Good grief...seems like only yesterday I accepted the honor from Chris Sowick of Cassidy Turley to become president of GWCAR...and now the year is practically over.  How did that happen?

In a tough economy, GWCAR has done surprisingly well. We started the year with an esteemed panel of industry leaders speaking out on the state of the commercial real estate market at our January Summit.  Moderated by Alex Orfinger, publisher of the Washington Business Journal, panelists were asked, "if the industry were analogous to a baseball game, in what inning are we?"  Answers ranged from "top of the second" to "the players are just putting on their uniforms".  Now, only ten months later, the general opinion is that the commercial real estate industry's recovery is somewhere in the 7^th inning.

Much has happened in the region and so it has with GWCAR as well.  Membership held steady, our annual awards dinner enjoyed a record attendance, the golf outing was one of the best ever, RealTOUR which focused on NoMa, captured the interest of over 200 brokers, and our "Best Practices" seminar series had a collective attendance of more than 385 real estate professionals.

In addition to these special events, we updated the organization's Strategic Plan, created a new Retail Committee and began a concerted effort to help young professionals connect with seasoned brokers and appreciate the importance of being a GWCAR member.

As this year draws to a close and Gary Cook from Vornado takes the reins of leadership, I want to thank a number of people who have made 2010 a memorable year.  First and foremost is the exceptional staff of GWCAR, led by Chief Executive Officer, Amy Ritsko-Warren. To Amy, Ed Krauze, Meredith Weisel, Charmaine Flanagan, Heidi Bogdansky, Bobette Banks and Sandy Hargis, I give heartfelt thanks for the extraordinary efforts you've given to GWCAR this year.

For volunteerism above and beyond the call of duty, special thanks go to Amy Bowser (Awards), Katie Burton (RealTOUR) and Kay Chewning (Education) as well as to members of the Board of Directors who guided us with their thoughtful opinions and sage advice.

To our sponsors, we deeply appreciate and thank you for your involvement and support throughout the year.  And to our members, make your New Year's resolution now to get involved and remain active in this region's only organization that serves as the official voice for commercial real estate brokers  We now have Facebook and LinkedIn pages, so check us out!