NYSCAR, CCIM, SIOR and SEC host annual conference

As I write this letter, we are at our annual conference at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona. Conference chairman Joseph Rowley, Jr., welcomed everyone to the marketing session on June 1, moderated by Jim Wilson, CCIM, SEC (Fla.) and Bill Stonaker, CCIM, SEC (Tex.) Bob Giniecki, CCIM, SEC, John Lavelle and Jim Walker also assisted in running the session which continued today with over 100 participants. This year's conference had attendees from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Missouri, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, North Carolina, New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York and Canada. The NYS Commercial Association of Realtors (NYSCAR) held a dinner on the evening of June 1 with a panel discussion "Winning Business in a Challenging Economy." Many thanks to Joe Larkin, CCIM, SIOR, Tim Conley, CCIM, SIOR, Patrick Mucci and Richard Ferro, CCIM, for making this new addition to the conference an outstanding event. This year's Leasing Roundtable program was also very well received by the participants. The following topics were covered: Tenant Rep Opportunities; Negotiating Lease Terms and Concessions; and Tenant Bankruptcies: A Developer's Dilemma in Today's Economy. We deeply appreciate the participation of Dennis Hennessy, SIOR, Jerry Norton, CCIM, SIOR, Eric Simonds, CCIM, and Kevin Newman, Esq. We are looking forward to tomorrow's events which include five commercial classes "Economic Principles to Generate Real Estate Transactions that Close," Jim Wilson, CCIM, SEC, "Trends in Green Building in the Northeast," Joseph Scarpa, "Turning Real Estate Knowledge into Income," Tim Conley, CCIM, SIOR, "Pricing Commercial-Investment Real Estate for Successful Marketing," Bill Hafner, MAI and "Update on Real Estate Tax Strategy and Estate Planning," Peter Karl, Esq. CPA. Our networking lunch will feature an update from George Ratiu, economist from the National Association of Realtors and Michael Kelly, director of governmental Affairs with the NYS Association of Realtors. William Procida, president, WPI will also give a presentation on "How to Reinvent Yourself...Taking it to the Next Level." The conference is hosted each year by NYSCAR, the NYS chapters of CCIM/SIOR and the Society of Exchange Counselors. Each year we have several sponsors who make it possible to make the conference an unbelieveable value. Many thanks to this year's sponsors: Diamond: CB Richard Ellis-Upstate officers, Platinum: Pyramid Brokerage Co.; Silver: BL Companies, Inc., CCIM Institute, Exchange Authority, Flaum Management Co., Inc., Four Springs Capital; Gill Abstract Corp., Key Bank, LaBella Associates, PL, Mercantile Capital Corp., New York Real Estate Journal, M & T Bank, Synapse Risk Management, Tranzon Real Estate Auctions, Upstate SIOR chapter and Wilber National Bank. Maureen Wilson, CCIM, SIOR, is the 2009 president of NYSCAR, Albany, N.Y.