Quarterly: Fall 2002

CBQ >> Fall 2002 Issue

Remarks from the President

At the beginning of the year I mentioned we had two major goals for the association: to strengthen the sense of community among commercial brokers, and to enhance the relevancy of GWCAR to its members. I believe we have made progress on both fronts.

We brought the broker community together for a number of successful events this year. Our awards dinner, RealTOUR, and Expo all attracted a sizable crowd to honor the achievements of our members, learn about new development in our area, and to network with fellow brokers. The regional breakfast meetings continue to be an avenue to bring the membership together to hear from experts on issues affecting brokers and our clients.

To make your GWCAR membership even more valuable and increase your association with other brokers, I encourage you to get involved in a GWCAR committee. The committees help plan our many events, and are a great way to get to know others in the community. You'll find a list of committees and directions about how to join in this issue of Commercial Broker Quarterly.

We made great strides in the political arena this year, which makes the association more relevant in the daily business dealings of our members. We met with each member of the DC City Council and made our positions clear on many issues that have a real impact on our business. Our success in achieving passage of a system allowing for peer reviews of tenant improvement plans in Washington, DC will streamline the process and enable owners and landlords to move much more quickly with needed property enhancements.

We are currently working on a Commercial Broker Lien law for DC, which would protect member's ability to collect commissions owed to them. We hope to have this initiative brought up for approval in the next City Council session.

In an effort to broaden and enhance our services to members, we spent time this year evaluating the potential for a Commercial Information Exchange (CIE), which would be a database of properties available for sale and lease in the Washington, DC area. CoStar has recently released a new web-based product which has many of the features we were seeking. We are currently working with CoStar to improve the relationship between GWCAR and CoStar in order to enhance this vital industry tool.

It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as the GWCAR president during 2002. I would like to thank the entire Board of Directors and the GWCAR staff for the support they have provided throughout the year. I hope you will join me in congratulating and supporting Dave Bevirt as he takes over as President for 2003. I look forward to seeing all of you at an upcoming GWCAR event.

Phillip Thomas
2002 President