Page 4 - New England Condominium July 2022

4 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM -JULY 2022 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM Industry Pulse Events Summer Is Sizzling at CAI-CT The Connecticut Chapter of Com- munity Associations Institute (CAI-CT) will hold a Summer Sizzler program, “The Times (and Climate), They Are A-Changing,” from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 3, at Amarante’s Sea Cliff in East Haven. More microbursts, extreme flooding, rising sea levels, increased drought— how will all of this affect our communi- ties? Will higher amounts of flood insur- ance be required? Do current deductible levels provide adequate coverage? What about fire insurance and replacement costs? Can risk management mitigation offer some protection? Chapter experts will help attendees navigate steps to pre- pare for future weather-related disasters. The program runs from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., followed by a party until 7:00 p.m. To register, visit www.caict.org. “Insight from the Pros” Roundtable The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Boston will hold a roundtable event spotlighting “Insight from the Pros” from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 12 at Oxford Properties, 225 Franklin St., The Foundation Room, Boston. Capture the opportunity to join a few of BOMA Boston’s seasoned profession- als as they share some of their knowl- edge surrounding important expenses at your assets. The roundtable will be led by Phil Boccalatte, Vice President, Rockhill Management; Chuck Hurchalla, President, Evolution Energy Partners; Gregg M. Laufersweiler, Sr. Vice Presi- dent, Sales and Marketing, Stanley Eleva- tor; and Clayton Wentworth, RPA, Vice President-Portfolio Manager, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, BOMA 2022 Trea- surer. They will focus on utilities, eleva- tors, real estate taxes, janitorial contracts, and supplies. Register at www.bomaboston.org. Industry News Barkan Management Partners with Usource Energy Barkan Management Company, a residential property management firm based in Newton, Massachusetts, has announced the formation of the Barkan Energy & Sustainability Team (BEST) in partnership with Usource, a trusted ener- gy consulting firm. As Barkan’s exclusive partner, Usource will provide the exper- tise and services behind BEST, an initia- tive designed to help residential com- munities reduce energy costs, cut carbon emissions, and meet sustainability goals, according to a company press release. “With increasing focus on sustainabil- ity, rising energy costs, and ever-chang- ing laws and regulations associated with environmental impact, Barkan anticipat- ed the importance and immediacy in ad- dressing these issues impacting residen- tial communities. In collaboration with Usource, Barkan will deliver best-in- class services and resources to offer a full range of integrated energy solutions for our clients,” said Daniel Bauman, Presi- dent of Barkan Management. “Usource is excited to be partnering with Barkan to help multifamily proper- ties cost-effectively achieve sustainability goals. Usource provides a comprehen- sive, integrated approach to decarboniza- tion solutions and is uniquely positioned to guide organizations through the en- ergy transition as a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s largest producer of wind and solar energy,” said Scott MacDonald, Managing Director of Usource. According to Bauman, multifamily communities must find new and creative ways to unite towards a common goal of living more sustainably. BEST will give condominium and homeowner associa- tions the exclusive advantage of working with a dedicated energy advisor and a team of market analysts to evaluate ener- gy projects, advise on rebates and incen- tives as well as regulatory or legal chang- es, and act as liaison with suppliers and vendors. Advisory services range from energy purchasing strategies and en- ergy efficiency to onsite generation and renewable energy. Based on a property’s needs and objectives, customized energy strategies will include services such as benchmark reporting for city ordinances, utility bill analysis and sales tax review, energy efficiency projects and rebates, onsite solar, offsite solar and community solar, electric vehicle charging stations, electric and natural gas procurement, and more. Barkan Management is recognized as an industry leader in residential property management serving New England, Met- ropolitan Washington, DC, and other ar- eas. The company boasts a diverse port- folio of clients ranging from suburban townhome communities to ultra-luxury urban highrises. Today, Barkan man- ages a portfolio of nearly 200 properties (35,000 units) in eight states. Headquar- tered in Newton, Massachusetts, Bar- kan maintains offices in Boston; Cape Cod; Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and its Mid-Atlantic re- gional office in Tysons Corner, Virginia. For more information visit www.barkan- co.com. Association Reserves Launches Rating System Association Reserves Inc., the na- tion’s leading provider of reserve stud- ies, announced the launch of Associa- tion Insights & Marketplace (AIM)—an online database that identifies more than 400,000 association-governed communi- ties, including condominiums, co-ops, and homeowners associations. Using AIM, boards of directors can learn their FiPhO™ health score at no cost, by claim- ing their association and providing fi- nancial, physical, and operational details, according to a company press release. Similar to a FICO® score that mea- sures consumer credit risk, the FiPhO™ health score, a term coined by AIM, distills the financial, physical, and op- erational health of an association to a single number. Providing the score is a solution to improve the overall health of these shared-ownership communities, as well as to help interpret a vast array of real estate disclosures for the benefit of shoppers, buyers, and real estate agents, the release says. “The collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside was an extreme exam- ple of how an older condominium with underfunded reserves, deferred mainte- nance, and conflict between the board and owners can be a recipe for disaster,” said Robert Nordlund, PE, RS, AIM’s co-founder and the founder and CEO of Association Reserves. “Pioneering the FiPhO™ health score was the natural ex- tension of three decades of subject matter expertise in the area of reserve funding.” “We are finding overwhelming sup- port for this new way to qualify the fi- nancial health of associations,” explains AIM co-founder Cathy Schrader, PE. “As the site reaches its full utility, homebuy- ers and real estate professionals will be able to search for an association, com- pare the FiPhO™ health score of different properties, and make better-informed purchase and sale decisions.” The FiPhO™ health score is featured in an in-depth report that normally sells on the site for $49.99. As an introductory offer, AIM Reports will be available com- plimentary until Labor Day 2022. Established in 1986, Association Re- serves Inc. has 16 regional offices across the United States, and has performed more than 70,000 reserve studies for ev- ery type of association-governed com- munity—from condominium and home- owners associations, to common interest developments, co-ops, planned unit de- velopments, and timeshare and vacation ownership resorts. Appointments & Transitions Christina Rahn Earns ARM Christina Rahn of the Peabody Com- panies has received her Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) credential through the Boston Chapter of the Insti- tute of Real Estate Management (IREM). Rahn, who joined the Peabody Compa- nies in August 2019, is a multisite man- ager. The residential property management certification teaches early-career real es- tate managers the core competencies to manage residential properties successful- ly. As such, the ARM designation is wide- ly recognized in the residential property management industry. “Congratulations to Christina for at- taining this level of achievement,” Me- lissa Fish-Crane, principal and COO of the Peabody Companies and president of the IREM Boston Chapter, said in a press release. “By reaching her ARM credential she is not only recognized for industry excellence, but also given a platform for new opportunities.” Robyn Duffy Joins Boylston Properties Team Robyn Duffy is joining Boylston Properties as director of property man- agement, leading a new vertically-inte- grated property management arm of the growing real estate firm. The launch of Boylston Properties Management Com- pany (BPMC) follows the development of 400,000 square feet of life science space at Arsenal Yards in Watertown, Massa- chusetts. Duffy previously worked as the senior property manager for Lincoln Property Company where she was responsible for the management and oversight of a mixed-use portfolio of 28 buildings which included retail, residential, and of- fice on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay. n PULSE Please submit Pulse items to Pat Gale at patgale@yrinc.com