In this holiday season and as we welcome a new year, I wanted to address the general membership and our staff to say, “thank you.”  As my year as the 2022 NC-CCIM Chapter President comes to an end, I wanted to let each of you know that we have had an incredible year and that I am extremely grateful.  As I look back to this time last year, I must admit that there was a slight feeling of anxiousness, however, with the help of many we got through it.  Not only did we persevere, we excelled.  In my opinion, the organization achieved all that I wanted it to and more. 

In a recent conversation with Page Stroud, we reviewed the 2022 Presidents Cup application. In doing so, we looked back on the year as a whole and patted ourselves on the back for what the organization has accomplished.

At the beginning of the year, we held our signature event; a statewide Market Forecast. This was well attended and again, I’m grateful to KC Conway, MAI, CRE, CCIM for his expertise and time in speaking to our membership.  In April, we were honored to be the host chapter to the CCIM Institute Mid-Year Governance Meetings in Charlotte, NC.  As part of this conference the chapter held a networking event at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  As I spoke to other CCIM designees later in the year, we were often complemented on how much fun attendees had.  I think it is safe to say that as a chapter, we would gladly welcome back the CCIM Institute to North Carolina at any time.

As the year progressed, we held all four core classes for designation, showing our commitment to candidates in pursuit of the Pin.  In the fall, we moved our State Conference to Wilmington, NC and created new bonds with our members on the eastern part of the state.  As part of this conference the chapter offered a STDB class as well as speakers that brought value to attendees.  The year ended with our annual free continuing education to members, offering both the general and brokerage in charge update as well as an elective.  We ended the year with a record breaking, 24 new designees from North Carolina with 17 in the spring and an additional 7 in the fall. We couldn’t be more proud of your achievement!

Scattered throughout the year were a number of networking events, not only as part of our core classes but also as stand-alone events in more rural areas of the state.  Needless to say, we met our core components of networking, education and technology.

I want to especially thank the executive committee for your work this year, I could not have done this without you all.  I want to also thank our board members who work diligently through our committees to complete so many integral parts of our organization.  Lastly, thank you to Page Stroud, you really are the backbone to this organization and the oil to this high-performance vehicle.  It goes without saying, none of this could be done without all our power partners! Thank you for your investment in our organization, none of this can happen without your support.

My father taught me many lessons as a child, one of which I feel properly summarizes my year as President.  “Leave it in a better place than how you found it”.  I know that the NC-CCIM Chapter is in a better place than the beginning of the year, we remain financially sound, have invested in ourselves, but most importantly have remained true to our mission of providing career advancing value to our members.  We achieve our mission by providing relevant high-quality education, designation promotion, useful resources, and networking opportunities that create significant value for our members and partners.

It has been one of my greatest achievements and an honor to represent the general membership as your President this year.  As I shift to the illustrious position of Past President, I will support our new 2023 President, Janice Dixon, CCIM as she charts her own path to continue to make this chapter the premier commercial real estate organization in North Carolina.  I wish each of you all the best in the upcoming new year and leave you with the famous words of Pete Frandano, CCIM “I appreciate you more than you know.”

Sincerely,

James Milner, CCIM

2022 NC-CCIM Chapter President