Nominate Someone BOLD, Until September 7

Five real estate and facilities professionals will be recognized in October 2016 with the 2nd Annual BOLD Awards that pay tribute to “Building Optimizers, Leaders, and Disruptors” who are transforming the way they use technology in the built environment. Industry technology firms Aquicore, Comfy, Enlighted, and View have come together to host the awards, honoring changemakers who are making buildings smarter and more sustainable.

The BOLD Awards recognize members of the real estate and facilities industry in the following five categories, including the new People’s Choice Award:built environment

The Mentor: Recognizes a senior leader whose support of innovative ideas, technologies, and programs that positively impacted the efficiency and sustainability of their built environment.

The Innovator: Honors an individual who pioneered unique and creative programs or initiatives with the goal of increasing tenant engagement, satisfaction, and retention.

The Champion: Celebrates a leader who developed creative and innovative systems or processes of a specific cutting-edge technology, solution, or strategy to solve difficult commercial real estate challenges.

The Unsung Hero: Highlights an individual who is instrumental in accelerating the adoption of technology in buildings, but largely does so behind the scenes.

The People’s Choice Award: The public is invited to vote for their favorite nominee from all of the above categories.

Applications are available for individuals who work in the management and operations of the built environment. A list of 2015 winners and finalists can be found here.

Finalists will be announced September 28, 2016 and award winners will be celebrated on October 5, 2016 on the first night of the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Los Angeles.

The 2016 judges’ panel includes Jigar Shah, Co-Founder of Generate Capital, Founder of SunEdison and co-host of Energy Gang Podcast; Dr. Nils Kok, CEO, GRESB B.V.; Cliff Majersik, Executive Director at IMT; and Gautami Palanki, Director of LEED Dynamic Plaque.

Facility Executive magazine is the exclusive media partner for the 2016 BOLD Awards, and we spoke last week with Brendon O’Donovan, vice president of marketing for Aquicore, about the motivation for his company and other sponsors to launch these awards in 2015. “Our built environment has a huge impact on our well-being and health, yet little attention is paid to individuals who work to advance the industry every day,” he noted. “Technology and new innovations offer opportunities to improve comfort, sustainability, and efficiency in buildings, but change is never easy. The real estate industry has many stakeholders, and disrupting the system requires incredible leaders to align the interests of all parties. We felt it was important to honor these changemakers who impact all of us in the areas we take for granted: our offices and homes.”

Submit a nomination for The BOLD Awards through September 7, 2016.