IREM annual Economic Forecast Breakfast Meeting & IREM Boston's best kept secret

The Boston Metropolitan Chapter #4 held their annual Economic Forecast breakfast at the Granite Links Golf Club at Quarry Hills on January 25th. Guest speakers for this meeting were Douglas Koch, MAI, AICP, a director at RSM McGladrey and Thomas Leyden, CPA, director, at RSM McGladrey. Their presentation was insightful and very well presented. The overall theme was that the real estate market in general was not going to change that much in the near future other than the rental market which is seeing dramatic increases in rents especially here in the northeast. At this meeting we welcomed a number of new ARM's and CPM's into the IREM family. I would like to congratulate the following members: ARM's: Heather Kohan ARM, Barkan Management Co. Inc. AMO; John Parda ARM, Bentley Management Group; Elsbeth Nerney ARM, Corcoran Management Co., Inc. MO; Kimberly Shepherd Wheelwright ARM, First Realty Management, AMO; Maria Corrales, ARM S-C Management Corp AMO; Michelle Dunham ARM, Hallkeen Management Company AMO; Paul Sullivan ARM, Marquis Real Estate; Lisa Zaccaria ARM, HallKeen Management Company AMO; and Jeffrey Carter ARM, Triad Alpha Partners. CPM's: Mark Donahue CPM, Boston Redevelopment Authority; Ana Sierra-Rivera CPM ARM, Peabody Properties Inc. AMO; Russell Pierce CPM, Port Property Management; and Lynn Moore CPM, Port Property Management. I also had the pleasure to acknowledge the following past presidents that were in attendance for the January meeting: 1987 Allen Carleton, 1996 Michael Weintraub, 1999 Donald Rawson, RVP-2000-2001, 2004 Christopher Mellen, RVP 2006-2007, 2007 Robert Krauss, 2010 Rob Crowley and 2011 Jeanmarie O'Brien. As for IREM Boston's best kept secret, here it is, on February 3rd the annual IREM Boston ski event at Loon Mountain, Lincoln N.H. took place. I must tell you that I'm not a big skier and had never attended this event before; however, being the chapter president I thought that I should go to welcome everyone who attended. My memories of skiing in the past were that there was never anywhere to sit, store my belonging and was generally...mad chaos, which is unappealing to me. However, what I found at this event was truly amazing and a very pleasant surprise. IREM Boston actual was given the entire café area and another room. In the café, there were 15+ tables, plenty of free food and drink (came with your registration) both for breakfast and lunch and most importantly plenty of room to spread out and store your belongings. Honestly, had I no idea that this was the set-up, had I known, I would have brought my family...I most certainly will next year. Jonathan Donahue, CPM, ARM, is the 2012 president of IREM Boston.