Good morning Members! I hope this finds you well as we march through the Summer of 2018.

We have had an excellent line up of programs so far this year.  From the 25^th anniversary of our Forecast Competition to our fantastic Crawfish Boil on the opening day of our World Series Champions Houston Astros, our chapter membership seems to be really enjoying the events that we have been hosting.

But, we know we can always do more.  So please, reach out and let us know how we can provide more value to you, the members!

Speaking of value, did you know that we now offer five CCIM course scholarships?  We had a record setting number of applications last year, and we hope to see that level of interest again this year.  Be on the lookout on September 1^st for an email that will serve as open enrollment for our scholarship program.  In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

We also encourage all of members to get involved at the national level.  This fall, the CCIM Institute will be holding its annual conference and fall business meetings in Chicago.  We have set aside some funds to help our members participate in these events.  If you are interested in attending and looking for a stipend to help with the cost, please let us know.  The dates for the conference and meetings are Oct 7-11, 2018.

As a reminder, we are always looking for talented people to help us lead our Houston chapter into the future!  For anyone interested in getting more involved in our chapter please do not hesitate to contact me directly. We are very fortunate to have a great Board of Directors to help us carry out our initiatives this year, but are always looking for new ideas, especially anything that can enhance the value to our members.

Lastly, for all you Millennials in the crowd, we are working towards a new Young Professionals Program that will be focused on providing value to all the up and coming leaders in our industry.

It has been an honor to serve as your President so far in 2018 and I look forward to engaging with as many members as possible as we move through the summer here in Houston.

Good luck to everyone in their business, and please let me know what I can do to help in any way possible.

See you around the market,

Blake

Blake Willeford, CCIM
Houston Gulf Coast Chapter President 2018
Managing Director, Greystone & Co. 
(512) 789-8870 – blakewilleford@gmail.com