Shown (from left) are: SIORs Bruce Wettenstein (vice president), Mark Duclos (president), Keith Kumnick (past president), and Frank Hird (secretary/treasurer).
Guest speaker Mike Gorman and Mark Duclos.
Shown (from left) are: Benjamin Hochron, Erik Edeen, Roma Gugliotta, Andrew Forsyth, Mark Gaudette, and Travis Adams.
During the regular meeting Mark Duclos reviewed the progress of new and improved Chapter initiatives for 2011. In the area of technology and communication, the Chapter's website (www.siorct.com) has been updated and a Twitter account (SIORCTWMA) added. The Chapter's Sponsorship Program has its first two event sponsors in place. R.D. Scinto, Inc. and Zuvic Associates will sponsor events in March and September. And with respect to education, the chapter is planning two joint continuing education sessions with the Connecticut CCIM Chapter, to be instructed by Gene Marconi. The first will be held on March 15 at the Greater New Haven Association of Realtors office in North Haven.
Also, a special thanks and acknowledgement was extended to Keith Kumnick for his leadership and service over the past two years as Chapter president.
Following a cocktail reception and dinner, the evening's guest speaker, Mike Goman, principal, ICREI, LLC, spoke about the Connecticut Partnership for Balanced Growth (www.CPBG.org) and his involvement with this organization. CPBG's membership is wide open to all who share a balanced growth vision; citizens, businesses, associations, developers, architects, home builders, planners, retailers, engineers, attorneys, municipal and government officials, chambers of commerce, and concerned community groups. The stated vision of CPBG is "Connecticut can strike a balance between development and conservation. We've come together with a shared belief that growth and development are essential to economic prosperity. We also know some places need to be preserved. We can and must do both. We believe that in conservation and development, all types of land-use planning tools should be considered, including 'responsible growth' principles. At the same time, we want to make sure certain evolving 'responsible growth' principles don't come to mean 'no growth' for Connecticut, but instead provide citizens with reasonable choices for where they want to live, work, play, and shop." Goman also touched on his recent appointment as acting co-director at the University of Connecticut's School of Business Center for Real Estate & Urban Economic Studies. He encouraged the Chapter and individual members to continue their active involvement with UConn's Center for Real Estate.
University of Connecticut Scholarship Recipients
The Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) is pleased to announce its awarding of scholarships to six students at the University of Connecticut. A total of $10,000 was awarded and funded by the Chapter sponsored Sam Pierson and Carl Traub Scholarships with matching funds from the SIOR Foundation (SIORF).
The scholarship recipients are Benjamin Hochron, Erik Edeen, Roma Gugliotta, Andrew Forsyth, Mark Gaudette, and Travis Adams. The students are all Real Estate Majors and on the Dean's List at the University of Connecticut's School of Business.
The Connecticut/Western Massachusetts SIOR Chapter has two scholarship funds. The first is in honor of Samuel F. Pierson, a long-time member and past national president of the society, and the other in memory of Carl F. Traub, another long-time chapter member who had a significant positive impact on the commercial real estate industry. The Chapter's scholarships are supported with matching funds from the SIOR Foundation (SIORF). The SIOR Foundation's mission is to promote and support initiatives that expand, educate, and enrich the commercial real estate community.
Please visit our website www.siorct.com to find additional information on the Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter.