2018 was a year of progress, change and growth for the Association. Reflective of the commercial real estate industry, members have been incredibly productive and engaged. Membership reached an all-time high at 765. Much of the expansion has been within existing member firms, sole proprietors and CARW’s reach throughout the State. With this growth, we have reintroduced new member orientation three times annually. More than 100 have already attended new member sessions where we walk through the organizational structure and benefits of CARW. We also discuss ethics and professional standards which are vital to the REALTOR® profession. Throughout 2018, CARW technology committee and board leadership have been working with REDIComps and Catylist to develop a Statewide data platform that hosts listings, availabilities and researched information. The interactive system hosts weekly user calls and continues to update, add and grow. There are more than 41,000 properties in the system. In Q1 2019, the listings are scheduled to be visible nationwide.
Staying true to CARW’s mission of being the unified, respected voice for commercial real estate in Wisconsin, we rely on the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who step up each and every day. The board members and committee leaders continue to bring resources and ideas to the table as the backbone of the organization. Our sponsors are unmatched – giving of not only dollars and resources, but time and talent.
In Q3, we began visiting member firms throughout the region, sharing with members, the various resources available to them including forms, discounts, professional services and more. We discuss the relationship between the local, state and national organizations as well as the engagement opportunities for members. We will continue to visit with firms and members as requested and are eager to meet with all members either in small or large group settings.
Legislative accomplishments at the State level were leveraged through the amazing government affairs resources of the WRA. In the latest session, 68 legislative priorities benefiting commercial real estate and REALTORS®, were passed into law.
Lunch and Learn Programming sponsored by Landmark Credit Union took us throughout the region hearing from Mike Zimmerman at the Rock Complex, to the Miller Caves where we heard from WMC President, Kurt Bauer. We explored the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s new facility in a joint event with Westown Association, and a joint tour of the Northwestern Mutual Tower with CoreNet Chicago’s Chapter. The view is spectacular! In June, we learned about the impact of breweries on commercial real estate hearing from three local brewers on their facilities, their business, and how important access to real estate is. We also heard from Todd McClees, Dr. Bill Mitchell and Ian Abston at the 88Nine Radio Milwaukee facility to learn about the opportunities that Foxconn presents for our Region. With federal issues also on our radar, we heard from Mark Spaeth of Schenck SC on the federal tax reform and its impact on commercial real estate. We also welcomed a national Blockchain expert and Opportunity Zone specialists from within the membership. Our members present a plethora of insight, knowledge and information – and we were so pleased to highlight and showcase them throughout the year!
January:
CARW welcomed its second NextGen class. The curriculum included monthly interactive sessions featuring industry leaders in the categories of brokerage, development, property management, legal, finance, public-private partnerships and more. This program was launched in 2017 to help members with less than five years of experience in the industry establish relationships, further their professional development and expand their networks.
We proudly hosted a Rainmaker event at Eppstein Uhen Architects featuring Johnson Controls CEO, George Oliver. He discussed innovation, leadership, taking on a new role with a major global company and the real estate considerations for the global organization.
Joining nine other commercial real estate organizations in Madison, CARW members visited lawmakers and cabinet secretaries for the 2018 Government Day. They discussed issues that matter to commercial real estate including transportation, economic development and regulatory reform. Members had the opportunity to meet with WEDC Secretary Mark Hogan and Deputy Secretary Tricia Braun as well as DNR Secretary Dan Meyer and Senate President Roger Roth.
February:
CARW hosted the Commercial Real Estate Roundtable Event at the Italian Community Center. More than 30 topics were presented including construction costs, REITS, EB-5 and a Kenosha real estate outlook. More than 250 attended the event which was sponsored by CJ & Associates.
March:
March Madness was a hit after a last-minute location change from iPic to Leff’s Lucky Town in Wauwatosa. Members enjoyed the tight quarters and camaraderie of the day-long event.
April:
CARW and ICSC presented the annual Retail Conference with CEO of “The Robin Report”, Robin Lewis. Thomas Carrico, VP Real Estate & Construction at Mills Fleet Farm, discussed the company’s plans for expansion and investment in Wisconsin. More than 25 roundtables were conducted and featured topics from site planning, malls, financing and expanding retailers. John Gurda rounded out the event, discussing the connection between Milwaukee and Chicago as ‘Siblings and Strangers”. The event was attended by more than 300, and sponsored by Landmark Credit Union and Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc.
