President’s Message
David J. Zimmer, SIOR, FRICS
Zimmer Real Estate Services L.C. I ONCOR International, Kansas City, Missouri
My year as President is coming to an end, and I can’t believe how
quickly it has passed. This year really was a time for change and
growth, and the work that has been accomplished never ceases to
amaze me. Without a doubt, serving as President is singularly the
greatest honor that I have had in my real estate career.
As I reflect on the past twelve months, it is important to note that it
is you, the members, who are responsible for this period of growth
and success. Your participation, suggestions, and support have
helped guide me, the entire leadership team and SIOR staff through
a great year. I have had the chance to visit a number of chapters and
their chapter events over the past three years and every place that
I have traveled, I have been greeted warmly and enthusiastically
by members and non-members alike. It may sound trite but people
really do look up to SIORs, and have the greatest respect for our
accomplishments and standing in the real estate community. We
are the leaders in our field of business.
Looking Forward
Membership
Over the course of this year, we have seen membership continue to
grow worldwide. With our Board and leadership team’s commit
ment to global expansion, we have already welcomed 10 new mem
bers from outside the U.S. and Mexico including Israel, Ireland,
Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K. We have the Global Expansion
task force, led by Jim Fink, that is looking into global expansion
soon and they will come forth with a recommendation on priori
tization so far as countries and resources are concerned. The end
goal is to offer a comprehensive global network of qualified des
ignees to meet our members' clients’ needs anywhere in the world.
Our commitment to SIOR is the strength of our organization. I am
continually amazed at the dedication and passion that so many of
our members display for this wonderful organization. Our members made a statement this year with more than 95 percent of them
renewing their membership in a recovering economy. We know
the commitment of time and resources it takes and we do not take
it lightly.
We are also working hard to attract the brightest and best young
brokers through our continued branding and outreach efforts
including the successful Chapter Recruitment Incentive Program.
Please continue to encourage successful and qualified brokers in
your local market with the passion and desire to join the “best of
the best.”
In addition, we are developing and offering new membership tools
to help you succeed, including the newest version of the Designee
Marketing Toolkit. It includes a customizable PowerPoint presentation for use with clients and potential clients, as well as “stock”
SIOR advertisements available for customization, the Why Hire an
SIOR flyer to provide to clients, and SIOR logos.
A number of years ago, a significant number of Associate members,
including both Developer Associates and Corporate Associates,
attended our Spring and Fall conferences. Those numbers have
trickled off in recent years. In an effort to reverse that trend,
SIOR created a task force that looked at how we charged dues
to Developer Associates and recommended certain modifications
to make membership cost for those Developers more attractive
and relevant to how they do business today. Under the leadership
of Past President Lynn Reich, we have explored a relationship
with and are working to provide educational programs to IAMC
(Industrial Asset Management Council), which is largely made up
of Corporate Real Estate Directors nationwide. With these efforts
in place, we aim to drive value back to our members and enhance
the value proposition of your membership.
SIOR World Conferences
We had an outstanding turnout in Scottsdale this past spring with
over 575 attendees. In just a few weeks, we are headed into our
Fall World Conference in Chicago, which I expect to be one of the
biggest conferences we have had in years. Our education programs
are stronger than ever, our speakers remain influential and entertaining, and the caliber of SIORs that attend the conferences continues to rise. The ever popular “conference within a conference”
concept whereby we find time for the national firms and networks
to meet during a conference will continue and at the urging of some
independent brokers, we are finding a time on the schedule for the
independents to meet and discuss the issues and ideas facing them
as well as best practices. Having had a sneak peak at the conference
agenda and seeing who our keynote speakers are, I guarantee this is
one conference you won’t want to miss. And if the hairs don’t rise
on the back of your neck, there isn’t a cow in Texas.
