Anastasia Barnes

There’ s a chill in the air beginning to seep into my bones, a surefire sign that another cool yet beautiful New England fall is upon us. The mornings are crisper, the leaves are starting to turn, and we even got our first nor’ easter of the season out of the way!

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit The Wilkinson Companies in Rockland, Mass., and get a close-up look at their mobile boilers, the equipment that keeps hospitals, campuses and commercial buildings running when a permanent system goes down or a project needs temporary heat.

I went there to interview president Geoff Wilkinson Jr., but met with other key team members who work with the equipment every day. They were eager to share what they knew, explain how everything worked and answer my many questions. You could tell they genuinely enjoy what they do.

I’ ll be sharing some of those conversations and video clips on social media soon, but I wanted to give the Wilkinson team a shoutout here, too. Thank you for the tour, the education and the chance to see your work firsthand.

( l-r): High-Profile publisher Anastasia Barnes; Brian McGraw, senior service technician; and Geoff Wilkinson Jr., president, both of The Wilkinson Companies

The visit reminded me of something I’ ve been thinking about a lot lately.

We are in uncertain times, and there is plenty in our industry that we have no control over. What we can control is how we show up for each other. Clients and colleagues matter. Relationships matter. Being in the room matters.

Whenever I visit a job site, tour a company or sit down with one of our clients, I’ m reminded of what I love most

THE FRANKLIN AT HANCOCK VILLAGE

BROOKLINE, MA

about this business: It’ s the people who make the difference. That idea runs throughout this issue. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Clayton Mitchell, senior vice president of corporate facilities and real estate at Yale New Haven Health( page 33). We talked about everything from deferred maintenance and sustainability to the very real challenge of finding skilled people to keep these complex facilities running. What struck me most was how much of the conversation came back to communication, planning and having the right partners at the table.

People are also at the center of Jenna Meyers’ piece on the tenant ecosystem( page 15). Jenna, a partner at Margulies Perruzzi, looks at what it actually takes to make people want to come into the office. Her three priorities are simple: gather, nourish and nurture. And yes, good coffee matters. I couldn’ t agree more.

830 Winter Street lobby

That same thinking shows up in our cover story on BW Kennedy & Co.’ s recent lobby renovations( page 16), where traditional office spaces now feature gathering areas, café space, fitness amenities and artwork. Today’ s office is about much more than a desk. As for me, my office is wherever I am!

Speaking of bringing people together, High-Profile is hosting the inaugural Built Leadership Forum, which kicks off Boston Built Week, on Nov. 16 at The UMass Club in downtown Boston. I’ m thrilled that Tom O’ Brien of The HYM Investment Group will be our keynote speaker.

The Forum puts the region’ s decisionmakers in one room, from owners, developers and designers to builders and the people financing it all. Together, we’ ll talk candidly about where our industry is headed and how leaders are responding.

Seating is capped at 200, and earlybird tickets are $ 155($ 165 standard). Grab yours at builtleadershipforum. com / tickets before they’ re gone. I hope to see you there!

Our November issue will focus on life science facilities. The deadline is Oct. 22, so pick up the phone or send me an email and let me know what you have going on.

As always, enjoy the read!