You Better Recognize by Kacie Rahm

You Better Recognize

Written by Kacie Rahm, Unico Properties, BOMA Impact Scholarship Recipient

If you know me from BOMA, there’s a good chance you know me as the “TOBY Lady.” You may have celebrated with me when my building, Smith Tower, won the International TOBY in the Historical category in 2019. Maybe you entered your own building in the competition and attended a TOBY review session that I led as Chair of the BOMA Greater Seattle Recognition & Awards committee for the last few years. If nothing else, you’ve probably seen me on stage at the General Meetings or Women in Action events handing out the Local and Regional TOBY trophies and awkwardly posing for photos with the winners. I am happy to be the TOBY Lady, and hope anyone with an interest in entering knows that they can come to me with questions! What you may not know, though, is that beyond TOBY, I am all about recognition in this industry, and I think it’s a crucial component to retention, avoiding burnout, and professional development.

My recent attendance at the BOMA International Conference in Boston was all about recognition. Before I even knew I was attending, I was working with Unico leadership to connect their recommended employees to Scholarship opportunities to attend. I was honored to be recommended for the BOMA Impact scholarship by my Director and encouraged my fellow nominated colleagues to apply in their respective categories. All in all, four of us were selected, and I am extremely grateful to be recognized among that group! For weeks leading up to the conference, I could feel the energy among our group as we planned packing lists, conference sessions to attend, Boston sights to see, and vendor party invites to prioritize. There’s a certain pride and excitement that comes from being recognized by your company, as well as your industry leaders, that I could tell my fellow scholarship winners were motivated by. 

Once at the conference, I planned my schedule around my duties as a member of the International Recognition and Awards committee. I made a pitch at the BOMA PNW Regional Lunch to get more TOBY entries. I cheered on our PNW Regional Member of the year, Patrick Hennessy, as he accepted his certificate at the BOMA Recognition lunch – a culmination of a nomination that I collaborated on with Benjamin Harrison. I attended my first in-person committee meeting and gathered ideas to improve our local programming. And awesomely, I got to cheer on our five fantastic TOBY contenders, including Starbucks Center who took home an International TOBY in the Mixed-Use Category. Seeing my peers be rewarded for their hard work was incredibly fulfilling, and hopefully that energy will come back to BOMA Greater Seattle and encourage more TOBY entries each year!

But beyond this, I also found a theme of recognition among the seemingly unrelated events. The opening keynote from author Brad Meltzer, titled “What’s Your Legacy,” inspired me to continue recognizing people in small ways, too. His stories helped illuminate how we may leave a mark we didn’t expect when we notice the skills and worth of those around us.  I also got to attend a fascinating tour of the historic Fenway Park, and it made me think about how I have always loved sports. Being a fan is a form of recognition as well. The love that Bostonians have for the Red Sox is so palpable, despite the challenges they’ve faced as a franchise. Preserving the oldest and smallest stadium in the MLB and continuously adding to and improving it is a testament to that fandom. A post-tour lunch at “Wahlburgers”, where a shrine to the Wahlberg brothers adorned the restaurant walls, continued my conversation about fandom, and how that pride might translate to our careers.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience that reaffirmed my goals for my career. I have worked for years to bolster the recognition programs at Unico and with BOMA, and I came home from Boston with so many new ideas and possibilities to continue those programs. Additionally, I have new personal goals to recognize people in my life outside of a professional setting. Finally, I want to thank BOMA Greater Seattle and the scholarship selection committee for recognizing me with the BOMA Impact Scholarship. I will continue to make an impact and prove myself worthy.