A Legacy Worthy of Celebration
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BOMA Toronto Honours a Role Model and FriendBy Steven Biggs - Originally published in Canadian Propery Mangement Magazine
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It started with a recession.
Mikael Sandblom, Chief Operating Officer at Space Database Inc., recalls how his former colleague, John Zsolt, graduated with a degree in architecture in the early 1990s at a time when a recession had made good architectural jobs scarce. Always adaptive, John became largely self-employed and began specializing in corporate interior assignments such as space planning and construction drawings.
On many projects, he would have to go in beforehand to take measurements because corporate property owners rarely had them on record. So he expanded his service offering to include measuring space and calculating areas. This measurement service was the genesis for Space Database, an area-measurement and information-management solutions provider that John Zsolt co-founded and served as a partner.
His professional networks then led to an involvement with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). He first became a member of the Toronto chapter in 1995 and over the years served on its Board of Directors, participated in the development of its strategic long-range plan, and became involved in national and international advocacy through BOMA Canada and BOMA International.
"John was always smiling, willing to pitch in and help," says Chuck Stradling, Executive Vice President of BOMA Toronto.
BOMA membership also complemented another of John's voluntary efforts - his longtime association with The Children's Aid Foundation. The Children's Aid Foundation has been BOMA Toronto's charity of choice for more than a decade, and John was a leading fundraiser.
Space Database covered the ticket printing costs for BOMA's annual raffle in support of the foundation. John could also be seen enthusiastically selling them at almost every BOMA event.
"He took it upon himself to make sure every ticket was sold." Sandblom says. "He was fearless that way. He would make sure he sold all the tickets."
John passed away suddenly on March 1, 2009, due to injuries sustained in a snowboarding accident. On April 23, he was named the posthumous recipient of BOMA Toronto President's Award, which recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the industry and the organization. The crowd of 500+ attendees at BOMA Toronto's annual awards gala rose to give him a standing ovation.
"He would have been delighted," Sandblom says. "He knew those people, probably all of them,"
BOMA has also renamed its BOMA Toronto Children's Aid Scholarship in his honour. It is now known as the John Zsolt BOMA Toronto Children's Aid Scholarship.
"John gave so much to the association," Stradling observes. "It was something we could do to give back to him."
The scholarship, which provides support for post-secondary education, is for youth who have previously been supported by the Children's Aid. "I thought it was a wonderful tribute for BOMA to do that," says Andrew Zsolt, John's brother.
Andrew Zsolt has additionally set up the BOMA Toronto John Zsolt Scholarship, which, unlike BOMA Toronto's internal fundraising efforts among its membership, is equipped to accept outside donations. It is affiliated with the Terrequity Children's Foundation, a charitable foundation operated by Andrew Zsolt's company, and donations to this scholarship fund will augment the BOMA scholarship.
At Space Database, John is remembered as a business leader and a generous and thoughtful colleague.
"He was a good friend to a lot of people," Sandblom says. "He really liked to help out."
Now John's former colleagues are helping a cause that mattered to him. Space Database employees have come on board to help BOMA Toronto sell tickets for the annual raffle in support of the Children's Aid Foundation.
Donations to the BOMA Toronto John Zsolt Scholarship can be made to:
Terrequity Children's Foundation
c/o Coldwell Banker Terrequity Realty
211 Consumers Road, Suite 105
Toronto, Ontario M2J 4G8
Tax receipts will be issued for donations over $50
www.terrequitychildrensfoundation.com
Make cheques payable to Terrequity Children's Foundation