Long Island Commercial Network leader sets course for 2008

What a wonderful time to be active in the New York real estate industry! Thank you for the honor and privilege of serving as the president of LIBOR's Long Island Commercial Network for 2008. I have truly enjoyed serving on the NYSAR & LIBOR Board of Directors and various committees over the past several years, and I am looking forward to working with you and for you again during 2008 to continue our efforts toward advancing the welfare and interests of the commercial real estate industry. Last year was a significant year for LICN. We have our work cut out for us to continue our upward trends, and I hope you will join me in embracing this challenge. In 2007, we achieved another year of record membership growth ending the year with over 200 members, an all-time high. We were faced with many challenges both locally and nationally, and through them all, LICN shone as a provider of valuable services for all of our members. 2007 brought an extremely active year in legislation with the main focus being on commission protection. We were closely involved in the development of commercial education being included in the newly defined real estate licensing requirements, other important legislative initiatives and our committee chairs have aligned their activities with those associated committees of LIBOR; we strive to have a significant commercial identity within the Long Island Board of Realtors. We encourage support of the Realtors' Political Action Committee (RPAC) that will help raise personal contributions to more effectively support legislators who are making a positive impact on behalf of commercial real estate investors. On top of all of this, we hosted two major networking events, provided 10 educational programs, boast a continuing commercial education scholarship fund for our members and consistent exposure and support for our sponsors who support us annually — no small feat for any organization. A special thanks and continued recognition should be paid to the recipients of LICN's most prestigious award in 2007 who was heavily responsible for all of these successes: * Commercial Realtor of the Year — Alan Hendrickson. So, what's next? What are the goals for 2008? Even though New York performed well relative to the national economy and other major markets, most industry experts forecast that 2008 will be an economically challenging year for us. Job growth in New York was not encouraging in 2007, and sales have fallen in our major submarkets in response to the poor national economy, a weakening dollar, and a lack of general business investment. This means there should be less occupancy demand since businesses are not growing. Consequently, more companies will consolidate or eliminate some of their office requirements. The impact to real estate values will create corporate and property budget cuts. More, now than ever, we have to convey the value of being a member of LICN and the relative strength of our local economy. This year, I want to constantly remind our current and prospective members about the value of BOMA.LICN. The Long Island Commercial Network is a good investment for our members. Why? LICN membership will ... Unite those in real estate with an emphasis in the branches of the commercial real estate profession for the purpose of exerting a beneficial influence upon the profession. Provide meetings in which members will have the opportunity to exchange views, information and general knowledge regarding commercial real estate. Encourage and facilitate cooperation among brokers engaged in marketing commercial and investment real estate as a service to the public. Foster sound, prudent and ethical practices as they relate to brokerage of commercial and investment real estate. Foster and develop a knowledgeable membership through continuing education. With the 2008 Board of Directors, we are looking to develop a list of additional, critical initiatives for 2008. With the above challenges and value-reminders in consideration, we are looking at the following goals for 2008: * Aggressively market the value and mission of LICN to its members and the community (for example, legislative issues/results, community impact, education and information resources, and special activities) * Reinforce RPAC to support our commercial issues. This is critical as we move forward with the commission protection act and the fostering of commercial education as part of the NY State Licensing Requirements * Steadily increase the quality, quantity, and accessibility of information provided by LICN. * Advance our technological capabilities to increase our communication efficiency, educational access, electronic exposure of our properties, and polls to our membership on various initiatives. * Keep membership count stable despite our softened economy. This year, we will ask every member to recruit at least one new member and every Board member to recruit at least one new Sponsor to set an example for all of us to follow. * Closely examine and potentially restructure some of our committees to take advantage of more synergistic relationships (such as special activities and Community Outreach). * Continue to bolster relations with SIOR, CCIM and NYSCAR. * Support LICN's voice in LIBOR and NYSAR. Leverage many of the relationships I've developed over the years of having responsibilities in LIBOR & NYSAR to LICN's benefit. * Giving LICN a VOICE! This is near and dear to my heart, and I want to remind everyone that it's extremely valuable to your assets, it's escalatable dollars you are already spending, and it's not too late to get involved right now—but you need to get started ASAP. More details will follow throughout 2008. These are just some of the highlights. I assure you that I'll keep you posted on our results. Please remember that it has taken a tremendous amount of effort and volunteer hours to make LICN the effective organization that it is today. Still, the job we do is only as good as the efforts of our members. Therefore, as we continue to grow and meet the challenges of the future, we certainly need your help. I encourage you to volunteer your services whenever possible whether for a single program or event, or for a longer-term commitment. We have several active committees that are always looking for new members that have the time and energy to devote toward making our association even better. And, as always, we welcome your input and suggestions on ways we can continue to improve the LICN as Long Island's premier real estate organization. Again, I am proud to once again serve as your LICN president in 2008, and I look forward to having a lot of good times with each of you as we fortify and expand the value of or association. Thanks for your confidence in me, and the 2008 Board of Directors. Gail Gladstone, CIPS, TRC, SRES, RECS is the president of LICN and a licensed broker associate for Coldwell Banker, Huntington, N.Y.