The Smart Buildings Center (SBC) and Building Operator Certification (BOC) program are proud to announce the 2023 BOC Operator of the Year: Malachi Rein, Director of the Building Energy Exchange St. Louis!

Each year, BOC requests nominations for people working to improve the energy efficiency of their work environment using skills they learned in the BOC program. We received many impressive 2023 nominations detailing how methods learned in BOC classes are helping people make improvements in their work environments, but Malachi’s story stood out among the rest.

In his current role at the Building Energy Exchange St. Louis, Malachi uses his technical expertise and experience on Facilities Management teams to help others create understanding, projects, and plans for implementing efficiency projects and practices in their buildings.  He does this through outreach and education, direct conversation, and providing and connecting ideas to resources and incentives.

After completing BOC Level I training while working as a Project Manager in the Facilities Management Division of a large local government, Malachi began compiling cross-departmental utility data totaling several million dollars.  He shared it as a baseline for discussion with management about the nature of an aging central mechanical plant. Malachi also developed and presented a campus submetering strategy.  This illustrated the value and importance of energy benchmarking and has resulted in a new effort to benchmark all 3.2 million sf of their portfolio.  The effort to publicly share benchmarking data allows for a nimble reaction to operational issues, informed capital planning, and enlightened decision-making by public officials who represent the issues of nearly 1 million citizens.

After Malachi gained increasing responsibilities and trust in his career, his expertise and passion led him to be appointed as the Director of the Building Energy Exchange St. Louis. Malachi now uses his position to empower building owners across the St. Louis region, including those who need to comply with the City of St. Louis’ Building Energy Performance Standards. He believes in the investment in building operators who instrumentally support society and have great potential to be needed agents of positive change in their everyday work and advocates for more people to have the opportunity to attend BOC training.

The SBC and BOC program applaud Malachi on his efforts and congratulate him on being named as 2023 BOC Operator of the Year!

Know someone who deserves recognition for their work in the industry? Nominations will open for the 2024 BOC Operator of the Year award in May, so stay tuned!