May:
Members of CARW met with Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services Secretary, Laura Guiterrez, to discuss licensing, continuing education and more.
Leaders of CARW traveled to Washington, D.C. for the NAR Mid-Year conference and joined WRA (Wisconsin REALTORS® Association) leadership to visit congressional and senate leaders. Steve Pape, Founders 3 Real Estate Services; Adam Williquette, American Commercial Real Estate; Curt Pitzen, NAI MLG Commercial; and Ben Adank, SIOR, SARA Investment Real Estate.
July:
CARW members headed to the Nomad Nacional to watch the FIFA World Club semifinal match.
The not soon to be forgotten CARW 25th Anniversary took place at the new Discovery World Pavilion. More than 400 members and guests attended this mid-summer spectacular. Milwaukee Tool Shed Band performed and the evening’s remarks were emceed by WTMJ’s Steve Scaffidi. Speakers included Alex Lasry, Milwaukee Bucks; Mark Irgens, Irgens; Mark Hogan, WEDC and Tim Sullivan, REV Group. The event was presented by SARA Investment Real Estate.
August:
The annual golf outing went off without a hitch at Northshore Country Club. The skies loomed over the course but rain stayed away until after the last player left the nines. The award for golfer’s choice went to Founders 3 Real Estate Services. The winning foursome included Brice Brown, Paul McBride, Derek Yentz and John Shemitis. The event was presented by Old National Bank.
September:
We were pleased to co-host an event with CCIM Wisconsin Chapter. KC Conway, CCIM Chief Economist and head of Alabama University Real Estate program discussed the Amazon HQ2 site selection process and adaptive reuse – both subjects of his national research papers. The event took place at the former Downtown Boston Store, now called HUB640, and was sponsored by NAR (National Association of REALTORS®).
Two members of CARW were named to the board of directors for WRA (Wisconsin REALTORS® Association): Jeff Hoffman, SIOR, CCIM, Cushman & Wakefield | Boerke, and Steve Pape, Founders 3 Real Estate Services.
October:
The 2018 Deal of the Year and Annual Awards highlighted Statewide projects including Caterpillar, QuadPackaging and the BMO Tower. Individual awards were given to Jenny Trick of Racine County Economic Development Corporation, Jeff Hall of CJ & Associates and Kevin Armstrong of CBRE. 2017/18 Chairman, Ben Adank, SIOR, handed over the gavel to Steve Pape to lead CARW through 2018/19. New Board members were introduced including Andrew Hess, Founders 3 Real Estate Services; Kevin Schmoldt, NAI MLG Commercial; Scott Satula, Mid-America Real Estate-WI, L.L.C.; Mike Kleber, Zilber Property Group; Marnie Noel, Noel Real Estate Advisors LLC; Travis Tiede, NAI MLG Commercial; Erik Lindstrom, Gilbane; Ivan Gamboa, Tri City National Bank; and Paul Jonas, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. The event was presented by Tri City National Bank.
The NAR Annual Conference was in Boston, and CARW leaders attended. Topics included: commercial real estate technology and international investment.
November:
Partnering with BizTimes, CARW presented the 2018 Member Survey where members expressed greater optimism in the commercial real estate market for 2019. The conference topic was Adaptive Reuse and featured speakers; Dan Ertl, City of Brookfield; Dr. Douglas Fisher, PhD, Marquette University; Scott Goldman, Principal, Baum Revision, LLC; Eric Griffith, CBL Properties; J. Michael Mooney, MLG Capital.
December:
The 2018 Market Update, co-presented by NAIOP Wisconsin Chapter, featured speakers Jenna Maguire, Founders 3 Real Estate Services; Karl Wiedenman, CBRE; Brian Vanevenhoven, NAI MLG Commercial; and Leslie Scherrer Pella, PSG, Inc. The event was sponsored by MB Financial Bank.
The CARW Holiday Party returned to the Wisconsin Club. Presented by Irgens, the event featured classical musicians and a record-sized crowd.
In 2019, we plan to focus even more on our mission and the four organizational pillars: Advocacy, Education, Networking and Data. Plans include: activating the CRE Circles, launching the CARW Scholarship program and continued focus on increasing the professionalism of members through the pursuit of commercial real estate designations including CCIM and SIOR. We aim to bring even more value through the Wisconsin Commercial Data Exchange and quarterly data meetings. As always, we welcome your feedback and value your membership. Because of YOU, we have accomplished so much – and have so much more to do. Cheers to 25 years, and looking forward to 25 more!
Cheers!