Skinner chairs board of BOMA Foundation
Rita Skinner first visited Calgary to study broadcast journalism, on a six-week internship, with radio station QR77. She quickly fell in love with the city and decided to move here from her home in Belleville, Ont.
That was 15 years ago. Today, she is a property manager with Artis Real Estate Investment Trust and was recently appointed chair of the BOMA Calgary Foundation board.
Skinner began her career in property management at Aspen Properties where she was introduced to BOMA (the Building Owners and Managers Association) by Chris Howard. Now vice-president office leasing and industrial sales with Avison Young, Howard has just completed his term as foundation chair.
The foundation was started by a few BOMA members who volunteered to raise scholarship funds and give back to the community at large. A major contributor is Enmax, a founding sponsor of the BOMA Calgary Charity Golf Tournament.
The foundation raises about $18,000 each year to support its programs. Last year it received a huge boost from a $100,000 donation by member Fred Edwards, president Western Canada GDI and CEO of Servpro Canada.
BOMA Calgary Foundation provides a scholarship for a student to take the 5th Class Engineering — Building Operator Program run by the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS). More than 300 apply for the course and the federal government funds spaces for 20. The foundation supports another student by covering the $15,000 course fee.
Last year’s recipient was later hired by Artis and is now responsible for operating one of its 30 buildings in the city.
Edwards added to his contribution to the foundation by also sponsoring a CCIS student in need of funds.
The foundation’s other annual investment is an educational bursary offered to a full-time Mount Royal University student entering the third or fourth year in the Bachelor of Interior Design program.
Funding has also been allocated to the Canadian Red Cross and the Women’s Centre of Calgary.
This week, Skinner and her 11-person board — joined this year by Derrick Carleton of Riverpark Properties and Steve Walton of Oxford Properties — developed a new strategy to raise more funds for Calgary needs and to encourage BOMA members to volunteer time mentoring others.
Meanwhile, Skinner is busy managing several Artis REIT buildings, including the Ford and Alpine towers downtown, Centre 70 and Heritage Square on Macleod Trail South, and three office buildings in Quarry Park.
NEWS AND NOTES
The Calgary Assessment Review Board is looking for candidates with real estate, property management, development, assessment or law backgrounds to become board members. The independent board hears and adjudicates property assessment complaints in the city. The one-year term begins April 1. The Calgary Capital Markets Group at Avison Young has started the year well. It sold the historic Canmore Hotel to a Calgary family of investors through a judicial sale in the mid-$2-million range.
In Calgary, the team sold Standen’s east industrial portfolio of two buildings in Burns Industrial Park to a Vancouver private equity company. The 225,160-square-foot properties are entirely leased to Standen’s IMT on a long-term basis. A 66-unit townhome complex in Pump Hill was sold to Killam Properties of Toronto.