New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE) marked an important milestone recently by celebrating its 30th year of promoting the advancement of women in commercial real estate. For three decades, NEWiRE has been an important force behind the increasing success of women in New England's real estate community. Reaching this milestone has given members an opportunity to look back at what the organization has meant to us, to acknowledge how far we've come, and to commend the visionary women in NEWiRE's history.
NEWiRE's humble beginnings began like many great startups: scribbled on the back of a luncheon placemat. In 1981, Ranne Warner, a developer, and Susan Winston Leff, a lender, wrote down the name of every woman in commercial real estate that they could think of, amazing themselves with a list of nearly 50 names. Inspired by a similar organization in New York, the two women decided to launch NEWiRE as a forum for women in commercial real estate to network and provide professional development. Expanding the group to ten founding members, these visionary women included four developers, three institutional finance women, a graphic designer, a PR person, and a lawyer. Their mission was to create an organization of commercial real estate women that represented all the disciplines required to "do a deal." The founders of NEWiRE had the vision of supporting and promoting women in the real estate industry so that women are considered equals, and gender is no longer a consideration or an obstacle to moving ahead professionally.
NEWiRE's major goal was to establish the highest quality real estate organization in Boston, where members received the best "take home" value from each meeting and opportunities to get to know each other. Networking was important, but the quality of the membership would only be sustained if the programs were of the highest caliber. NEWiRE programs continue to be relevant, thought-provoking and informative events for our members.
Yet many members say that the lasting value of NEWiRE is in the lifelong friendships that we have made over the years, relationships that have personally and professionally supported us as individuals and bolstered NEWiRE into the strong and successful organization it is today. NEWiRE members have coached, mentored, retained each other, and negotiated deals. The careful thought, planning and goals that our founding members set for the organization in the early days appear to have served us well. Today, more than 400 members strong, NEWiRE continues to provide a forum for networking and professional development to women in all real estate disciplines throughout the Greater Boston area.
Throughout 2012, we will continue to celebrate this milestone, honoring the outstanding achievements of our members and our leadership over the past 30 years. Mark your calendars for our next celebratory event: a 30th Anniversary Luncheon program on January 18th, 2012 at the Boston Harbor Hotel, Rowes Wharf. Gloria Larson, president of Bentley University, will be our guest speaker for this celebration entitled "Women in Leadership." What better way to acknowledge the success and advancement of NEWiRE's membership than with some words by a visionary woman? Please visit our website at www.newire.org for a complete listing of upcoming events and registration information.

Janet Pirrello is a senior vice president at BayNorth Capital and the 2011-2012 president of New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE), Boston, Mass.