What BOMA/Chicago does

BOMA/Chicago (legally Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago) is a private, nonprofit trade association founded in 1902 that represents Chicago's commercial office building industry. Its membership comprises 245 commercial office buildings, institutional and public buildings (Building Members and Allied Building Members) plus 240 companies providing commercial building services (Affiliate Members), collectively representing approximately 80% of all rentable office space and more than 98% of Class A building space in downtown Chicago. The organization provides advocacy, professional development (including RPA/FMA designation courses), labor negotiations, networking events, and recognition through TOBY Awards and Gold Circle Awards, along with workforce development initiatives through its affiliated 501(c)(3) BOMA/Chicago Foundation.

The business model is anchored in recurring membership dues across three categories (Building, Allied, Affiliate Members), supplemented by tiered Annual Premier Partner sponsorships with firms such as CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, ComEd, and Allied Universal. Additional revenue streams include the Skyline Lighting Raffle under the Illuminate Chicago program ($25/ticket), foundation donations, and event programming fees. Distribution is direct membership sales to enterprise buyers in the Chicago commercial real estate market, supported by digital marketing through the organization's website and social media channels, plus in-person events including the TOBY and Gold Circle Awards galas. The BOMA/Chicago Foundation operates as a separately governed affiliate entity focused on scholarships ($10,000 RPA designation scholarships and smaller amounts), apprenticeships (in partnership with City Colleges of Chicago), and diversity initiatives including the annual Diversity Celebration in April.

The association engages in active regulatory advocacy, evidenced by its 2026 formal intervention in the Illinois Commerce Commission case regarding Peoples Gas's $202.3 million rate increase. While BOMA/Chicago is not a technology company and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, it operates as a mature institutional platform with deep market penetration, multi-decade policy relationships, and a diversified revenue base tied to the Chicago commercial real estate ecosystem.

Name

BOMA/Chicago

Legal name

Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago

Website

https://bomachicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BOMA/Chicago is a 123-year-old private trade association representing Chicago's commercial office building industry, with 485 members comprising 80% of rentable office space and 98% of Class A buildings downtown.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from Building Members (commercial office buildings), Allied Building Members (institutional and government buildings), and Affiliate Members (service companies). Membership provides access to advocacy, labor negotiations, member programs, website access, event registration, and committee membership.
2. Sponsorships: Annual premier partner sponsorships at various tiers, allowing companies to maximize their support and recognition throughout the year.
3. Skyline Lighting Raffle: The BOMA/Chicago Foundation conducts a raffle at $25 per ticket, with proceeds supporting scholarships, education programs, and workforce development initiatives in commercial real estate.
4. Donations to Foundation: Tax-deductible donations to the BOMA/Chicago Foundation (501(c)(3) charitable organization) supporting emerging talent development in commercial real estate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BOMA/Chicago is a trade association that represents Chicago's commercial office building industry through paid memberships, advocacy, awards programs, professional education, and workforce development initiatives. Its core deliverables include industry advocacy before local and state regulators, the TOBY and Gold Circle Awards programs recognizing building management excellence, a federally registered apprenticeship program for commercial property management, Foundation scholarships supporting RPA designation, and networking events connecting building owners, managers, and service providers.

Product overview

BOMA/Chicago is a trade association representing Chicago's office building industry since 1902. It offers a portfolio of member services centered around awards programs (TOBY Awards and Gold Circle Awards recognizing excellence in building management and individual professionals), workforce development initiatives (including a federally registered Apprenticeship Program and Foundation Scholarships), community engagement programs (Illuminate Chicago including Skyline Lighting Raffle, Diversity Celebration, Authentic Allyship Workshop), and professional development (Financial Empowerment Workshops, Career Days & Tours). The organization serves 245 commercial office buildings and 240 affiliate companies through membership, advocacy, and education programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BOMA/Chicago Foundation: 501(c)(3) charitable organization with the mission to advance the development of emerging talent in commercial real estate (CRE), inclusive of underrepresented groups, through education, exposure, and outreach.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered workforce diversity partner, premier partner, core partnership and core.

• Hinesworkforce diversity partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20262026 Workforce Diversity Partner of the BOMA/Chicago Foundation. Hines supports the foundation's mission to advance the development of emerging talent in commercial real estate, inclusive of underrepresented groups.
• Allied Universal Security Servicespremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago. Provides professional services including janitorial services.
• Amlings Interior Landscapepremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago providing interior landscape services.
• ANSI Building Services, A Valcourt Companypremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago providing exterior building maintenance services.
• CBREpremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago, one of the world's leading commercial real estate services firms.
• Chicago Office Moverspremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago providing office moving services.
• ComEd Energy Efficiency Programpremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago, offering energy efficiency programs for businesses.
• Crescent Cleaning Companypremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago providing commercial cleaning services.
• Cushman & Wakefieldpremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago, a global commercial real estate services firm.
• Op2mize Energy LLCpremier partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Premier Partner of BOMA/Chicago providing energy optimization services.
• City Colleges of Chicagocore partnershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with City Colleges of Chicago for the BOMA/Chicago Apprenticeship Program. Connects property management teams with motivated, career-ready graduates from the community college system.
• BOMA/Chicago FoundationcoreOthersThe BOMA/Chicago Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with the mission to advance the development of emerging talent in commercial real estate (CRE), inclusive of underrepresented groups, through education, exposure, and outreach.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BOMA International: National federation of which BOMA/Chicago is a local chapter; operates the TOBY Awards program and provides shared advocacy, education, and designation services to commercial real estate owners and managers — directly comparable in mission and member value proposition.
• NAIOP: National association for commercial real estate developers, owners, and investors; offers advocacy, education, awards, and networking to office, industrial, and multifamily — directly comparable trade association serving overlapping CRE owner/investor audiences.
• Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM): Affiliate of the National Association of Realtors providing credentials (CPM, ARM), education, and advocacy to real estate management professionals; comparable as a CRE professional association serving property managers of office and similar asset classes.
• CoreNet Global: Global association for corporate real estate (CRE) professionals, focused on the occupier/enterprise side; comparable trade association model with membership dues, education, awards, and networking aimed at office and corporate real estate decision-makers.
• CREW Network (Commercial Real Estate Women): Global CRE industry association focused on advancing women in commercial real estate through networking, research, and leadership programs; comparable trade association model with member dues, events, and chapters serving CRE professionals.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Land Institute (ULI): Global, cross-sector real estate and land use research and education organization with broader scope than BOMA/Chicago, but overlapping member base of CRE owners, developers, and investors; comparable as a membership-driven CRE advocacy and education body.
• International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC): Global trade association for retail real estate; operates with the same membership/advocacy/events model as BOMA/Chicago but serves the retail rather than office vertical — useful comparable for benchmarking association scale and sponsorship economics.

Regional players

• BOMA New York: Largest U.S. BOMA local chapter serving New York City's office building market; near-identical operating model to BOMA/Chicago with similar advocacy, awards, and member service offerings in a different metro.
• BOMA Georgia: Regional BOMA chapter covering the Atlanta and broader Georgia office market; runs the same TOBY/Gold Circle-style awards, advocacy, and education programs and serves as a peer benchmark for BOMA/Chicago on chapter operating metrics.
• Building Congress & Exchange of Metropolitan Chicago: Chicago-based construction industry association representing general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals; comparable as a Chicago CRE/construction trade association with overlapping local advocacy and networking functions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bomachicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/BOMAChicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/943106/admin
• Instagraminstagram.com/bomachicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BOMA/Chicago