President’s Quarterly Report – April 2020

April 1, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

There is something to be said for routine.  It is comforting and it brings order to our lives, something we could really use now.  The past couple of weeks have been anything but routine or normal.  I’ve been officing from home and learning the hard way how much I don’t know about conference calling and how easily I get distracted.  It’s not good.  Conference calls with a project manager or a consultant have kept me centered, but inevitably someone brings up COVID-19 and we begin sharing stories about how we’re coping(or not) with the toilet paper shortage, over-snacking and under-exercising, and our local “stay at home” or “lockdown” restrictions.  Parents, you have my greatest respect and admiration for dealing with all the challenges work has to offer and keeping your kids engaged and happy during this crisis.  While I’m trying to figure out how many weeks I can go without a haircut, you’re just trying to maintain peace in the household…props to you!

As you know, last weekend was going to be our fabulous Spotlight event; our night to shine a light on all of the deserving people and projects that have helped make our City a better place to live and work, and our business community one to be admired.  We were going to follow that up with the kind of dynamic breakfast and educational programs we are known for, as well as our annual Golf Tournament.  In the past two weeks, we have had to retool some of those programs and postpone these popular events until later in the year, but we still intend to have them.   As for what our Chapter has accomplished in Q1 of this year, check out the following list:

  • In January, we co-hosted our Forecast 2020 with Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies offering CE Credit to over 300 attendees.
  • Twelve Chapter Members attended the NAIOP Chapter Leadership & Legislative Retreat in Washington DC in early March.
  • We met with all of Nevada’s elected Federal Delegation or staff in conjunction with NAIOP Northern Nevada members.
  • Our own Katrina Bruce received the Chapter Merit Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Chapter Executive for large chapters.
  • Our February Breakfast Meeting was a packed room with 212 attendees featuring a Retail Panel with Brian Sorrentino, CCIM of ROI Commercial Real Estate Inc., Bryan Wachter of the Retail Association of Nevada, Stan Wasserkrug of Remington Nevada and moderated by Dan Adamson of ROI Commercial Real Estate Inc.
  • We held our Winter Members Only Mixer at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country. Click here to check out the event photos.
  • We held our first Members Only Education Workshop of the year with 57 attendees. Curt Ledford of Davison Van Cleve moderated a discussion with Michelle Lindsay with NV Energy and  Jennifer Taylor with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy.
  • And finally, our Community Service Committee collected food for the pantry of the Ronald McDonald House and participated in the Make-A-Wish Walk For Wishes 5K and 1 mile walk.

Staying connected in a meaningful way has weighed on my mind since the beginning of this crisis.  The Board and Committee Chairs have been talking about this and sharing ideas.  We will be reaching out to you in the next week or so to give you information on the virtual April 16th breakfast and other membership forums.  In the meantime, please reach out to us with any ideas of your own for programs or ways to interact using this link.  We value your input and want the resources of this Chapter to be there for you.  One idea that has been floated:  Zoom a virtual cocktail hour with a display where participants can share whatever is on their mind.  Sounds like a cross between the Brady Bunch opening and the virtual dance parties DJ D-Nice is doing on Instagram.  Could be a disaster, but that could be the fun of it!  I can’t set it up, but Katrina’s team can!

During this time of social distancing, it is so vital that we shore each other up, stay connected, and share ideas and strategies for how we do business during this time and beyond.  I imagine this “new normal” will profoundly change the way we approach our work, our neighbors, and each other.  We all talk about achieving more balance in our lives; maybe this is our opportunity to do something about that.  I heard someone say last week that people always complain that they never have enough time to learn something new or teach themselves a new skill.  Well, now we have it.  I’m going to learn the kazoo.  Start small. 🙂

Be safe, be kind, and take care of yourself!

In good health,

Julie

 

 

Julie Cleaver
The Howard Hughes Corporation
NAIOP Southern Nevada President

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