Dear SIOR members and friends,

It was wonderful being able to see all of you in Amelia Island! By all accounts, the spring conference was an enormous success! I enjoyed being able to see so many valued colleagues and friends while spreading the SIOR Foundation’s message to the commercial real estate elite.

During the opening general session, I was honored to announce that our dear friend and SIOR Foundation Trustee, Barb Johnson, has been named an Honorary President of the SIOR Foundation. Barb was preparing to be the president for this coming year before succumbing to cancer in December after a courageous battle. She was excited for her planned role as president and I’m confident that Barb would have excelled as our leader and top advocate. It has been a bittersweet privilege to extend my presidency in her stead.

We had nine real estate students, mentored by three SIOR chapters, join us at the conference. Jeremi Johnson and Trevor Mahabir, from UCONN; Iris Jahuey-Lopez and Jamie Consolino, from the University of Central Florida; Aaron Schulle, University of Texas, Dallas; and Liam Fauci and Evan Chudyk, from the University of South Carolina were able to experience SIOR and the commercial real estate industry firsthand. The students were truly impressive and were, in turn, impressed by SIOR. Jeremi Johnson shared, “I learned a lot and appreciated the outstanding hospitality that was shown. It was an experience of a lifetime and opened my eyes to the endless possibilities available as a commercial real estate broker. My UCONN counterpart Trevor Mahabir and I did our best to connect with as many people as possible and extract as much wisdom as possible. After seeing the conference and meeting so many great people, I feel the personal challenge to be successful so that I can pay it forward one day.”

On behalf of the SIOR Foundation Board of Trustees, THANK YOU! This year’s Great Escape Giveaway was a tremendous success! Thanks to your generosity, the Foundation netted $35,400 to support its programs and initiatives. And the winner is...Robert Brehmer, Brehmer Investment Corporation. Robert will receive a $5,000 travel voucher to plan his dream vacation with the services of Golden Cruise and Travel.

A special thanks to our sponsors, St. Lucie EDC and Primera Companies, without whom, we would not be able to continue this annual tradition. A special shout out to St. Lucie EDC for not only supporting the Foundation but was also a Bronze sponsor and exhibitor for SIOR. Thank you for helping the SIOR Foundation be an integral part of the commercial real estate industry by Educating, Enhancing, Expanding the community. Keep an eye out for new educational offerings by SIOR as the Foundation expands its role as SIOR’s Education Partner.

      

The SIOR Foundation has exciting plans for Fall Event in LA. This year’s “Star” Reception and Wine Tasting will be an event you do not want to miss! To get your invitation, make sure to donate $1,000 or more to the Foundation by August 31. It is easy; simply go to our website at www.siorfoundation.org and click on the "Donate" button.

Sincerely,

Richard Sleasman, SIOR
+1.518.452.2700 x124
richard.sleasman@cbre-albany.com