Quarterly: Winter 2001 - GWCAR - Greater Washington Commercial Association of REALTORS

CBQ >> Winter 2001 Issue

Message From the President

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Susan Thomas for all of her efforts in 2000 and her continued dedication to GWCAR. Our success as an organization continues to be buoyed by the countless efforts of our staff: Chuck Ebert, Chief Executive Officer; Elizabeth Morelli, Events & Marketing Manager; Kathy Erb, Communications Manager; and Damian O'Doherty, Vice President, Government Affairs. Along with the Board of Directors, I am looking forward to another successful year.

Once again our events calendar is full of excitement. Our first event, our annual State of the Market, took place on February 15th and featured two dynamic panels of developers in the market who were able to provide entertaining and insightful comments to the sold-out crowd. On the heels of that success, we are in the process of finalizing the plans for the Annual Awards Dinner. Planned for April 25th at the Mayflower Hotel, this year's dinner promises to provide excitement as we recognize the best of the Year 2000. The awards applications are now available on our web site, www.gwcar.org and include some new categories for awards.

We will again present our annual RealTOUR event in June. With the three-peat leadership of Dave Bevirt of Cassidy & Pinkard, this year's event will focus on the developing areas of NOMA and the Southeast waterfront. October will bring the Golf Outing that will allow our members to enjoy a day of fun and relaxation. Additionally, GWCAR will hold breakfast meetings in all three of the jurisdictions as well as many other educational events to provide an expansion of all members' knowledge of the industry, its ethics, and fundamentals.

There are two major goals that I would like to champion during my term as President. First is increasing our presence in lobbying efforts for local causes, a few of which - zoning regulations, permitting, tax assessment, etc. - have already begun to be tackled. Second, I want to continue to increase the membership of our organization. Through these efforts, I believe GWCAR will continue to prosper and afford our members with additional value.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the various events over the coming year and if you have any suggestions of how to further improve GWCAR and/or the services we offer, please do not hesitate to contact me at (202) 478-2378 or by e-mail at scott_johnston@spauldslye.com.

Thank you for your continued support!

Scott Johnston
2001 President