Message from the president of the New York Commercial Real Estate Women Network, Inc.

By Elizabeth Muskat As president of NYCREW, I would like to thank all of our members, friends and sponsors for their continued support and participation in our organization. 2009, has been a year of challenges which we have met with optimism. We have provided strength and support for those in our profession and community to succeed in this extraordinary time. Our programs were inspiring. Dennis Yesky, now of Alix Partners, started the year with a "bang." As much as the economy was weighing-in like winter that wouldn't leave, Yesky identified trends and predicted changes so that we could positively pursue opportunities that were poised to be on the up side of the market. We had a number of personal development events to support our members and friends that needed the best resources to launch their next opportunity. We had some fun networking on a few different roof tops. Barbara Champoux and her CREW Careers team led the charge for education of teens on the facets of real estate that yield great careers. She organized our SAKS fundraiser and worked with NYCREW, CREW Foundation and the Youth Empowerment Mission to provide a day-long program about how to find space, determine the requirements and present to community leaders for evaluation. Mid year, we were able to highlight the extraordinary work that Champoux and her national committee had prepared about opportunities, where they exist, what to expect and how to position oneself or one's firm to take advantage of those things that are sure to happen as part of the recovery. Our summer breakfast series, hosted by GE Real Estate was another sell-out performance of extraordinary women within organizations that were willing to share their experiences. One of our own, Faith Hope Consolo, was selected to present at the Crew Network National Convention a panel on Food is Fashion. The topic was lively and the panel debated the drivers of restaurant retail business strategies ...do people come for the food and do a little shopping, or are people shopping and need dinner and a drink....BOTH! We have had many members in the media, for all good things. Those highlighted include Sharon Khurdan, Pamela Michaels, Marilyn Kane, Consolo, Champoux, Karen Dome, Jennifer Stewart and others. This year, was terrific! In the fourth quarter, we launched our new website due to the generosity of Jo Hastings, her husband and Sharon Khurdan's perseverance to keep us moving to launch day. They worked tirelessly to give our chapter a new face to the e-public. We would like to thank our financial sponsors: GE Real Estate, Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., Inc., Trinity Real Estate, Asset Preservation Inc., PJ Mechanical, Ted Moudis and Associates, Hartman and Craven LLP, Propark; Our hosting sponsors: HSBC, First American Title Insurance Co., UBS, Fulbright & Jaworski, GE Real Estate, Crowell & Moring, SAKS Fifth Avenue. Our media sponsors: Real Estate Weekly, New York Real Estate Journal, Bisnow.com, The Mann Report, RE Forum, Greenpearl.com and The Commercial Observer. Our contributing sponsors: Structuretone; Prudential Douglas Elliman; Crowell & Moring; Cole, Shotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard, P.A., SAKS Fifth Avenue, Wells Fargo, The Wall Street Journal. Our committee chairs: Khurdan (president-elect), Lucy Carter, Lauren Chung, Champoux, and Karla Baig Our board: Khurdan (president-elect), Anna Hertzman (past president), Joan Berkowitz (secretary), Kate Stentebjerg Olesen (treasurer), directors: Wendy Berger, Pamela Michaels, Jo Hastings, Faith Hope Consolo, Isabelle Pullis and Karen Dome. Please visit us at www.nycrew.org, come to our events and let us know how much you enjoy our programming by donating or joining. All the best to our NYCREW members, sponsors, friends and family. Elizabeth Muskat is the 2009 NYCREW President, New York, N.Y.