5 minute read
Commercial Real Estate Alliance
What is the CREA Friday Morning Meeting all About?
By: Ken Hughes, CNK Realty
Prior to March 2020, every Friday morning a large group of Realtors® and related affiliates gathered for a roundtable discussion about commercial properties, listings, client needs, and business services. Accompanied by bagels, donuts, and coffee of course. This is the “Friday Morning Pitch Session” attended by professionals who are members of the Commercial Real Estate Alliance (CREA) and involved in some aspects of commercial real estate in our area. The meetings are commonly attended by:
Commercial real estate brokers Commercial bankers General contractors Insurance providers Engineers Construction Suppliers Real estate attorneys Commercial property inspectors And many others that are directly involved in commercial real estate
During these meetings, each person takes just a couple of minutes to introduce themselves and discuss their topic. If it is a Realtor®, they often bring to light new listings or needs they have for a client. Sometimes it’s to raise a question about an issue they are faced with and get input from others. If it is an affiliate’s turn, they take the time to briefly describe their business and assets they can provide to Realtors® and their clients.
Over the past year, these meetings have been held virtually and were effective, however, I think we can all agree that open discussion and face-to-face meetings are extremely beneficial to our industry. Recently the meetings have resumed in person at RASM South, with precautions. Everyone must wear masks at all times, no refreshments, socially distanced and you must register prior to the meeting to ensure capacity is not exceeded. Currently, there is a limit of 50 attendees each week. Registration is through the RASM website.
CHECK IT OUT
If you haven’t been to a CREA Friday meeting, you should. Deals get done there, relationships are built, knowledge is gained and again... deals get done! If you are not already a member of CREA, please feel free to register for your first meeting without being a member. When you see the benefit of attending and what CREA can do to help your business, it’s only $50 a year to join and enjoy all of the benefits like the monthly educational meetings, networking, and annual events that are held by CREA to benefit local charities. •
UPCOMING MARKETPLACE MEETINGS
FRIDAY, APRIL 16
9:00 a.m. CREA Marketplace [ South ]
FRIDAY, APRIL 23
9:00 a.m. CREA Marketplace [ South ]
FRIDAY, APRIL 30
9:00 a.m. CREA Marketplace [ South ]
RASM is happy to welcome our new team member, TJ
Baxter, Video
Coordinator. TJ is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina. However, he attended college in central Florida, and he feels like a native in the Sunshine State. He spent the last seven years working in video production for parent companies / corporate headquarters.
As the new RASM® video coordinator, TJ will coordinate video and marketing to promote events, and help support video marketing initiatives. He will be the resource for all things video at RASM® as we seek to fully utilize the potential of our internal video studio.
TJ has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Film from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. He enjoys watching YouTube and movies. He collects retro video games and has a special interest in 80’s electronics and culture. TJ is a self-proclaimed coffee addict and was excited to see RASM’s Keurig. Welcome to RASM, TJ! •
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THANK YOU GOLD SPONSORS
Employee Anniversaries
RASM happily recognizes the workplace anniversaries of our professional staff.
Jessica Montague, Member Services
Manager, celebrated her sixth anniversary with RASM in March. She oversees the Realtors® in regards to membership and all member services such as maintaining the membership database, processing applications, transfers and more. Jessica is also the staff liaison for the Business Partners.
Jessica greatly enjoys interacting with the members and feels that every day brings something new and exciting. She also loves her RASM coworkers. Jessica enjoys to go to Universal Studios, concerts and spending time with her two beautiful and energetic kids.
Denise Ricciotti, Professional
Development Manager, celebrated her one-year anniversary with the association last month. Denise works to bring new and exciting education, training and programming to our members. She also works as the liaison to several committees, including Professional Development, Property Management, the Leadership Institute, Global Business Council, and the Realtor® Attorney Joint Committee.
In her free time, Denise enjoys exploring local beaches, reading, and working with charities. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters, and their rescue dog, Jaxson.
Leanne Eros,
Accounting Manager, celebrates her third anniversary with the Association in April. Leanne is responsible for the daily administering and reconciling of cash. She also reconciles RASM’s monthly banking accounts and investment accounts. In addition, she prepares monthly financials, recaps, charts, and distribution to the Finance Committee as well as additional reports to the CEO and Treasurer.
Leanne serves as the Staff Liaison to the Finance Committee along with Liaison between the Association and all banking, investment, insurance, and 401k accounts. She also oversees the annual yearend closing, audit, and dues billing.
Leanne is a dog lover and enjoys spending time with her best friend, Lily, a West Highland White Terrier.
Cynthia Small, Member Services
Coordinator in the RASM North office, celebrated her third anniversary with RASM in March. Cynthia processes membership applications and provides customer service to members such as answering membership questions, office transfers, assisting with Supra Ekeys, lockboxes, and store purchases.
Cynthia lives in Bradenton with her husband, Greg, and their dog, Chloe. She is looking forward to the end of COVID restrictions so that she can once again enjoy her love of travel. She also enjoys spending time at the beach, growing orchids, reading, and art. •
