Chapter members at conference. Shown (from left) are: Jeff Ryer, Frank Hird, Art Ross, Tom York, Mark Duclos and Nick Morizio

New Orleans, LA Six members of the Connecticut/Western Massachusetts chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors attended the Spring World Conference held at the Sheraton Hotel, in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

During the conference, a new slate of officers to serve the Society was elected. The chapter has elected two of its members to national positions. Mark Duclos, SIOR was elected as vice president. After serving a one year term as vice president, Duclos will serve as president-elect for a year before stepping into the global presidency of SIOR in the fall of 2019. Additionally, Frank Hird, SIOR was elected to a two-year term as regional director of the Northeast Region.

General session speakers included Mary Matalin and James Carville, political advisors and pundits who provided an entertaining and candid discussion, in a session moderated by Geoff Kasselman, SIOR, global president. Married and from opposite ends of the political aisle, the two provided their views of today’s American political landscape, particularly the growing polarization of the two parties. Matalin a lifelong conservative talked about her decision to recently change her party affiliation to a libertarian. They also spoke about their decision to relocate away from Washington, and Carville the self-described Cajun “River Rat” returning to his roots teaching political science at Tulane.  

Mike Robbins, motivational coach, business advisor, and book author was another keynote speaker who talked about a number of life lesson concepts he’s developed; from appreciation, recognition, eliminating self-righteousness, and suggesting we should be grateful for what we have.

The closing general session featured Dr. Mark Dotzour, a real estate economist and retired professor from Texas A & M University who provided mostly optimistic comments on the economy, particularly in the area of commercial real estate. Saying he chooses to avoid endorsing leaders from both political parties, his updated market data particularly job creation numbers and increasing wages is influencing his economic predictions for the foreseeable future.