ITRA Global News

ITRA Global Honors Top Contributors at Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina

November 06, 2018

Each year the ITRA Global organization honors the top contributors to the organization at its semi-annual conferences.  During the conference in Charlotte, NC in October, ITRA presented the following awards. (Pictured above from Left to Right:  Charles Tatham, Debra Stracke Anderson, Martin Levy, Anna Rosen, Carrie Holstead, Marat Safir and Mark Twentyman – Stuart Holcombe, not pictured). 

  • The “Ronald R Pollina PhD Leadership Award”, ITRA Global’s most prestigious award, was presented to Carrie Holstead, ITRA Pittsburgh, for her many years of leadership, dedicated service and commitment to the organization.  
  • The “Exemplary Service Award” was presented to Stuart Holcombe, CCIM, ITRA Atlanta, for his outstanding contributions and nine years of service on our board of directors.  
  • ”2018 Collaboration Award” was received by Martin Levy ITRA London – Office for the most transactions between Europe and the United States. 
  • “Appreciation for 23 Years of Commitment to ITRA Global” was awarded to Rosen Realty Group, ITRA San Francisco/Silicon Valley, our longest serving member firm.
  • The “2018 New Member Rock Star” recognition was presented to Marat Safir, ITRA Chicago.

Along with the presentation of awards, the conference sessions focused on best practices, the new sophisticated lead generation platform, and discussion and presentation of collaboration among the ITRA Global offices.   

VIP Sponsors for the conference were the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina  and Charlotte Regional Partnership.  The city and state have seen a significant increase in population and job growth, due to the robust business climate, lower income and property taxes, a multitude of universities and colleges, and the mild winters and overall quality of life.  A bus tour hosted by the VIP Sponsors provided ITRA Global executives an overview of the primary business districts in Charlotte, including recently completed office buildings and projects under construction. 

Charlotte is home to Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank, among many other large corporate office space occupiers.  On the industrial side, Charlotte is a hub for transportation and logistics space occupiers, given its proximity to the interstate highway system, ports, and international airport.  

Topics discussed during the conference included advancement of technology in commercial real estate, the new ITRA Global Smartsheet platform, and how real estate advisors can use the technology to full advantage in developing collaboration opportunities.  John Rice, President of Quarem, Inc., a Bronze Sponsor and frequent contributor at ITRA conferences, discussed what our competitors are doing with technology and presented his company’s newest lease administration software, highlighting its expanded uses and recent updates to track the new FASB accounting rule changes.  Gregg Burkhalter, “The LinkedIn Guy”, presented Part Two about expanding our professional networks using LinkedIn, with a focus on the significant changes LinkedIn has and will be implementing that affect visibility and effectiveness for marketing and business development. Carrie Holstead/ITRA Pittsburgh and Marat Safir/ITRA Chicago shared the impressive presentation they prepared for a 950-location potential client, which will be available for all ITRA members to customize. Lynn Drake, ITRA Detroit, discussed protective measures that companies should take to guard against identity theft and employee theft.

In another session, attendees shared major trends in their markets and projected impact on the industry.  During the conference, chairman Debra Stracke Anderson/ITRA Washington, D.C. shared the board’s goals for the balance of 2018 and into 2019 regarding lead generation, both internally and externally. The board of directors held a retreat just prior to the conference, with a focus on enhanced visibility and recognition for ITRA among the corporate community, strategic expansion, and maximization of technology to drive business to members and streamline operations.

We are already looking forward to the next ITRA Global conference, to be held in the beautiful city by the shore, Santa Monica, California, USA in April 2019.

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