At the annual dinner of New Hampshire CIBOR I was privileged to be inducted as the 2009 president. The following were some of my acceptance comments:
In 1985 I served as president of the Commercial Investment Division, which some of you will remember is the predecessor of CIBOR. Our members were few and we had no common database of properties. In fact, most of us didn't even have a computer. We relied on faxes and the US Post Office. However, our members understood the need to work together, share information, and present a professional image.
CIBOR has come a long way since those days. We now have approximately 560 members, as well as a national presence as the first commercial state overlay board
Many of you have given your time and talent to build CIBOR to where we are today. Allow me to recognize just some of the talent in this room:
Tom Duffy, our immediate past president. Tom truly took the bull by the horns this past year. At times he functioned as executive officer, secretary, HR person and one man problem solver. More importantly, he was always our positive leader. And he made it through his tenure leaving us with a better organization as a result of his efforts. Our thanks to you Tom.
Dave Lefebvre - What can I say, David has been your go to guy with our many challenges with our CDX database. Those of you who have communicated with Dave are aware of his knowledge, commitment, patience and endless energy.
John DiNapoli - our one man social committee. John, you have all of our thanks for once again arranging this wonderful annual dinner. For a Flatlander you did a great job.
Johnna and Samentha - These two ladies have provided stability to our office and organization where previously there was turmoil. Our thanks go out to both ladies for all that they have done and for the future programs that they are bringing forth.
Karl Norwood -If not for his encouragement I would not be in NH. If not for his further encouragement I would not have taken the SIOR and CCIM courses that provided me with the confidence to spend these many years in commercial real estate. My thanks to Karl for inducting the 2009 CIBOR officers tonight and being a positive role model during my time in NH.
Jim Pereira - the 2009 president elect. I look forward to working with Jim as a team to accomplish the objectives set forth in our Mission Statement.
My wife, Fran - who puts up with me and tries to keep me on track. My daughter Kathleen who gave us our first grandson and my son, Kevin who backed me up for so many years so I could do my extra curricular activities.
Finally, to the directors, committee chairs and committee members as well as the endless other member who have volunteered their time to the cause and to provide our membership with the tools that we need to be successful I give my thanks.
As I approach my coming year I do so with excitement. There are many opportunities in front of us and challenges that we face. As a board of directors we recognize that we must move beyond CIBOR's day to day tasks of being on our own with our own office and our own staff.
Yes, we will continue to have to face new challenges with a great deal of focus on database and budgetary issues. The real question is, where are we going and how are we going to get there.? Our board has authorized a new Strategic Plan for 2009. This will be facilitated by Roger Turcotte, a New Hampshire broker, trainer and facilitator with national credentials. Members will be electronically surveyed to determine their views and wants which will be followed by a retreat where this and other input will be quantified and prioritized. We will also have a group of Visionaries who will assist us in defining where the industry is going in the next ten years and what tools we will need as practitioners to remain competitive. The end result of this data gathering will hopefully provide CIBOR with our near and long term direction for our future.
As you can see, I have chosen not to focus on the next twelve months but rather the next 12 years. Once again, where are we going and how do we get there? Without trying to predetermine what the approved Strategic Plan will recommend, let me share with you some of my desires:
I want to take the PR exposure of CIBOR to a new level. When we do something newsworthy I want the marketplace to know about it.
Special Events - We have many unique manufacturing facilities in NH and I feel that many of our members would look forward to seeing the processes that take place within these facilities . Therefore, it is my intent to strive to set up exclusive tours. Members have already provided us with some sites and we will consider those facilities and others as we move forward. We welcome your input..
Commercial License - I believe the time has come to investigate the feasibility of requiring licensees to have a upgraded licensee in order to practice commercial brokerage. Such a license would require passing a test and having continuing education. Such a project will by no means be a short term endeavor and, if ultimately successful could take 5 or more years to be accomplished. By the way, I anticipate that current licensees would be grandfathered.
Commercial Property Exchange - The BOD is committed to providing the membership with a product that meets or exceeds their expectations . We are by no means there yet but are working aggressively to meet that target quickly.
Education Summit - Doreen Rainville suggested that we consider conducting a educational event that would be of such value that our members would go out of their way to attend and bring their clients and customers. The guests could not attend without a member accompanying them. We are presently working on such an event and news will be forthcoming soon.
Your directors and committee chairs and members are excited about 2009 as I am. We look forward to serving you and welcome your contribution and input.
Arthur Slattery is a partner with Phoenix Realty Group in Bedford and is the 2009 president of NH-CIBOR chapter, Concord.