By Steve Alexander
December 9th, 2008

I appreciate the trust that has been shown by many in me and my ability to lead this Association over the next year. I am honored by the confidence and your belief in me and the opportunity that you have granted me by allowing me to be your President for 2009.

My goals for 2009 are relatively simple. I would like to see a continuation of improvement in our efforts at communication, a continuation of selling the value and benefits of membership in our Association, and to increase the involvement of our members in our Association.

I believe that communication between those in our Association is critical to our continued success and can be the driving force that will facilitate an increase in involvement of our members and an increase in the perceived value of our Association. I think a good example of the power of communication is the dialogue that took place prior to the vote to expand our nearly completed offices in Georgetown. With the proper information communicated to our members, not only did we see an increase in our participation at the General Membership meeting but also an increase in the support for the expansion. Our Association exists to serve our members and I believe that a significant part of our responsibility as its leaders is to make every effort to continue to keep them informed of all goings on in our field and to provide transparency in all that we do. I also believe that some good works will come of the continued efforts to communicate more openly with our neighbors around us. To encourage open lines of communication with our neighbor Associations and to work with them more closely towards any common goals will do nothing but strengthen each of our groups and improve the value that we provide our members.

This value that is provided to our membership is our reason for existence. SCAOR is much more than just a source for the MLS. Though this is a service that is provided to our members, we also are a conduit for information on the ever changing marketplace, advocates for our profession and the consumer in the legislative and regulatory processes, educators of the public and ourselves in the field of real estate, and arbitrators and enforcers of our code of ethics and professional standards. We are the voice of real estate from a national level down to our local level. Though we provide programs like the SentriLock boxes and our MLS, we also are responsible for informing our membership of what the latest changes in the laws are and how they affect each of us, providing up to date analysis of what may be changing, what has already changed, and how we deal with that. We are a clearinghouse of information and an open exchange of ideas, forms, tips, and techniques to help each of us as we progress through our days. We are a network that provides advice, encouragement, and support as we go through challenging markets. We help to point out the realities of the market, celebrate successes when they occur, and attempt to get the true story out to the public as often as we can. Our Association brings value to our members every day whether by providing a system of cooperation through the MLS or any of the roles listed above and it is important that we continue to communicate this message. I can think of no better time to be a member of this Association and will continue to send this message to everyone that I touch on a daily basis.

As a member and as a leader, I also see my role as ambassador and a recruiter of new involved members and new leaders. Though I don't have signing bonuses or fancy sports cars to give away, I do seek to continue to involve more and more people in our Association on committees and as future leaders. I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve with individuals like Bruce Plummer, Lit Dryden, Susan Mills, Sue Bramhall and Jim Kelleher - all individuals that give of themselves freely and have time and again answered the call to be involved and continue to leave their marks on our Association. Each of them, and many others, are good examples and role models that one can follow. Each of them takes their role and responsibilities of leadership seriously and understands the desire to improve our group in everything they do. I also am desirous of following in their footsteps and leaving the Association better off when my tenure ends for my having served as your President. I think one way that all of us in this room can help to achieve the goal of continuous improvement is by continuously involving new people in our Association. To add people to the conversations and committees adds new perspectives and new ideas - it helps us to continually refresh and remain fresh in our approaches to the work of the Association. I put a challenge to each of you that are in this room today to reach out to someone that you think will bring something new or different to our Association and get them involved now. I am amazed at the reaction of people when asked to serve - rarely is there any hesitation but usually an enthusiasm and a positive response. I do believe that there is no better source to provide these new people than those in this room who have and continue to give of themselves and understand what is needed to continue to grow and strengthen our group.

In conclusion, I thank you all for coming together today to welcome in and show your support for the new leadership of SCAOR for 2009. I hope that when we gather in another year and this ceremony is repeated that we will have continued to grow in our communications, our value to our constituency, and our membership. I give you my heartfelt thanks for listening to me today and my best wishes for a profitable and prosperous 2009 for all.