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As the end of the year approaches, I wanted to take a few lines to reflect on my year as the 2019 President of the Greater Chattanooga Realtors®. Time flies, and I think it’s important to look back at all the work that has been done.
In February, I was honored to address the Hamilton County Commission to recognize two of our members -- Robert Backer and Becky Cope English -- for their outstanding leadership. These two REALTORS® are very engaged in the association, as well as our community and advocacy efforts. I’ve seen firsthand that this type of engagement makes a positive impact homebuyers in our community.
Educating our members has been a particular area of focus for me this year. Our association embraced a new program from the National Association of Realtors called the Commitment to Excellence (C2Ex) certification. This program allows our members to show that we’re dedicated to highest levels of expertise, service, and professionalism. C2Ex is just one of the many ways the Greater Chattanooga Realtors® are constantly improving our skills for our clients.
As Realtors, we think the Realtor® Code of Ethics is a pretty big deal. It is 17 articles that go in depth as to how exactly we serve consumers and how we conduct our business. The Code sets us apart. We are bound to our Code of Ethics. In June, our association was pleased to participate in National Code of Ethics day along with other associations across the country.
As we kept up to date with Ethics training, we also held the first ever Education Blitz. This was an all day event that featured nationally renowned speakers and instructors. Our members developed new skills to help bring their service to another level.
Helping others is important to me, and it is for the Greater Chattanooga Realtors as well. Working with an organization like Habitat for Humanity was really special. Our Realtor members worked on four houses over two weekends to help Habitat provide homes for those in need. It was great to see my fellow Realtors working together to make our community stronger.
Helping our local schoolchildren has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my tenure. Through the partnership that the Greater Chattanooga Realtors® has with Snack Packs, we have been able to touch a lot of lives. Snack Packs provides this much needed assistance to 19 area schools. Snack Packs provides food for area school children who are food insecure. We continued our commitment to Snack Packs by donating $10,000. To further help Snack Packs, we held a trivia fundraiser that raised an additional $53,000. Talk about making a difference!
As President, I’ve had many, many full days, night, and weekends. I am so thankful for my loving family for understanding how much of a commitment it is to be an association president.
As I pass the gavel to Brandi Pearl Thompson in 2020, I can think of no other person better suited to guide our association. She will be a great leader of a great association, and I look forward to all her fresh ideas.
Serving as president of the Greater Chattanooga Realtors this past year has been such an honor and privilege. I am grateful to serve this association and this community. Realtors serve and lead every day. That’s Who We R®.