Well, the year is halfway done, and I didn’t
live up to my commitment to write a quarterly column, but as they say, time
flies when you’re having fun. And having
fun we are! As you all know, the theme
for this year is the “Power of 10” in honor of our 10-year anniversary. The idea originated from last year’s CREW
Network Convention in Washington, D.C., which was dubbed “The Power Center,”
where hundreds of CREW members convened for the annual convention. We were immersed in an atmosphere of empowerment
and we were challenged and inspired to discover our personal power, and our
power to impact the commercial real estate industry, our communities and our
individual careers. There was even a
“power center” where attendees could practice elevator speeches, post their
power statements, and participate in power surge discussions. As the CREW Network Connections newsletter
put it, we were one step from being plugged into a socket! While I was still going through some business
and personal challenges at the time, I left the convention literally feeling
like I had the power to do anything and wishing that every CREW member had the
opportunity to share in the experience, so I decided we could experience this
power firsthand.
We started the year with a very powerful
program and the topic couldn’t have been more fitting. Donna Orender spoke to the group about her
passion, “Living Powerfully,” which was the message she sought to convey in her
inaugural “Generation W” program held in May.
The interesting story behind having Donna as our first speaker of the
year (besides the fact that her presentation was spot on!) was that she had
been on our short list of speakers for some time, so when I had a chance to
meet her at a reception for the 2011 JBJ Women of Influence, I knew it was
meant to be, and she eagerly agreed. It
was a great program to begin the year of the Power of 10.
In February, Audrey Moran presented another
powerful program as she discussed the past ten years, as well as the present
and future in Jacksonville’s real estate and economic development industries. She brought a funny and unique perspective to
the discussion based on her experience as a leader in the administrations for
two different Mayors and from her own personal experience in her run for office. At the March luncheon program, we pondered
whether “Size Does Matter” in a panel discussion with four of our regions’ most
powerful leaders in growth management and economic development – Cathy Chambers
with JaxUSA Partnership (formerly Jax Chamber), Elaine Brown, Stan Totman, Mayor of the Town of Baldwin, and Robert
(“Bob”) Rhodes – who each gave us their perspective on a regionalized approach
to growth, economy, and transportation and how it would assist a town the size
of Baldwin and a city the size of Jacksonville and everything in between. The panel, which was moderated by Brian
Teeple, Executive Director of the Northeast Florida Regional Council, discussed
regional studies and concepts being conducted in greater Jacksonville and the
action steps needed to advance the region’s prosperity, livability and
sustainability.
In April, we enjoyed a members-only historic
neighborhoods bus tour, led by Lisa Sheppard, Senior Historic Preservation
Planner for the City of Jacksonville’s Planning and Development
Department. The “party bus” took us to
visit local gems in Springfield, Riverside and Avondale, including Three Layers,
CoRK Arts District, Intuition Ale Works and ending with a stop at the fabulous
Restaurant Orsay. Then in May, we had
another great program which offered much more information than an hour can permit.
The panel discussion on the City’s
Mobility Plan included CREW Member and Public Works Director for the City of
Jacksonville, Jim Robinson, joined by Bill Killingsworth, former City of
Jacksonville Director of Planning and Development, Brad Thoburn, Jacksonville
Transportation Authority Director of Strategic Planning and Research, led by Sandra
Gorman, Service Director for Transportation Planning at King Engineering Associates
in Tampa and Project Manager for the Nassau County Mobility Plan Project. The panelists gave us an insider’s view of
the policy issues surrounding the old Fair Share program, the reasons behind
implementation of the City’s new Mobility Plan, as well as the nutshell view of
how easy it is to calculate the Mobility Fee for new developments.
In June, I participated in the program
“creWomen Entrepreneurs.” I was joined
by other CREW Jacksonville member entrepreneurs, Janet Herrick (Onsite
Environmental), Leigh Gunn (Group 4 Design), and Heather Sams (HAS Art
Solutions). The panel also included CREW
Board member Karen Farah, Vice President/Commercial Banker at FirstAtlantic
Bank, who offered a unique perspective for entrepreneurs based on her financial
background as well as her experience as a mentor for the Jacksonville Women’s
Business Center. It was a fun and honest
exploration into what makes a successful entrepreneur, especially in the current
commercial real estate market. The
conversation was led by Heather LePetrie, former CREW Atlanta president and
owner of Better Living Solutions. As a
special treat, the PACE Center for Girls Choir opened the program with some
songs of gratitude and inspiration.
I was also fortunate to be able to attend the
CREW Network Spring Council Leadership meeting in Montreal, Canada. It was a great opportunity to hear about
successful initiatives in other CREW Chapters, as well as to network with CREW
chapter leaders. We also welcomed two
new chapters to the Network, CREW Iowa and CREW Idaho. There are now 77 chapters that comprise CREW
Network! In addition to the delegate’s
meeting, there was also a day-long session on Leadership. I always enjoy opportunities to grow in this
area so I am really thankful that CREW Network leaders keep us engaged with
programs that challenge and develop us as leaders. We also had an opportunity to learn about
volunteer opportunities at the Network level.
I am excited to learn about the opportunities to represent CREW
Jacksonville at a national level.
This month we will be hosted by the
Jacksonville Aviation Authority’s newly promoted Chief Administrative Officer
and CREW Jacksonville member Rosa Beckett.
JAA CEO Steve Grossman will make a presentation at a members’ only
program “Behind the Scenes: Aviation a Critical Component of Global
Transportation & A Catalyst for Regional Economic Development. “ We will also get an insider’s view of the
operations at one of the nations’ highest rated airports.
Finally, we are currently planning our
inaugural CREW Foundation fundraiser which will be held
in August. Sally French Tyler, current
Executive Vice President of First American Title Insurance Company, and former
president of CREW Network and CREW Atlanta will be our guest speaker. Sally will talk about the Power of CREW
Network and CREW Foundation. We will
hold a silent auction benefiting the Foundation with items including Jaguars
tickets, diamond tennis bracelet, Coach bag, dinner for 2 at III Forks, and a
week in a Southwest Florida resort, to name a few. Proceeds will benefit the CREW Foundation,
which is the only foundation dedicating its resources solely towards building
opportunities for women and girls in commercial real estate.
Whew!
I can’t believe we’re only halfway done!
It has been a powerful year so far and I am looking forward to the next
6 months, celebrating all that women in commercial real estate have done in our
community and celebrating the Power of 10!
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