Get to Know...
Scott O. Jones, PE
Scott Jones was sworn in as the 2019-2020 chair of BOMA International this past June at the 2019 BOMA International Conference & Expo. He has more than two decades of industry experience and currently serves as vice president for Jacobs, managing the northern California region for the Buildings Infrastructure division. Prior to moving to California and becoming a member of BOMA/San Francisco, Jones was an active member of BOMA/Fort Worth, where he served as president. He was chair of both BOMA International’s State Government Affairs Committee and the Careers in Real Estate Task Force Returning Veterans Outreach Sub-Group. He also served two terms on BOMA International’s Executive Committee before becoming an elected officer in 2017.
How did you first get involved with BOMA?
My background is in engineering rather than property management, but I’ve always worked with commercial buildings. Early in my career, a mentor strongly encouraged me to join my BOMA local association, BOMA/Fort Worth. He somehow even convinced me to volunteer to teach a few classes for them right away.
Joining BOMA had a magical effect on my career—I suddenly had a much larger, stronger professional network to turn to for information and advice. I started getting involved in my local committees and eventually ran for leadership positions. When I relocated from Texas to California, I was very sorry to be losing my Texas network. But, I was genuinely astonished by how quickly I was embraced by BOMA/San Francisco; being a BOMA member gave me an instant network.
Let’s discuss your passion for promoting resilience.
I started my career developing mission-critical facilities—spaces that cannot be allowed to fail. This work has made me exceptionally aware of the opportunities our industry has for creating highly resilient communities.
Most emergency preparedness is focused on keeping people safe, as it should be, but we should also be striving for business continuity during emergencies. Now is the perfect time to be thinking creatively about how we can harden our facilities and our communities to prepare for any possibility. Early investments in resilience can make a huge difference in avoiding lost revenue and more expensive fixes down the line.
What excites you most about your year as BOMA International chair?
By far, I’m looking forward most to meeting and working with BOMA members and industry professionals all over the world. It’s a truly dynamic time for our industry with so many fast-moving shifts in technology, delivery and occupant preferences, and I love hearing perspectives from people in different markets and building types. I believe these connections and this collective wisdom are what make BOMA such a strong organization.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
Most of my BOMA colleagues know me from my time living in Texas or California, but I’m originally from New Orleans. I love to cook New Orleans-style cuisine, and my dad even owned a shrimp boat until very recently. I joke that I’ve spent so much time on the bayou or in the marsh that my feet are practically webbed.
This article was originally published in the June/August 2019 issue of BOMA Magazine.