Donald Bouchard, CRE

The New England Chapter of the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) has a full calendar of events on tap for 2016. Most recently on March 3, an “Open Forum” chapter luncheon meeting was held in Boston. The purpose of the event was to discuss a broad range of topics related to the commercial and multi-family residential marketplace. Also discussed were economic conditions and likely scenarios for 2016 and beyond. This included the prospects of Trump or Clinton presidential administration and what that could mean for tax policy, capital flows, and domestic and foreign policies. An aside here, I recall about seven months ago, sitting in a large, crowded conference room at a Boston law firm when the topic of Trump’s candidacy came up. I boldly stated (somewhat Imus-like) that I would be President of the United States before Donald Trump ever got elected. It seems like there is a reasonable probability that I will have to eat those words before the end of the year. Oh well…

Other chapter events include a May meeting that will focus on the construction and development of student housing. The guest speaker will be John Cappellano, senior vice president of construction at Lincoln Property Company who is involved in numerous such projects. He is expected to address feasibility, supply and demand issues and why colleges and universities are adopting different strategies to accommodate students in a variety of housing options.

The summer brings a CRE chapter social event which is likely to take place in Boston or in some area where ocean breezes will cool members and guests as they enjoy an informal event with the focus being on relaxation (as we inevitably discuss real estate issues). This last sentence brings to mind a cartoon I once saw from the New Yorker magazine. A sad looking man was standing all by himself at a large cocktail party when his wife approached. She pulled him along by the arm while saying “come along dear, I found someone who will talk square footage with you.” Hey, it’s what we do right?

The September meeting will be another “Hot Topics” event. Here various chapter members provide short presentations about a specific topic of interest to the members. These are thought provoking and generate lively discussions where everyone attending usually takes away something that enhances their knowledge in a given area. Finally, we will have a year-end meeting in early December, however, the format has yet to be chosen.

One more opportunity to network is also in the works. John Baczewski, CRE, was instrumental in setting up last year’s golf outing at the Ipswich Country Club. It was a great day for golf and for connecting with other chapter members. Looks like there is sufficient interest in a second event and this should take place in late summer or early fall.

On a national level, the Counselors of Real Estate are involved in two important meetings. The first event is being held in Palo Alto, California from March 30 – April 1, and is presented along with Stanford University, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as well as the Counselors of Real Estate. Entitled “Global Cities in an Era of Change- 2016,” the event’s focus is on challenges presented by the growing shift of populations to urban areas, and how cities, large and small, must effectively plan, adjust and innovate to build living environments that meet expectations of diverse populations. Speakers include Sam Zell, (Equity Group Investments); Andrew Eland, Ph.D. (Google); Luís Bettencourt, Ph.D. (Santa Fe Institute); Robert White, Jr., CRE (Real Capital Analytics); and The Honorable Michael Chertoff, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Finally, in September, The Counselors will be hosting their annual convention at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D. C. This event should be another well attended affair and provide the members with two solid days of forums and first rate speakers about a host of economic and real estate related issues. Planning is currently underway for this event and a program overview will be published in the coming months.

Donald Bouchard, CRE is a senior vice president at Lincoln Property Company, Boston and is the 2016 chair of the New England Chapter of the Counselors of Real Estate.