Welcome to CREW NEWS! Please send feedback and suggestions for future editions to
[email protected]
. Thank you and enjoy!
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Summer Social Success!
by Christian Creswell
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The 2019 CREW Summer Social was held on June 24
th
at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA). This premier location provided a contemporary open space ideal for hosting a lively group. With the museum closed to the public, the attendees had exclusive access to the amazing exhibits. While mingling, everyone got to enjoy delicious food and beverages provided by Tarrant’s. Taking center stage at the event was the “Bucket Raffle”; everyone had the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets and drop them in the bucket of the prize they wished to win. Items included everything from beach gear, to wine baskets, to tickets to The Nutcracker. There was also an option to bid on three silent auction items. The bidding got competitive between a beach house, river house and a box at a Flying Squirrels game. Our signature raffle item was a beautiful David Yurman bracelet donated by Fink’s Jewelers. In the end there were some very happy winners, some who even took home multiple wins! The biggest victor of the night was
Dress for Success Central Virginia
. All proceeds of the event will be donated to support their programs; empowering women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools in the Richmond community. All of this was made possible by our generous sponsors whose support is invaluable to the success of the CREW Richmond Summer Social.
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Deals, Awards and in the News
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Monica Marks
, Relationship Manager at Wells Fargo, and
Elizabeth Lewis
, CPA at Keiter, worked together to organize an EduSocial for their colleagues. Monica and her team presented a seminar to the Keiter auditors on safeguarding cash, providing valuable best practices for fraud prevention. The Keiter team gained a better understanding of positive pay, uses of dual authentication, fraud red flags, and other value-add recommendations for their clients. The session concluded with wine, snacks, and great networking.
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Sharon Herrin, Foundation Chair, Brenda Karp, President CREW Richmond, Meaghan O'Brien, CREW Richmond Delegate,
Wendy Mann, CEO CREW Network
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CREW Richmond
met all three CREW Foundation goals
of 50% of membership donating, 100% Chapter Board Members donating and a $1000+ chapter gift.
THANK YOU
for helping complete the trifecta challenge
. Your contribution will be used to support 15 annual college scholarships, important industry research, and UCREW events nationwide!
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Andrea Harlow
Andrea Harlow
of
Williams Mullen
, is on the board for Junior Achievement of Central Virginia.
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Elizabeth Lewis
Elizabeth Lewis
has been promoted to Senior Manager with
Keiter.
.
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Have a Celebrate Success or Needs & Leads item? Feel free to email them anytime to
[email protected]
.
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CREW Richmond Lunch Meetings and Events
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CREW Richmond 2019 April Lunch Meeting
by Cathy Pryor
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In April, the attendees at our monthly lunch enjoyed a slightly new venue than the Marshall Ballroom, as well as a panel of retail and experience experts discussing how real estate investors, landlords and tenants are changing to reflect shifts in consumer demands for retail and entertainment experiences. The panel included Ginny Johnston, our Immediate Past President who works at Capital One in Workplace Strategy + Design; Susan Jones, one of our CREW Past President and Senior Vice President with CBRE’s retail practice; Rob Hargett, a co-founder of the Rebkee Company; Ted Ukrop, a developer and businessman in the Richmond and surrounding areas; and Cathy Pryor of Atlantic Union Bank as moderator.
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CREW Richmond 2019 May Lunch Meeting
by Patricia Miller
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Many thanks to Catina Crosby, Vice President of Asset Management with SNP Properties, in providing an overview of the Evolution of City Center for the 2019 May CREW luncheon. SNP’s vision for acquisitions in the downtown area was to gain a foothold of the block of Broad Street, between N. Adams & N. Foushee, to create a better resident experience. In 2018, SNP started the repositioning of West Broad Apartments, partnering with VHDA with a combined 1.7 million dollar investment. Renovations included storefront refacing, and interiors to include new cabinetry, appliances, and finishes, as well as, refurbishment of the cobblestone alley for rear access of some of the ground level units. During this process, SNP partnered with Rocket Pop Media to create a “sense of place” and give a cohesive feel to their properties located in City Center. Cara Dickens, Vice President of Rocket Pop Media, explained the impetus to bring life back to the downtown area, creating a central hub of restaurants, retail and residential while paying homage to the history and Art Deco focused area.
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CREW Richmond 2019 June Supplemental Meeting
by Patricia Miller
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On a weather challenged evening, CREW members met at The Penny, one of SNP Properties latest new construction projects in Jackson Ward. The rain eventually cleared, leaving beautiful blue skies. Our members hiked up 6 flights of stairs to see amazing views of the city from the 2 story units on the upper floor. Thanks again to our gracious hosts, Catina Crosby of SNP Properties and Cara Dickens with Rocket Pop Media, for sponsoring with wine and hors d’oeuvres. We networked in the spacious sunlit lobby, overlooking the courtyard and pool still under construction. Visit
www.thepennyrva.com
for more information.
