President's message: Busy first quarter for NYSCAR WNY

By Patricia Collins The WNY chapter of NYSCAR has been unusually busy the first quarter of 2009 despite the tricky economy. The organization is increasing opportunities for networking, education and focused discussions on key attractions and competitive advantages of the Buffalo Niagara Region. In February, the 8th Annual Installation & Awards dinner was held at the Buffalo Chop House. The event was sold out with over 130 attendees. Awards were given to Steven Blake of CB Richard Ellis for the largest sale and Joseph Deck of Realty USA for the largest lease transactions of 2009. The Meritorious Service Award was given to Carl Calabrese and the Lifetime Achievement Award went to Merle Whitehead. On March 5, NYSCAR WNY held a Developer Tour of the One HSBC Center in downtown Buffalo. Our host, Seneca One Realty, provided lunch, tours of available spaces as well as a fabulous view from the 37th floor. Over 50 brokers attended, setting a new record for one of these events! Our next networking function, "Plug into NYSCAR 2009," is sure to be a huge success. This membership event is being hosted by the chapter's board of directors and will feature a cocktail reception and informational program at Harry's Harbour Place Grill and is scheduled for March 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Our members and guests, including any professional who works in the real estate community, will receive information about the benefits of joining the WNY chapter of NYSCAR as well as a live demonstration of the Buffalo Niagara Commercial Listing System (www.buffaloniagaracls.com). Representatives will be on hand to answer questions and help new members and attendees meet and mingle. Valuable incentives and door prizes will also be given away! On April 23, we will have Robert Giniecki, CCIM, SEC, in town for a 7.5 hour continuing education class: "Investment Property Analysis and Creative Transaction Formulas." This class will be held at the Holiday Inn at 1881 Niagara Falls Blvd. in Amherst. What better time to offer this class than now when each deal we are working on has its own twists and turns to overcome. Having some creative real estate formulas up our sleeves can't hurt! For more details on these events or others, check out our new website at www.wnynyscar.com. The deals are out there you just have to work smart and know where to look! Patricia Collins is the 2009 president of the WNY chapter of NYSCAR, Buffalo, N.Y.