One of Uniland’s biggest projects in recent years and a veteran maintenance leader were lauded at the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Buffalo 2024 Awards Celebration. BOMA International is a global organization representing the owners and managers of all commercial property types, including nearly 10.5 billion square feet of U.S. office space. The BOMA Awards honor individuals and companies who exemplify outstanding leadership, achievement, and professionalism in the commercial real estate industry.
BestSelf Behavioral Health’s Headquarters and Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center as Building Redevelopment Project of the Year
Opened in 2024, Uniland led the construction of BestSelf Behavioral Health’s $22 million, 67,000-square-foot, three-story headquarters and Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at 899 Main Street in Buffalo, NY. The project included the full renovation of an existing two-story medical office building with the addition of a floor to create a behavioral health hub housing an expanded state-of-the-art Child Advocacy Center, centralized administrative offices, and a community training center. BestSelf is the largest community-based behavioral health organization serving children and adults of all ages in Western New York.
The new site is located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and it will quadruple the CAC’s earlier footprint, empowering its work with children and families impacted by sexual abuse, violence, and trauma. The new facility will reduce wait times, offer extended hours, and provide 24/7 on-call staffing. The Main Street building is also well located to provide easy access by bus for staff and clients.
BestSelf President and CEO Elizabeth Woike emphasized the center’s transformative potential: “The expanded center will enable BestSelf to serve every child in our community who needs support. This represents a monumental improvement from the CAC’s previous location, which could only accommodate one-third of the more than 3,000 annual cases of sexual abuse reported in Erie County. We are grateful to the community for helping us achieve this critical milestone.”
Uniland Maintenance Mechanic/Project Assistant Brent Young Named BOMA Building Services Employee of the Year
A key member of the Uniland Property Management team, Maintenance Mechanic/Project Assistant Brent Young supports clients as an immediate response mechanic for service calls, scheduled preventive maintenance, and emergencies. These requests come from across Western New York, where Uniland has over 8 million square feet under management. A veteran colleague with over 28 years of experience at Uniland, he is a calming presence when he comes to save the day for his colleagues, tenants, and contract maintenance clients.
Mr. Young began his career at Uniland in 1996 as a Maintenance Mechanic and was promoted to Maintenance Mechanic/Project Assistant in 2016. In addition to his personal role in responding to service calls, Mr. Young is also involved with maintenance contract management and project management for Uniland Maintenance Company, Inc. the operations and maintenance arm of the company’s Property Management department.
As the Directory of Pharmacy Services at a major local healthcare provider notes regarding one of many critical service calls Mr. Young has responded to at their Uniland facility over the years, “I wanted to express my sincere gratitude to the exceptional service we received from Brent during after-hours service. We had an emergency where our air handler was leaking on the roof and began damaging the ceiling in our sterile compounding room. The call went to the on-call employee, who was 45 minutes away. He called Brent, who was closer, but he was at the end of his shift. Brent not only accepted taking our call when he should have been done for the day, but he got here in 10 minutes and had the leak stopped within minutes. This quick action prevented serious damage and also enabled us to keep the room sterile and continue operations safely. We make critical IV medication, including things like chemotherapy for small children. Without Brent’s quick action, these important medications could have been seriously compromised.”
Reflecting on how valued Mr. Young is by his colleagues, Uniland Senior Property Manager Jennifer O’Connell says, “Our tenants consistently tell me how Brent goes out of his way for our customers. He not only works overtime, Brent spends his own time ensuring Uniland properties are maintained to the highest level of standards. He’s friendly and his get-it-done attitude is a testament to his dedication. He is one of the biggest assets our property managers have because he is reliable, proactive, and always willing to go the extra mile. Brent also maintains a wonderful relationship with the vendors and municipalities, such as the Fire Departments so Uniland can be serviced with high levels of quality.”
