Greetings! I hope this newsletter finds you well.
I am grateful for the opportunity to write you to apprise you of activities, events and other general information of the Counselors.
But first, I want to express my appreciation to the membership for their support and words of encouragement received since I accepted the gavel in Montréal.
And second, thanks go out to Scott Muldavin and the rest of the leadership team and staff for their work and a smooth transition. Finally, I look forward to working with the incoming leadership team who already show tremendous enthusiasm.
Since Montréal, we have been diligently planning for the coming year. Organizationally, I am pleased to report that all Chairs and Vice Chairs are in place and staff is working with them to seat committee members. Of course if there are committees or areas in which you wish to participate, please reach out to staff and share your interest. We have also filled open positions on the Board and other governing committees. I have met with the staff in Chicago and our 2018 elected officers and Liaison Vice Chairs (Julie Melander, Michel Couillard, Marie Noelle Brisson, Fred Campbell and KC Conway) to review plans for the coming year. I am currently holding calls with Chairs and Vice Chairs to discuss their committee’s role in those plans.
Our focus for 2018 will continue to emphasize our membership development efforts, but as called for in the strategic plan, will also execute initiatives intended to broaden awareness of the CRE brand and credential. By pairing these goals we not only broaden our membership, but strive to create opportunities for our existing members to grow their practices.
In the area of membership, we have restructured that committee to focus on working with chapters and other targeted organizations to convert interest into Requests for Qualifications (RFQ’s). Staff continues to be successful in obtaining names of prospective Counselors from our membership through their bi-annual calling program. We now have a strong prospect list that we will strive to convert to applications. Diversity will also be emphasized to ensure the CRE membership base reflects broadened disciplines and the profile of an evolving 21st century real estate community.
In the area of branding, we will continue to promote and publicize the Consulting Corps, Real Estate Issues, The CRE Foundation and Top Ten Issues. We have already highlighted the Consulting Corps and Top Ten at the recent NAR meetings in Chicago. These sessions were particularly well received with 400+ attendees at the CRE Top Ten presentation and several inquiries seeking additional information from those attending the Consulting Corps discussion.
To further our branding efforts, we have formed a Programs Steering Committee, which in addition to working on our national meetings, will generate and evaluate other opportunities to broaden awareness of the CRE brand and credential. We hope to introduce some of these ideas to you throughout the coming year.
In an effort to further emphasize brand awareness, we have formed separate Media and Technology Steering Committees, designed to showcase our organization, brand and member expertise through targeted media outreach and utilization of enhanced social media and website platforms. While some of their work will overlap, their individual focus will be to identify, evaluate and execute initiatives, which will highlight our organization, brands and members, by capitalizing on social media, our website and the press.
Lastly, this publication, The Counselor Newsletter, will return to a print version with new content and features. The hope would be that it will further our branding message and serve as a marketing piece for our members in promoting their practices.
These are among a number of plans we have for the coming year to increase our membership and enhance our brand. If you have any thoughts or additional ideas, I encourage you to email them to me or better yet, watch for a new feature in the member’s only area of our website which will allow Counselors to communicate with one another or in groups in a secure and private environment. Our hope is that you will find this feature a convenient way to engage with your fellow Counselors and the CRE Leadership Team.
Until our next issue, I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season and healthy and productive New Year.
Joe Nahas
2018 CRE Board Chair