What You Don't Know About Brenna Walraven

Photo: Brenna, right, in Machu Picchu.

Position: CEO of Corporate Sustainability Strategies and BOMA Fellow.

Where she’s located: Huntington Beach, CA.

Where she grew up: Sierra Madre and Monrovia, CA.

Responsibilities: Helping organizations strategically leverage sustainability to lower costs, increase profits and gain a competitive advantage, all while enhancing their brand.

How she got involved in the industry: I was recruited out of college (the University of Southern California) into JMB Realty’s commercial real estate training program.

Industry and life extracurriculars: Prior to starting my own firm, I was a commercial real estate executive reporting to two different CEOs. I also served as the first female Chair of BOMA International from 2007 to 2008. Recently, I worked closely with BOMA leadership and staff to help update and relaunch both the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) and BOMA Energy Performance Contracting (or BEPC, pronounced like Pepsi with a “B”) model toolkit. The market feedback on these two resources has been amazing, and it’s great to be a part of BOMA International’s sustainability leadership and support to the industry.

Daily habit: Exercise of some sort every day, if at all possible.

Hobbies: Golf (she's pictured above at Pebble Beach), kayaking and bodyboarding.

Family life: Married to my partner of almost 23 years with three kitty children.

Favorite book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Favorite music: My taste in music is pretty eclectic—I like everything from classic rock and alternative to R&B and jazz.

Favorite movie: Rumble Fish and The Wizard of Oz (and I mean the original!)

Favorite restaurant: Too many to name! True Food Kitchen, Allard in Paris and the café just outside the Pantheon in Rome.

Favorite vacation: Hawaii (with Paris as a close second).

First job and what it taught you: I worked at a clothing store my freshman year of college, and I had a boss who was a nice person, but a very bad manager. From that experience, I learned that I’m responsible for my own performance and success.

Job in another life: Professional golfer, professional soccer player or sports radio host.

Item on bucket list: A trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Person she'd like to meet, dead or alive: Bono, the U2 lead singer, philanthropist and game changer.

Startling fact: I have testified before Congress on behalf of BOMA International on the topic of energy efficiency in commercial real estate.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

Wall Street Impatient For Big Tech Returns On Data Center Spending

As AI Adoption Ramps Up, Half A Million Property Managers Are In The Crosshairs

Treasuries Hover Around 4.7% As Wall Street Questions If Warsh Is A 'Dove In Hawk's Clothing'

Avison Young Had Assets Frozen By Bank Over Unpaid Taxes

Camden Property Trust Sells West Coast Portfolio, Clears $1.5B Target

Churchill Downs Plans To Sell 9 Casinos, Focus On Horse Racing

Bringing Stability And Savings To CRE Insurance Through Working Layer

More Hotel Owners In Need Of Cash Are Getting It From The Big Brands

Former Arms Dealer Targeting Heartland Apartment Takeover Files For Bankruptcy

SEC Charges REIT, Its Founders With Alleged $152M Fraud Scheme

Equinix Ramps Up Spending Plans Amid Faster-Than-Expected AI Shift

Cortland, Pulte, INVH, Walker & Dunlop Execs Talk Changing Demographics, AI