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New CREW Richmond Members
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Welcome to the newest members of CREW Richmond!
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CREW Richmond Past President's Council
Convention Scholarship Winner - Laura Anderson!
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CREW Richmond’s Past Presidents’ Council (PPC) is pleased to announce that this year’s PPC Convention Scholarship has been awarded to
Laura Anderson
of Kimley Horn! Laura will be attending this year’s CREW Network Convention and Marketplace in Orlando!
Special thanks to PPC members
Jodie Strum, Sandy Whitehead, Laura-Lee Savage, Ginny Johnston, Jane duFrane, Deborah Reading, Brett McNamee, Patricia Miller, Susan Jones, Liz Steele, Jane Sper, René Shepperson, Joan Sewell
and Rowena
Fratarcangelo
for contributing to the PPC Convention Scholarship Fund!
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Melissa McPherson
by Kate Wagner
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Member Profile – Melissa McPherson
by Kate Wagner
As a youngster, I spent a fair amount of time reading DC Comics, and adored the characters. Little did I realize as an adult I would have a chance to meet the real Wonder Woman when I interviewed Melissa McPherson.
Upon graduating from George Mason University with a BA in Government & Politics, Melissa joined Southern Title as a construction loan administrator and mechanics lien agent. She accepted the position on the advice of her father, who was a commercial real estate construction lender with strong ties to Southern Title. While there, she formed a bond with Jerry Skar, General Counsel. Jerry became her mentor, and guided her early career journey. Since Southern Title was a supporter of CREW Richmond, she became introduced to the Chapter and started attending the Chapter’s various programs.
While Melissa survived the acquisition of Southern Title, she yearned for more opportunity. In 2004, she and Jerry Skar left the company to join Land America. She expanded her knowledge and honed her skills, while growing her network of commercial real estate professionals. She left Land America in 2008, and joined Old Republic Title. Sadly, while there she experienced an issue far too familiar to many of us. While she wanted a more diverse experience that included commercial real estate work, Melissa was essentially pigeon holed into residential title work. She was informed that the “guys are handling that”, and her best option for commercial title work would be to relocate to the home office in Minnesota. Leaving her golden lasso at her side, Melissa walked out and began planning her next move.
Much to the admiration of this commercial real estate lender, Melissa’s next move was to form her own title company. Safe Harbor Title Company was born in 2010. Her involvement with CREW Richmond flourished, as did her business. She served as Chair for several of the committees and as Secretary for the Chapter twice. Happy to be an active member of the Board, she felt an obligation to step up her role and became Board President in 2013. She credits her CREW involvement with not only being a sound source for business but also helping to define her professionally and personally. The proudest accomplishment during her tenure as President was the creation of the Past Presidents Council; a vehicle that helps the Chapter benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a dynamitic group of women.
In our conversation about life/work balance, Melissa noted that a true balance doesn’t exist. One will always take precedence over the other, and it’s a matter of prioritizing which faction will get the focus during a period of time. “You’re not going to be perfect in both roles 100% of the time”, she stated. It was at this point, that I realized I was speaking with Diana Prince (the infamous secret identity of the real Wonder Woman). You see, it takes a real super hero to realize that she’s not a Wonder Woman.
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Skyscraper
Sponsor Spotlight:
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Brandywine Realty Trust
(NYSE: BDN) is one of the largest, publicly traded, full-service, integrated real estate companies in the United States, with a core focus in the Philadelphia, PA, Washington, D.C., and Austin, TX markets. Organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), we own, develop, lease and manage an urban, town center and transit-oriented portfolio. Our purpose is to shape, connect and inspire the world around us through our expertise, the relationships we foster, the communities in which we live and work, and the history we build together. Our deep commitment to our communities was recognized by NAIOP when we were presented with the Developer of the Year Award—the highest honor in the commercial real estate industry.
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Skyscraper
Sponsor Spotlight:
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Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., the
Old Republic Title Insurance Group
(ORTIG) is comprised of a multitude of title and related services companies. Its underwriters are Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, formed in 1907, and American Guaranty Title Insurance Company, dating back to 1889. ORTIG is one of the largest title insurers in the United States.
Its products and services include: title insurance, real estate and mortgage loan settlement services, commercial real estate transaction coordination, commercial real estate due diligence, Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 1031 exchanges, notary services, UCC insurance, bankruptcy reporting, national timeshare and relocation services, document recording, real estate appraisal, mortgage servicer solutions, default management, flood reporting, and centralized national order placement services.
