With Hamilton coming to Milwaukee, I keep thinking about one of its most memorable songs, “The Room Where It Happens.” It’s about who’s in the room when ideas are shaped, decisions are made, and the future is set.
That was very much the tone of our recent meeting with the new CARW Board of Directors, and it left me genuinely excited about 2026 and beyond. Not just for CARW members, but for the commercial real estate industry across Wisconsin.
This group thinks big. They’re curious, engaged, and willing to challenge assumptions. They’re interested in what’s working, what isn’t, and where we need to push further. During the meeting, we asked board members to talk about what CARW means to them personally, and how they see CARW showing up for the industry as a whole. The feedback was thoughtful, candid, and validating.
One comment that stuck with me was when someone said CARW is “Switzerland for all of us.”
That really captures our role—being a neutral place where competitors can come together, share ideas, and work through issues that impact everyone, without agendas getting in the way.
Access and influence came up again and again. Board members talked about how CARW “puts you in the room” and gives you “a seat at the table for important discussions.” You see that clearly at our Membership Meetings. They’ve become a place for real thought leadership—digging into topics like adaptive reuse, data centers, infrastructure, and the broader talent challenges facing our industry. These aren’t just meetings for updates; they’re where ideas get tested and conversations move forward.
Trust also came up often. CARW was described as “a safe space for competing professionals to collaborate” and offering some of the “best networking opportunities to build trust over time.” That doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built through consistent engagement and shared purpose, and it’s one of CARW’s greatest strengths.
Another comment really resonated with me: “You build your network before you need it.” That mindset shows up clearly in programs like NextGen. Several board members pointed to NextGen as a meaningful way CARW is “breaking down barriers to entry”—bringing students and emerging professionals into the industry, exposing them to opportunities, and helping them see a future here. It’s not just a program; it’s an investment in the long-term health of commercial real estate in Wisconsin.
We also heard appreciation for the way CARW creates “exposure outside your lane.” As one member put it, CARW is “a real estate group—not just a broker group.” Developers, lenders, attorneys, planners, educators, and practitioners all have a voice, and that mix of perspectives makes the organization—and the industry—stronger.
At its core, the message from the Board was clear: CARW matters most when it’s “engaging in the big discussions that shape our future.” Whether that’s through NextGen, Membership Meetings, research, or advocacy, our role is to bring the right people together, at the right time, around the issues that truly matter.