BUILDING THE HEARTLAND Conference Keynotes to Address Sustainabilty, “What Building Owners Really Want”

Arlington Heights, IL (May 14, 2015) — The 3^rd Annual BUILDING THE HEARTLAND Conference, to be held August 31-September 2 at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, will offer two keynote speakers and one keynote panel in addition to approximately 50 accredited learning sessions.

Opening day keynote, Ann P. Kalayil, Ph.D., Regional Administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Great Lakes Region, will discuss the Great Lakes Sustainability Plan 2020, considered the region’s road map to create and maintain a more sustainable, efficient federal government and a stronger GSA. Kalayil will highlight the five key areas of sustainability — Buildings, Workplace Transformation, Transportation, Supply Chain, and Sustainable Communities — that can help strengthen GSA’s impact.

The September 1 sessions will open with a BOMA keynote panel discussion of “What Building Owners Really Want in Their Projects.”  Betsy Traczek, Principal, The John Buck Company, will discuss site selection considerations. Jan Goldsmith, SVP, Zeller Realty Group, will focus on office buildouts and workspace improvements, office building lobby renovations, and adaptive reuse. Bill Vail, Senior Director, Asset Services at CBRE, will discuss special considerations in new construction, reconstruction, and renovation. Bob Quast, BOMA/Chicago’s Vice President and Vice President with Lincoln Property, will moderate.

The September 2 keynote speaker, Joyce Coffee, LEED AP, Managing Director of the Global Adaptation Index for global resilience, will present “Unlocking Global Adaptation Solutions: Examining Critical Risks and Opportunities in a Climate-changed World.” Coffee is a board member of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals and a founding board member of the Alliance for Water Efficiency.

All education sessions will offer AIA CES or Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) learning units, or both. The event is sponsored by SGC Horizon’s Building Design+Construction magazine, AIA Chicago, and USGBC-Illinois.

For more information or to register, visit www.buildingtheheartland.com; or contact Harry Urban at hurban@sgcmail.com; 847.954.7928.