2023 Final Presidents Message

BUILDING THE CRE WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW-And Farewell

One of the messages I have tried hardest to spread during my year as your HRACRE President is that HRACRE is more than just a networking and continuing education group.  We have also quietly become a key workforce development component of our region’s commercial real estate sector.  You didn’t get that news yet?  Well, I did say “quietly.”

            On February 13, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Big Blue Room at the Chartway Arena, HRACRE and ODU’s Commercial Real Estate program will co-host a Commercial Real Estate Career Fair for college and graduate students at all of the region’s colleges and universities.  The fair will feature tables where HRACRE member businesses can meet one-on-one and in small groups with students seeking a career in the business’ field, answering their questions and giving insights into what life is like as a real estate broker, commercial banker, environmental engineer, commercial real estate attorney, property manager, etc.  Additionally, every 15 minutes or so, a prominent HRACRE member will be briefly interviewed about his or her career path, advice and experiences.  The Career Fair will also promote HRACRE’s Summer Interns program (which last year enhanced the summer job experiences of 35 interns at member companies, spanning the wide range of businesses in our sector).

            But the Career Fair is really just the start of our Workforce Development pipeline.  The Career Fair feeds into the Summer Interns program, and interns who complete our summer program may request a semester’s mentorship under the HRACRE mentorship program which we aim to revive in 2024.  That program will also be available to young professionals in CRE disciplines who would like a source for independent advice and guidance.  Another segment of our CRE Workforce Development pipeline is our Military Externship program, where we connect with area military members who will soon be exiting the service, and are interested in exploring a career in one of the many fields which comprise commercial real estate.

            In the past, these four programs each stood somewhat on their own – which is why you never thought of HRACRE as a Commercial Real Estate Workforce Development organization.  That is changing.  Starting in 2024, we will be bringing all four programs – Career Fair, Summer Interns, Mentorship and Military Externship – under the single umbrella of our new Workforce Development Committee, under the leadership of Joe Bushey of TRC Companies.  Each of the four programs will operate as a subcommittee of the Workforce Development Committee.  This will not only bring greater recognition to HRACRE’s workforce development role in our region’s CRE sector, but will also strengthen each of the programs through enhanced coordination and integration into the “pipeline.” 

            We are still actively recruiting Committee and Subcommittee members as we build out the Workforce Development Committee.  I have written the CEO’s of our larger member companies, asking them to identify someone in their organization, either in human resources or who is otherwise passionate about workforce development or recruiting, to join this new Committee and serve on one of the subcommittees.  And after the New Year (even though I won’t be President any longer), I will be calling many of them to follow up on my letter, recruiting for our Workforce Development Committee.  There will be a direct connection in the years to come between how successful this effort is and how strong our region’s Commercial Real Estate industry remains in the decades ahead.  If you’re interested in helping to assure our sector’s continued strength and success, please call me at (757) 629-0612, or e-mail me at wnusbaum@williamsmullen.com to discuss how you’d like to help, and I will connect you with Joe Bushey, our Workforce Development Committee Chair.

            As this message is my last official act as your President, please allow me a brief look back at the year, and recap some of HRACRE’s accomplishments in 2023, made possible by great leadership and teamwork from our officers, Board members and Committee members:

• Our Sponsorships Task Force, ably led by Treasurer Bonnie Stretz, reviewed how we handle corporate and event sponsorships, generally affirming how HRACRE handles sponsorships, but resulting in a new 2024 sponsorship level dedicated to defraying the cost of the Holiday Party, to drive down its ticket price and make it more affordable to all;
• We strengthened our Board of Directors by making it perhaps the most diverse Board HRACRE has ever had;
• We provided both financial support and encouragement to our Young Professionals Network, which continues to grow in both numbers and events, building future leadership for HRACRE;
• The Programs Committee, after transitioning to new leadership under Georgie Marquez, rapidly found its stride with a great year of programming, and found a new sponsor (Bank of America) for our annual Economic Forecast luncheon, coming up on January 18;
• Our cooperation with our Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) friends grew, adding a hugely successful joint luncheon program on Atlantic Park to our annual joint Beach Bash party, and discussions continue to find other ways to partner with CREW;
• I strove to attend at least one meeting of each of our many Committees (though I may have missed one or two Committees);
• Although not a member of the HRACRE REACH Foundation Board, I attended most of its meetings, helping it to refocus on its strengths, move its programmatic work into HRACRE, and rebuild its Board of Directors, positioning it for a strong 2024;
• And lastly, as discussed above, we reorganized HRACRE’s workforce development programs under the umbrella of the new Workforce Development Committee and began raising awareness of HRACRE’s workforce development role for the region’s Commercial Real Estate sector.

It has been a great privilege and honor to lead HRACRE this year.  We are fortunate to have so many dedicated members who care passionately about HRACRE’s various missions, and commit so much time to the success of the organization.  I would love to list, individually, each of the officers, directors and committee chairs and vice chairs who have enabled HRACRE to have such a successful year this year, but I know I would lose even those faithful readers who are hanging with me in this final paragraph.  You each know who you are, and please know how deeply I appreciate each of you and all that you have done for HRACRE in 2023.  Rather, I will instead conclude with one more standing ovation (even if just virtual) for the talented HRACRE professional staff who do so much for us both behind the scenes and out front – Kathy Higgins and Michelle Trent (with support when needed from Connie Long and her Association Builders crew).  They are quite a treasure, and they make we volunteers look good all year long.  Thank you, Kathy and Michelle!

I now metaphorically toss the gavel to Bret Underwood (we’ll do it officially at our January 18 Economic Forecast luncheon), who on Monday takes over as President.  I will assume the post often referred to as the most sought-after office in any volunteer organization – Immediate Past President.  Bret is going to do a great job as your President, and I look forward to supporting his leadership and cheering him and his team on from the wings. 

William (Bill) Nusbaum
2023 HRACRE President