Event focuses on effective networking for fun and profit

By Barbara Champoux NYCREW Network is the New York area chapter of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Network, an organization comprised of over 7,000 senior commercial real estate professionals throughout the U.S. and Canada, as members of more than 60 chapters, all committed to the achievement of parity for women in commercial real estate through opportunity, influence and power. Our mission in New York is providing opportunities for women to achieve success in commercial real estate. The National Connection Through NYCREW Network and its other chapters, CREW Network has been focused on a number of exciting initiatives designed to serve as catalysts for effective change in advancing the success of women in the CRE industry. Last month, we told you about "CREW Careers: Building Opportunities," a national program created by CREW Foundation, which is geared towards teenage girls within their respective communities, and designed to provide them with professional development and substantive information about commercial real estate, advise them about possible career paths in the industry and generally instill leadership skills. In addition to opening their eyes about potential new careers, the program also serves to raise their awareness early about the benefits of networking and developing long-term relationships, and often offers ongoing mentoring to those interested in pursuing a career in commercial real estate. As noted, NYCREW Network plans on participating in this exciting program in 2008, and NYCREW members Dottie Cunningham, Marilyn Kane, Aliza Stern, Pauline Anderson-Brown and Faith Hope Consolo, along with myself, are part of the Advisory Steering Committee planning such participation. Another exciting CREW Network initiative recently rolled out, is the online CREW Network Career Center. CREW Network has partnered with SelectLeaders, the number one niche commercial real estate job board in the industry, which currently boasts more than 40,000 registered job candidates and 4,500 registered employers, to allow CREW members to post their résumés and participate in the targeted online job opportunities afforded through this limited access site. With the addition of CREW Network, the SelectLeaders Job Network is comprised of 12 partnering organizations including: BOMA, ULI, NAIOP, NMHC, GlobeSt., NAREIT, CCIM, CMSA, PREA, SIOR and RICS. CREW president Marianne Ajemian also recently revealed the findings from CREW Network's most recent study titled, Minding the Gap. This study attempted to answer the "why" questions that resulted from CREW Network's 2005 benchmarking study. Specifically, why given similar positions and years of experience, do men out earn women and, why are women not reaching the C-Suite positions as often as men? The findings of the report indicate that among the most significant barriers to women advancing in commercial real estate is the fact that both men and women prefer to manage groups of their own gender. Other barriers for women include a lack of awareness about compensation disparities, a hesitancy to accept risk as part of the overall career equation and challenges in setting a work/life balance. CREW Network: Minding the Gap suggests multiple strategies for women and businesses in commercial real estate to overcome these challenges. The report is available through CREW or NYCREW. Recent Events On September 19th, due to unforeseen circumstances, in place of its scheduled "Industry Spotlight: Finance" event focused on emerging trends in the capital markets, NYCREW Network held one of its "NYCREW and You: Strictly Socal" hallmark events focused on effective networking for fun and profit, at which a luck member and non-member were selected by lottery to receive free 2008 NYCREW Network memberships. The winners were NYCREW member, Stephanie Cuba, Avalon Bay Communities, and Diane Cramer, B.R.Fries Constructors. The event was held at, and sponsored by, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP. Barbara Champoux is the immediate past president of NYCREW, New York, N.Y