2 minute read
Executive Director’s Message Remembering Malcolm Bennett
Remembering Malcolm Bennett
By DaviD J. CorDero exeCutive DireCtor
The rental housing and real estate industries lost a longtime leader, advocate, and a trail blazer, when Malcom Bennett passed away unexpectedly on July 21, 2021. For the Apartment Association of Orange County, we lost an ally and friend.
Malcom served in many leadership capacities during his career as a real estate broker, contractor, and rentalproperty owner. In addition to forming and operating his own real estate firm, International Realty & Investments, which provided management, sales and acquisitions of income-producing properties, Malcom also dedicated significant amounts of time in service to the National Apartment Association, California Rental Housing Association, National Association of Realtors and California Association of Realtors. He was also an active member locally of the Apartment Association of California Southern Cities and the Los Angeles Association of Realtors, for which he served terms as president for both associations.
In 1987, Malcom helped found the Minority Apartment Owners Association (MAOA) to assist minority property owners and help protect their interests as businesspeople and rental-housing providers in Los Angeles and later throughout California. His years of service and volunteerism to the real estate industry was recognized in 2014 when the Black Business Association honored him with the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Malcom was also involved in the property management operations for the large portfolio of apartments owned by Los Angeles’ historically Black churches, in addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the SouthCentral Regional Center for the Disabled and two terms as president for the Crippled Children Society.
I had the opportunity and privilege to work with Malcom on state rentalhousing issues and advocacy efforts more than 20 years ago, during my first tour of duty with AAOC. At the time, AAOC was working with the Apartment Association of California Southern Cities (AACSC) and the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) to organize and launch a statewide advocacy coalition of independent apartment associations — a precursor to today’s California Rental Housing Association (CalRHA).
My first impression of Malcom was that he was incredibly knowledgeable, insightful, and politically well-connected and astute. More significantly, however, I was struck by how warm he was as a human being and how generous he was with his time. As a young kid, recently graduated from college and just getting started in his career, I appreciated how Malcom treated me so kindly and how he embraced me as a colleague despite my youth and limited political and professional experience at the time. His personal encouragement and the time he made to personally engage with me when our paths crossed at our coalition meetings and legislative advocacy trips in Sacramento meant a great deal. I truly liked and respected Malcom, and I appreciated all that he did for our industry and for the betterment of humanity. I will always remember him fondly.
My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones, friends, colleagues, and those whose lives Malcom touched during his lifetime.
Rest in Peace, Malcom.
