Meet Paul Newman
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 Paul Newman is the Assistant Director for Property Management with Harvard Real Estate Services' University & Commercial Real Estate Department.
In this role, he leads the 17-person property management team, which is responsible for building operations. Paul also plays a strategic role in the areas of capital planning, sustainability, fiscal responsibility, and customer service.
Armed with a degree in finance and years of experience as a third-party property manager, he originally joined HRES as a portfolio financial manager. When the position of Assistant Director for Property Management opened up, Paul saw this as an opportunity to combine his expertise in finance and property management.
Asked about his accomplishments, Paul is most proud of the team he has assembled; they are committed professionals focused on providing the highest possible level of property management services. While he has seen great progress in the service delivery model over the past three years, Paul is focused on continuing to improve and move the trend line in the right direction.
A huge sports fan, Paul plays basketball weekly; He also enjoys particpating in the University's commemcement ceromonies as a Marshal's Aide. Once a year, on the Saturday before Ground Hog's Day, Paul goes for a swim at Nantasket Beach to raise money for the Wellspring Multi-Service Center. Can you guess the name of the charitable group that sponsors this event? None other than "The Drowned Hogs".
Feel free to contact Paul at paul_newman@harvard.edu. |
| Win a J.P. Licks Gift Certificate |
J.P. Licks, a locally owned and operated company that serves homemade ice cream and non-fat frozen yogurt, is coming to Harvard Square in late June or early July. A fixture in the Boston area since 1981, J.P. Licks is known for its friendly service and the fun environment of its stores.
To celebrate the opening of their Harvard Square location, J.P. Licks is giving away five $5 gift certificates. Click here to enter the contest. You must enter by June 23; winners will be contacted by email that week.
Visit J.P. Licks online or at their new Harvard Square location, 1306 Massachusetts Avenue.
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| How to Control Your Rent AND Your Carbon Footprint... |
Unlike private market property managers, Harvard Real Estate Services is bound by federal cost accounting guidelines when it sets rents for University tenants. While commercial tenants pay market rents, the rents for internal Harvard Schools and departments are set at a level equal to our costs - known as the "break-even" point. This means that, although HRES spends (and tries to save) the money it takes to operate our University buildings, those expenses flow directly to our University tenants in the form of "break-even rent".
U&C is constantly fine-tuning our operations to offer the maximum level of service for the minimum level of cost. The biggest challenge we face today is skyrocketing utility costs. While we have no control over the cost of utilities, we are doing everything we can to minimize our utility usage. We're auditing our buildings to be sure that all systems are running efficiently, making operational improvements as needed, and are reviewing capital improvements that would further reduce our dependence on utilities. As we attend to the "behind the walls" projects we hope that you will help us by reducing utility usage whenever possible. (See article below to learn about small actions you can take that will make a big difference.) Our collective efforts can help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which will benefit the planet and your bottom line.
If you are considering a fit-out of your space, it is a great time to think about making it more energy efficient. You can get more information on this by looking at the University's Green Building Guidelines.
We all want to be "green", but reducing energy use means being more broad-minded about your "comfort zone" - and controlling other costs presents similar challenges and trade-offs. Take the example of recycling pick-up. If we picked up every day it would be prohibitively expensive. If we picked up every two weeks the offices would be a mess. Therefore, we once again try to balance the level of service and the level of cost. Our annual tenant survey is one way we get feedback to see how well our balancing act is working - and we welcome your comments and suggestions at any time in between.
If you have any questions about rent setting policies, please contact paul_newman@harvard.edu.
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| Easy Ways to Green Up Your Office |
Here are the top three actions you can take in three different areas to make your office more environmentally friendly.
Energy
Activate power management on your computer. (Here's how)
Use a power strip as the turn-off point for your electronics.
When you leave for the day, close windows, blinds, and turn off lights.
Recycling
Follow the recycling guidelines for your building. (Learn more about Harvard Recycling)Help make recycling convenient for everyone in the office. (Here's how) Recycle by reusing: organize an office swap, send small electronics to Second Rotation, or post your unwanted item on Freecycle.
Waste Reduction
Use a small sticker instead of fax cover sheets.
Set your printer to automatically print double-sided. (Here's how)
Get off junk mail lists. (Learn more) To step it up, and for more information, browse the Green Office pages of the Harvard Green Campus Initiative web site.
Thanks to Jenny Harvey of Harvard Green Campus Initiative for these tips. |
| Water Efficiency at the Faculty Club Kitchen |
The Harvard Faculty Club is well known for its regal décor and sumptuous meals. Step beyond the swinging doors into the kitchen, and you'll find a staff dedicated to delivering excellence and quality with a high degree of efficiency.
The Faculty Club kitchen has implemented many sustainable measures, such as creating menus that showcase local produce to introducing "best practices" whereby staff members turn off lights and equipment that are not in use.
 This spring, the kitchen staff enthusiastically embraced new ways to conserve water. Four high efficiency pre-rinse spray valves and six super-efficient faucet aerators were tested on the job, and are now installed for full time use.
Pre-rinse spray valves are used to loosen food from large pots and large pans before washing. Standard valves use 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) of hot water, whereas the new spray valves use only 0.95 GPM. Staff report that the new spray valves perform as well as or better than previous models.
Kitchen staff wash their hands several times per shift to maintain the highest degree of health and safety. The new faucet aerators are engineered to use only 0.37 GPM, compared to the standard 2.2 GPM.
These water efficiency upgrades are expected to save a total of 136,015 gallons of water and $3,869 annually. The Harvard Faculty Club and Harvard Real Estate Services partnered with the Harvard Green Campus Initiative to implement the project. For more information, contact jenny_harvey@harvard.edu.
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U&C is committed to providing the highest possible level of service in all areas. To help us know where we need to improve, our Property Management and Leasing teams both recently surveyed our clients. Thanks to all of you who took the time to respond to a survey that was sent to you. While we especially appreciate specific comments regarding areas of concern, the surveys are anonymous, so we have no way of knowing which property is being referenced regarding a particular issue. (The exception being those of you who included contact information.) We encourage you to contact our office to let us know about any problems, concerns, or suggestions that you have. If we don't know about them, we can't fix them. 
This past April, volunteers from Harvard Real Estate Services, the Office of Government and Community Affairs, Allston Development Group, and others from the University teamed up once again with Boston's Mayor Menino to help clean up areas of Allston. Our group planted flowers along Western Avenue, swept near the Honan Allston public library, and picked up trash at playgrounds. It was a great day and a wonderful opportunity to help make our Allston community more beautiful.