BremnerDuke finalist for international award
Released: 4/28/2010
Developer’s building for Edward Hospital in Plainfield, Ill., wins regional TOBY for medical office buildings; international winner to be named June 29 at annual BOMA conference
Edward Plainfield Medical Office Building (MOB), a three-story, 56,531 square foot facility in Plainfield is a finalist for an international award recognizing excellence in office building management and operations. The property is owned and managed by BremnerDuke Healthcare Real Estate, a division of Duke Realty Corp. It is located on Edward Hospital & Health Services’ growing campus in Plainfield, a Chicago suburb.
The award is part of The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) program, which is sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, a commercial real estate trade association. The TOBY Awards recognize commercial properties in 13 categories. The Edward Plainfield MOB first won at the local level, then was recognized March 31 as the winner of the North Central Region TOBY in the MOB category. The international TOBY winners are scheduled to be announced June 29 during the 2010 BOMA International Conference and Every Building Show in Long Beach, Calif.
When a building is nominated for a TOBY award, a panel of judges typically schedules a “walk through" and evaluates the property based on a detailed building inspection, tenant/employee relations, building accessibility, building personnel training, community impact, energy management systems and procedures, and physical attractiveness.
While the Edward Plainfield MOB was evaluated on the basis of all of those criteria, the building scored particularly high in three specific areas, according to Debra Strassburger, BremnerDuke’s Vice President of Asset Management and Customer Service.
“The judges really liked our Web-based work order system,” she says, “which is part of our TenantConnect online tenant support system.” As part of that system, tenants are provided with a BremnerDuke-branded Smart Button, which plugs into any available USB port on their computers. When tenants click on the button, it automatically opens their Web browser and the BremnerDuke TenantConnect web site.
“It’s a little like the Staples Easy Button, which provides instant access to information about office supplies,” Ms. Stassburger explains. BremnerDuke also received high marks for tenant relations in general, she adds, and the judges were impressed by the fact that all of their property management staff are trained in first aid and CPR.
“While the design and construction of new facilities tends to attract more attention, we know that the ongoing property management work is equally important. In fact, you could even say that’s when the real work begins,” says Deeni Taylor, Executive Vice President, BremnerDuke. “Our property management and operations professionals put an emphasis on responsiveness and superior customer service, and this award is validates and recognizes those efforts.”
A small amount of space is still available in the award-winning Edward Plainfield MOB. For more information, please contact Victoria Teufel of BremnerDuke at (847) 232-5431.
About the TOBY Awards; Each year the BOMA Awards program recognizes properties that exemplify superior building quality and management practices. The highlight of the year is the naming of The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) Awards. Winners are selected from participants at the local, regional and international levels. Now in its 24th year, the TOBY Awards Program is commonly recognized as the most prestigious and comprehensive program in the commercial real estate industry. Participants are judged on the effectiveness of their overall management in 11 categories, including community impact, tenant relations, energy management, emergency preparedness and training for personnel. Detailed property inspections, floor plans, building standards and photographs complete the entry portfolio and allow the judges to thoroughly examine all facets of the property and management. Local winners advance to compete in the regional judging. Regional winners then compete against properties from around the world in the international competition. The international TOBY Award winners are announced each year at the BOMA International Conference.
About BremnerDuke Healthcare: BremnerDuke Healthcare Real Estate supports hospitals and physician groups with development, ownership, leasing and management services. A division of Duke Realty Corp., BremnerDuke has been building healthcare facilities for more than 20 years with projects ranging from small medical office buildings to large healthcare centers with diagnostics, oncology and surgery services. BremnerDuke, formerly known as Bremner Healthcare, was acquired by Duke Realty in February 2007 as a result of Bremner’s proven success and creativity in developing healthcare real estate. To find out more, please visit www.bremnerduke.com.
Contact: Rachel Ferguson | Email