Message from the Bronx-Manhattan North Assoc. of Realtors CEO: Hundreds came bearing gifts!

On December 13 The Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors (BMNAR) gathered at Marina del Rey Caterers to celebrate their 33rd Annual Holiday Party and Toy Drive. Over 300 members, friends, and real estate professionals came out to renew old friendships, establish new business contacts, but at the end of the night we all had a blast! This year’s holiday celebration was dedicated to Perry Gault.

Four days before our holiday party, one of our beloved members, Perry Gault, passed away. Gault served as BMNAR’s president in 1995, led our Realtors Political Action Committee (RPAC) drive and was in charge of reporting on our public relations activities to my Board of Governors. Gault was a strong supporter of BMNAR and was always pushing me to write and share the BMNAR story. In 2014, Gault and his son, Jeffrey, were the recipients of the Heritage Award at our annual banquet. The award was created in 2011 to recognize a firm or company active in the real estate industry for multiple generations. It is my hope that Gault will continue to be with us through his son Jeffrey.

The evening was full of laughter, networking, and 4 ½ hours of unlimited premium buffet and drinks. First Class Entertainment provided an amazing assortment of music to help burn away the calories. A big holiday thank you goes out to BMNAR’s 2017 major sponsors for helping to make the evening a success: Judicial Title Insurance Agency LLC; Intercontinental Capital Group; and Century Hardware –Blue Bell Lumber. 

Many companies showed their support for BMNAR by purchasing one to five tables at the holiday party: Aggressive Energy/Bayridge Fuel; Chatam Management Co, Inc.; Exclusive Properties Sotheby’s International Realty; Hertz, Cherson, & Rosenthal, P.C.; Hub International NE LTD.; Jerome Environmental Services Corp.; Langsam Property Services Corp.; Laujel Realty Group; Maxine Mears-Clark Real Estate; Novick, Edelstein, Lubell, Reisman, Wasserman, & Leventhal, P.C.; Original Energy; Sandra Erickson Real Estate; and Tekniverse, Inc. Thank you for making our holiday party your holiday party

This year, our Brokers’ Initiative Committee invited a table of non-member brokers to celebrate with us. This recruitment effort was sponsored by: Robert Tuzzo, Intercontinental Capital Group; Joe Cosentino, Morris Park Realty Group; and, Paul Gjonaj, M.P. Realty. Thank you to the sponsors and members of the committee for your support as we need to grow our membership and the holiday party was a great start!

A big shout-out to the award recipients from Exclusive Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, Morris Park Realty Group and EZ Premier Realty LLC. It was an honor to host you recognition. Thank you to the many who donated a toy for “Operation BMNAR’s Kids.” Christina Leigh Taylor, BMNAR’s 2017 president said, “A holiday party is not complete unless you have a successful toy drive and ours is one of the best. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to give gifts to families who need a little help during this joyous time of the year.” 

We were fortunate that many of our guests came bearing gifts. My two sons, Miguel and Cristian roamed the banquet hall as Santa’s elves and they did a magical job of collecting $1,500 in donations to buy more toys. On Christmas day, BMNAR, in partnership with The Bronx Y, loaded up our sleigh and we delivered toys to the homes of 25 select families in the Bronx. Bronx News 12 covered the story and shared with their viewers the generosity of Realtors. Next year, I hope to visit more families.   

If you are a Realtor of another local realtor association or real estate professional looking to join a local Realtor board, you do not need to have an office in Manhattan or the Bronx to be active members of the BMNAR. Our next networking event is the 3rd Annual “Bowling with BMNAR” on March 6.

Eliezer Rodriguez, Esq. is the chief executive officer of The Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors, Bronx, N.Y.