When Rockhill Management introduced beehives across its national portfolio, the goal was clear: earn points toward certifications like LEED Gold, Energy Star, and BOMA BEST. What they found was even more valuable: a simple, scalable way to connect with tenants and strengthen their building communities.
Solving for both sustainability and experience
With a portfolio spanning major markets like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Rockhill was looking for ways to stand out. In Boston alone, the company manages nearly a million square feet.
“We had two primary objectives,” explains Kenneth Vennard, Property Manager at Rockhill’s 100 High Street in Boston. “First, advancing our sustainability goals to earn points for green building certifications like LEED Gold, Energy Star, BOMA Best, and BOMA 360.
Second, from a tenant experience perspective, we wanted to create something memorable and distinctive that would impress our tenant groups. Alvéole’s urban beekeeping program was the perfect solution that addressed both objectives simultaneously.”
Today, Rockhill’s partnership with Alvéole spans their portfolio with 10 honey beehives representing 500,000 bees and 4 bee hotels for native bees and pollinators across locations including Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and California.
What surprised them: Real tenant engagement
The sustainability impact was expected. The tenant response was not.
“It offers the tenants a new and interesting way to access the roof deck where the bees are installed or to follow the Alvéole technician when they’re servicing the hive and feel involved in the building in a new way,” Vennard notes.
Through Alvéole, each property hosts two events per year. These include:
- Honey harvests
- Candle-making workshops
- Meet-the-beekeeper sessions
- Educational hive tours
Carolina Ramos from Rockhill Management emphasized this evolution during a recent industry webinar, noting how “sustainability transcends every industry” and has become a universal language for tenant engagement, regardless of whether tenants are government entities, law firms, or hedge funds.
Building community, one hive at a time
Each year, Rockhill bottles the honey harvested on-site and gives it to tenants as holiday gifts. That small gesture turns an environmental initiative into a personal experience.
“The people that do like it really like it,” Vennard observes about tenant reactions. While there’s initial hesitation from some tenants who don’t understand the difference between honeybees and more aggressive insects like wasps, education helps build enthusiasm. “The more tenants we’re able to reach and educate I think the more open to it they are.”
At 100 High Street, the hives sit between two buildings, making the rooftop a shared space. This brings tenants together and adds value to both properties.
Beyond the hive
Rockhill also uses Alvéole’s data and monitoring tools to track environmental impact. Through Alvéole’s pesticide monitoring program, the bees act as “little flying mops” that collect environmental data from their foraging activities, providing insights into:
- Local flower diversity and pollinator activity
- Pesticide presence in the urban environment
- Biodiversity patterns through eDNA analysis
- Nature-related risk assessment
This data supports ESG reporting and strengthens their case with frameworks like GRESB.
“We just got BOMA Best Bronze accreditation, and so it was very helpful to have Alvéole already in place and get us some of those points,” Vennard confirms, highlighting the program’s ongoing value for sustainability certifications.
Flexibility and partnership made all the difference
When Rockhill expanded the program in Boston, they looked at a few providers. Alvéole stood out.
“We chose Alvéole based on three key factors: their proven track record across our existing Rockhill portfolio and others, their responsiveness to our specific needs, and their collaborative approach.
They took the time to understand our building’s unique location and neighborhood context, then worked with us to create a customized program that would resonate with our tenant base.”
This flexibility extended to contract timing, with Alvéole accommodating a late-season start through prorated pricing, allowing Rockhill to begin their program immediately rather than waiting for the next full season.
From line item to value creator
What started as a sustainability expense became a key piece of Rockhill’s tenant retention strategy.
From an asset management perspective, sustainability programs like beekeeping aren’t direct revenue generators: they’re investments in tenant satisfaction and building differentiation.
What we focus on communicating are the measurable soft benefits: increased tenant engagement, positive responses to initiatives like our honey holiday gifts, and how these programs become part of our building’s identity. These investments support tenant retention and help us stand out in a competitive market.
The program has become “part of the identity of the building,” creating differentiation in a competitive market where tenant retention is paramount.
Tools that make it easy for property teams
Alvéole’s platform is designed to support property managers, not add to their workload. For Rockhill, this has been a key part of the program’s success.
Here’s what their teams rely on:
Custom honey label design tools: A simple drag-and-drop tool lets teams create branded honey jars. Some buildings even turn it into a design contest with tenants.
MyHive reporting platform: A centralized dashboard to track hive performance, environmental data, and sustainability metrics across the entire portfolio.
Educational content and marketing materials: Alvéole provides marketing assets and educational tools that help property teams promote events and share program highlights.
“The beekeeper stuff, I feel like it’s set it and forget it, at least at this building. Like, I trust them to do their thing. Very low touch,” Vennard notes, appreciating the operational simplicity that allows his team to focus on tenant relationships rather than program management.
What other property teams can learn
Rockhill offers a few takeaways for other managers considering nature-based programming:
Communicate often. “Don’t be afraid to increase communications,” Vennard advises. “It’s not like a pesky vendor who’s looking for business. It’s like a feel-good group that’s helping us meet our goals at the building level.”
Collaborate actively. The most impactful programs grow from ongoing feedback and small adjustments.
Tell the story. Since sustainability initiatives often don’t generate direct revenue, success depends on effectively communicating the “soft benefits”: tenant satisfaction, building differentiation, and community building.
Looking forward
Rockhill’s approach reflects a shift in commercial real estate. The bar for tenant experience is rising, and the most effective strategies are rooted in authenticity.
Urban beekeeping helped them meet their sustainability targets. But more importantly, it gave them a reason to bring tenants together, and a story worth sharing.
As Ramos puts it:
“When tenants renew, you know you’re succeeding”
