Time flies when you are having fun. My 68th birthday came and went peacefully. I am personally blessed to have no health concerns, to have a certain degree of financial stability, and a wife who puts up with me and lets me ride my new bike (a birthday present).
In addition, I have the pleasure of serving with an executive board of directors and an Administrator who does outstanding work (they constantly make me look good – despite myself.) Michael, Liz, and Artem are making sure the Districts are ready for 2024, and William has worked hard to make our meetings run smoothly. Joe has created District brochures that involved a ton of work and serve as a very useful template moving into the coming years and Francisco and Sage have mapped out what is going to be a very successful 2024 education schedule.
In addition, the leaders of all 8 of our Districts are working hard to provide value to our members. Adding to this great team is a cadre of seasoned instructors who provide excellent education to the next generation of commercial real estate professionals. In September the Miami District, the Southwest District, and the West Coast District held socials where professionals mixed and mingled over great food and drinks.
I had the pleasure of visiting 22 students at the first Foundations course taught (by our own Blaine Strickland) on the campus of Bethune Cookman College. The Central District went all out to host these students at a well-attended social at Hard Rock Daytona Beach. The North District President, Matthew Lehman, and I had an opportunity to speak about the benefits of the CCIM network to a couple dozen CRE professionals in Gainesville at the Gainesville Alachua County Board of Realtors Commercial Council. There is a lot of enthusiasm there and Michael is arranging for a brief STDB course there in November.
The North District also hosted a CI 101 course on Jacksonville Beach where Soozie and Robin taught 28 bright students while overlooking the Atlantic. Matthew arranged for a private social event on the beach where a dozen local professionals mixed and mingled with the students and the instructors. 18 students were ready to take Foundations in Tallahassee until Hurricane Idalia changed the Panhandle District’s best-laid plans.
Panhandle District President James Watts and District Secretary Tracy Waters are diligently working on an alternative date later this year. Wow! In my 14+ years of involvement with the FL Chapter of CCIM, I have never seen this much activity throughout the State of Florida. Our members, current and soon-to-be, are hungry to get involved and share knowledge, and make deals with each other. Our volunteer leaders are the reason this is happening and all I can say is THANK YOU for making my job easy. I am sure I have left out someone who deserves recognition — forgive me in my old age.
Rick Gonzalez, CCIM, ALC
2023 FLCCIM Chapter President
About CCIM
“CCIM stands for Certified Commercial Investment Member. For more than 50 years, CCIMs have been recognized as leading experts in commercial investment real estate. The CCIM lapel pin denotes that the wearer has completed advanced coursework in financial and market analysis, and demonstrated extensive experience in the commercial real estate industry.”
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