Thomas Hill's son, Tom Jr., was in training class recently at Local 94 and heard his father's name mentioned several times. Though he had known his dad had worked his way up to senior vice president of property management-New York Region at Boston Properties from being a property manager 28-plus years ago, it finally struck him what an accomplishment that was. "Wow Dad," he told him, "a lot of people know about you." That climb to the top has shaped his perspective on how essential the real estate industry and the tenants it serves are to the city. "New York's office towers are like the film studios are to Hollywood or automobiles to Detroit...like cathedrals of commerce, central to the economic health of the tri-state area." Managing them is something Hill takes very seriously; it is one of the great passions of his life. The marketplace is fairly healthy but in many ways has never been more complex, he said. "Even our most successful tenants are re-tooling and using their space more and more efficiently, all with an eye toward maintaining a healthy bottom line." Building owners and managers will be challenged by this and will need to be smarter about operating and recapitalizing their properties in response to these rapidly changing tenant requirements. "Bottom line will be our resolve to meet these demands by ensuring that our BOMA/NY members are provided with the information and tools to assist them in performing their jobs. This is where the rubber hits the road and our value as an industry association will make the most impact," he said. Strength through Association On taking office January 1st, Hill will be working with his fellow officers, the board and more to "define our core competencies and the role we can play in partnership with other real estate associations—most prominently REBNY and The N.Y. Building Congress—as partners in equal standing for the common good of the industry. "BOMA/NY has successfully carved out a unique niche for itself with the our city agencies as a valuable resource to turn to when the practical application of a law, code or regulation and its potential effect on real estate needs to be studied and understood," he said. "BOMA/NY is seen as an operating and technical arm. We're the ones who facilitate the implementation of the laws and codes in the day-to-day operation of our properties. Our collaborative relationship with our city agencies and the input we make is front line evidence." He's seeking to further integrate BOMA/NY initiatives with REBNY and The N.Y. Building Congress, so that "as an industry, we are presenting consistent and reliable input to city officials." "One industry, one message, is my philosophy—this kind of unity benefits the industry and the city of New York," said Hill. The other 2014 officers of BOMA/NY are: VP, James Kleeman, RPA, deputy director of redevelopment for the World Trade Center/Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; treasurer, Ronald Zeccardi, VP for property management for The Moinian Group; and secretary, Hani Salama, PE, LEED AP, senior VP of property management and operations at Monday Properties.