee to preview some of the proposed changes and hear testimony on some of the issues. There are a number of proposed code changes that will potentially have an enormous impact on our industry, including a proposal to require the installation of sprinkler systems in all existing high rise buildings. BOMA staff will be on hand to protect BOMA members against onerous and costly code changes. Stay tuned for further developments.  A complete report will be provided in May following the hearings.

BOMA Vice Chair Greninger Presents Retrofit Case Study on Capitol Hill

BOMA International Vice Chair Richard Greninger, CPM, was on Capitol Hill yesterday to present a briefing on creating a business case for multi-tenanted office buildings that's a win for owners, managers and tenants. Greninger spoke on behalf of the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition and was joined by other real estate sustainability experts, including Michele A. Russo, LEED AP, director, Green Content & Research Communications for McGraw-Hill Construction and Bruce D. Hunn, Ph.D., ASHRAE Fellow and Consultant in Building Energy Analysis.

The briefing discussed ways that the industry, policy makers and others can influence the increased adoption of energy efficiency retrofits and renovations in the existing building stock in the United States. The briefing also covered a review of the retrofit and renovation market and key factors on how to make the business case and influence decision makers to invest in energy efficiency.



BOMAPAC Supports Congressman Steve Stivers

BOMAPAC recently lent its support to Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio-15), who is running for his second term.  Rep. Stivers, whose district includes The Ohio State University and part of Columbus, was joined by four BOMA/Columbus members at a local fundraising event. Gary Calliari and Jeff McDonald, CBRE; Janine Roffe, Continental Realty; and Bob Sutton, NAI Ohio Equities LLC, were on hand to thank Congressman Stivers for his continued support of the commercial real estate industry. Rep. Stivers serves on the Financial Services Committee, which oversees the real estate industry as well as the banking and insurance industries.