Reading-Berks Association of REALTORS® Leadership and Staff attend NAR Mid Year Meetings in Washington, DC
Every year in mid May the National Association of REALTORS® holds its Mid Year Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo in Washington, DC. Usually this is an normal, annual occurrence, but this year marked the 100 anniversary of the National Association of REALTORS® and approximately 10,000 members flocked to the capital city to celebrate 100 years of helping the American people achieve their dream of homeownership.
R-BAR sent a group of leadership and staff to take advantage of the educational and networking meetings and events offered from May 12 – 16, 2008. Jack Fry, R-BAR President, Dave Raring, R-BAR President-Elect, Jeff Crosby, District 4 Vice President, Gary Yost, R-BAR CEO, Chuck Liedike, Government Affairs Director, Kirsten Keim-Shendge, Marketing & Communications Director and Etta Henry, Director of Membership & Professional Development represented the Association. Each person had their own itinerary and schedule to best fit their needs.
Along with the typical legislative and committee meetings, seminars and networking opportunities, many events were specifically held to honor the milestone. A Centennial Time Line display, featured in the main hotel, charted the history of the organization. A gala, black tie dinner was held featuring honorary chair, Ebby Halliday and speaker Jim Rasenberger, author of a book about life in America in 1908.
Several of the highlights for our attendees included meetings in Congressmen Tim Holden’s & Jim Gerlach’s offices on “the Hill”, a visit to the environmentally friendly NAR building, the humorous and insightful Legislative & Political Forum with Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala, and a motivating presentation by Dick Gaylord, 2008 NAR President featuring Ebby Halliday, the 97-year-old dynamo who is one of the most successful REALTORS® in NAR’s history. She amazed us with her stories and charmed us with her ukulele talent. The trade show floor was packed with many booths offering the newest and best productivity tools for Real Estate professionals.
In the end, our delegation came home satisfied that their new-found knowledge and ideas will help serve R-BAR’s membership presently and help us all move into the future successfully.
The Reading-Berks Association of REALTORS® (R-BAR) is a 1,100 member organization that serves as the “voice for real estate” in Berks County. It is located at 2201 Ridgewood Road, Suite 350, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania