From the desk of 2021 RRC President Alex Milshteyn, CRS
After years of service to the RRC Board, I can say that it has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life to have been selected to lead the organization this past year.
It’s been a challenging year to be president, considering the COVID-19 pandemic that is still affecting our lives every day. We wished that life would go back to normal in 2021, but things have not progressed as quickly as we all had hoped. Even as we end the year, challenges are still present, and we are being forced to navigate them.
Some of those challenges were on display at Sell-a-bration® Re-connect in August, where we simultaneously held both an in-person and online conference to satisfy the comfort levels of all members. I pushed very hard throughout the year to make sure this conference not only happened but succeeded. The opportunity for our members to get together, whether virtually or in person, was something I felt we needed in order to reconnect and reengage. While I know in-person attendance was different than in years past, offering two options could prove to be extremely beneficial to the Council going forward.
Unprecedented events and changes caused by the pandemic brought a focus on the need for contingency plans—both for our own businesses and for the Council. The RRC Board looked at the market and asked: “What are all of the scenarios that could possibly happen, from worst case to best case?” This way, we at least had a playbook that we could turn to. We can flip to the chapter and have a better idea of what we’re in for, which prevents us from sitting in shock and awe when plans go awry.
The Board has also taken on great strategic initiatives. One that I’ve personally worked hard on was to find new avenues for RRC to provide amazing benefits to our members. Over the next several months, we’ll launch plans to provide additional benefits to help make our members better real estate agents and to allow the organization to grow and become less reliant on membership dues. I’m looking forward to these plans unfolding over the next 12 months.
I’ve learned so much during my time as president and the years that I’ve been on the leadership team. I’ve also met many people who have become lifelong friends. But one group I can’t forget to acknowledge is the incredible staff who works at the RRC offices in Chicago. They work every day to make sure that our members have the best tools and education, and are equipped to deal with whatever scenarios may arise in the real estate market. Everything we’ve accomplished this year would not have been possible without the RRC staff working as hard as they have.
I look forward to assisting the Council in the future as immediate past president in 2022, and then for years to come as a huge supporter of the organization.