Since 1992, no other title insurer has had higher overall financial-strength ratings than Old Republic Title, reflecting the Company’s strong operating performance over the long run, excellent capitalization and liquidity, as well as sound investment and reserving policies joined to a strong market position.
Old Republic Title employs approximately 4,500 employees nationwide, and serves 49 states and the District of Columbia. Products and services are produced, issued and delivered through a network of approximately 8,000 authorized policy-issuing title insurance agents and 250 branch offices, owned agencies, joint ventures and ancillary services subsidiaries. Old Republic Title is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Old Republic International Corporation (NYSE: ORI), a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the nation's 50 largest publicly held insurance organizations.
Known for doing business the “right way” for over a century, Old Republic Title and its professionals are committed to supporting Title Agents through ongoing training, best practices education, resource materials and more. Agency Representatives, State Managers and Underwriters are easily accessible and prepared to handle even the most complex underwriting matters, including residential and commercial transactions.
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Highrise
Sponsor Spotlight:
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At
American Office
, we help our customers create inspired physical spaces that promote their strategic goals.
We are committed to providing our customers with the best long term value solution and environments that support great work. This commitment began in 1932 and continues today as we provide the highest-level of personal service, the most talented and creative staff, highly customized and streamlined processes, and best-in-class products and services to our customers.
With seven office locations and three distribution centers throughout Maryland, D.C. and Virginia and a staff of more than two hundred and fifty employees, American Office has the resources to offer our customers a comprehensive package of in-house services to support all facility-related needs.
We'd love to discuss the unique needs of your organization. Please contact us at
[email protected]
.
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Highrise
Sponsor Spotlight:
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The Breeden Company
is a nationally recognized real estate services company with over 50 years of expertise in every facet of the industry. Breeden Property Management, Breeden Realty and Breeden Construction are the three major subsidiaries of The Breeden Company. It has a combined portfolio of nearly 15,000 apartments, over 2 million square feet of retail/office space and an additional 1,700 residential homes. Both Breeden Property Management and Breeden Construction are national award winners on their own merit and provide third party services to select clients.
Family-owned and operated since 1961, The Breeden Company has grown into one of the most valued real estate development firms on the East Coast.
For more information about The Breeden Company, please contact
Brenda Karp
at 804-364-1006.
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CREW Network Spring Leadership Summit
by:Meg O'Brien
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Thank you CREW Kansas City! Our gracious hostesses introduced over 200 CREW members to America’s heartland in early June. Barbeque. ‘Nuf said. While I had great barbeque, I was also pleased to experience a city filled with people tightly bound together by a high level of pride in their city. You can’t ask for a better promotion of your city than that!
What’s new with CREW? The big news is that CREW Network is rebranding. The CREW Network refreshed logo will better reflect CREW’s influence in the world of real estate. Be on the lookout for CREW’s fresh, new look at Convention.
Speaking of Convention…. Have you registered yet? Stop right now & make that happen! The excursions are selling out fast. (Sorry, the behind-the-scenes Harry Potter event is sold out). There are pre-conference workshops to extend your networking & learning experience. Convention is your chance to experience CREW Network at its finest. Nationally-recognized speakers, personal growth & development sessions, and extreme networking opportunities makes Convention THE place to be this fall!
Brenda Karp and I were treated to a trip to Lawrence, Kansas. Why? It’s the home of CREW Network! The ladies of the home office hosted about 100 CREW members in a lovely reception. There are real people behind those emails we get weekly and they’re working hard to make sure each & every CREW member has the full resources of the Network behind them.
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Last, but definitely not least…. CREW Richmond got a big shout-out during the Leadership Summit for reaching the CREW Foundation Trifecta. Our chapter’s generous donations are helping CREW Network fund 20 scholarships for young women all over North America. THANK YOU!!!!
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Keep your calendars up to date with our upcoming events....
CREW Richmond and GRACRE Nothing But Networking
Bingo Beer Company, 2900 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA
5:00pm-7:30pm
CREW Richmond August Meeting
(Members and Potential Member Guests Only)
Networking 2.0
James Center One, 1051 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA
8:30am-10:00am
CREW Richmond September Meeting
Market Outlook/Economic Overview
11:30am-1:00pm
CREW NETWORK CONVENTION AND MARKETPLACE
Orlando, FL
CREW Richmond Fall Membership Drive
5:30pm-7:30pm
CREW Richmond October Meeting
(Members Only)
Golf: Drive Shack or TopGolf
CREW Richmond Leadership Summit
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