PRESIDENT'S CORNER: The Power of Partnerships

We are seven months through 2020, and most would probably agree it’s been a challenging year so far. I know I personally started the year with optimism and excitement for everything I hoped our leadership team would accomplish for HGAR and our members in 2020. Considering the unforeseen pandemic and other obstacles, the fact that we’ve achieved as much as we have so far is rather remarkable.

As I consider the Board’s accomplishments to date, it strikes me that almost everything we’ve achieved is the result of the partnerships we’ve established and nurtured over the years.

Our merger with the Bronx Manhattan North Association of Realtors evolved out of relationships, conversations and shared goals identified over a long period of time. This newly solidified partnership will help us move toward greater advocacy opportunities, a stronger Commercial Investment Division, and hopefully a growing presence in New York City.

The creation and launch of OneKey MLS were possible through a forged partnership with MLS LI, creating one of the largest regional MLS’s in the country and a powerful new consumer website, OneKeyMLS.com, to bring more direct leads to our members. All this started with a conversation between our CEO, Richard Haggerty, and the CEO of MLS LI, Jim Speer, but then moved fairly rapidly to fruition because of the trusted relationships that existed.

Our ability to pivot quickly to a full schedule of remote live learning classes during the pandemic shutdown came about because of our long-term relationship with the folks at New York State Department of State, which is tasked with approving classes, and our collaborative partnership with our HGAR faculty who quickly got on board with teaching classes via Zoom. The result so far has been 86 live remote classes attended by almost 2,000 members in the past four months, with plans to continue through the end of the year.

COVID-19 required us to gather accurate information from multiple sources and share it quickly and effectively with our members. Our partnerships with NAR, NYSAR, the Business Council of Westchester, REBNY, the media, and other sources all proved to be invaluable in contributing to this communication chain. Truly the power of partnerships at work!

Partnerships between our volunteer committee members, our Board of Directors, and our HGAR staff are unquestionably some of the most valuable. The Board of Directors and committees are where most initiatives and ideas are generated but, without staff, it would utterly drain the time and ability of our volunteers to execute on everything. Every committee has one or more staff dedicated to assist them with everything from the basics of meeting reminders and minutes to the planning, research and execution of programs and events and the creation of valuable resources.

I can’t forget to mention here the partnerships we’ve forged with our HGAR Affiliate members over the years. Our Affiliates lend their expertise to programs like Breakfasts with Benefits, their sponsorship to broker/owner/manager meetings, networking events, Members’ Day and more, and their support to raising money for our HG Realtor Foundation and RPAC, in addition to providing our members with services that allow us to do our jobs better and serve our clients.

On a personal level, I am grateful for the many partnerships as well as friendships I’ve been so fortunate to establish over the past 30+ years; they have absolutely helped me flourish in my many roles in the real estate industry. With five months to go in 2020, no matter what they may bring, I know that the power of partnerships is essential to HGAR’s continued success. Thank you to all who contribute!