Founded in 1970, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of suburban Chicago has consistently served the needs of real estate professionals working in the commercial real estate industry.

BOMA-Suburban Chicago represents more than 63 million square-feet of office space in commercial office buildings, government buildings, medical buildings and corporate headquarters located in suburban Cook, DuPage, Kane and Lake counties, as well as Rockford and Merrillville, Ind.

“What we’re trying to do is take the idea of an association to its best level,” said Patricia Schwarze, executive director of BOMA-Suburban Chicago. “We’re trying to provide personalized service to our members.”

Being accessible to its members is something the organization excels at.

“We have a full-time office with a full-time staff that is just here to provide service to our members,” said Schwarze.

Membership in BOMA-Suburban Chicago is comprised of owners, managers or designated representatives of suburban Chicago office buildings or other commercial properties.

The association offers a wide range of services for its members, including an extensive list of associate members who provide products and services essential to the management of quality commercial buildings.

Other services include a peer consulting database, a reference library, an annual salary survey and compensation report, and a resume service.

One of the BOMA-Suburban’s most important services is customer relations.

“We think that what we do is communicate with our members,” Schwarze said. “In fact, in a recent membership survey we did this fall, our members told us that what we do best is communicate with them.”

Besides the personal touch, BOMA membership includes numerous benefits. Its members profit from BOMA’s ability to reduce bottom-line costs through updates and reports on current issues and trends. Its advocacy of industry concerns represents members’ interests, while its comprehensive industry-wide research increases knowledge of the current markets.

In addition, BOMA’s broad peer network instantly multiplies the number of vital contacts available to its members throughout the commercial real estate industry.

Additional advantages of a BOMA membership include invitations to attend free member luncheon programs and its annual holiday luncheon, as well as BOMA’s international annual conference and the office building show. Numerous seminars are also offered throughout the year.

One of the company’s major events is the annual office and commercial real estate expo, which brings together both building managers and vendors in a relaxed networking environment. The event is preceded by an educational session featuring a keynote speaker and concurrent workshops on timely industry topics.

On an educational level, BOMA offers a variety of classes, seminars and educational programs.

“Education is really the core of the industry,” said Schwarze. “It helps keep (members) on the cutting edge of their profession. It is something that we do really well.”

The company also offers the BOMI international curriculum, which leads to nationally recognized designations including real property administrator, facilities management administrator, system maintenance administrator and system maintenance technician.

Additionally, membership includes subscriptions to numerous online and print publications which cover the various aspects of the commercial real estate industry, as well as access to BOMA’s reference library of industry resources.

Each year the BOMA awards program recognizes properties that exemplify superior building quality and management practices, culminating in the office building of the year (TOBY) awards. TOBY winners are selected from the local, regional and international levels.

Amidst all of the services and benefits BOMA-Suburban Chicago offers, none are more appealing than its personal touch.