Editorial
Front Page - Friday, March 12, 2010
WCR and HBAST hold annual joint lunch meeting
David Laprad
The head table at the joint meeting of the Women’s Council of Realtors and the Homebuilders Association of Southern Tennessee on March 3 included (from L-R) Martha Miller, Charie Hon III, Chereé Dumas (seated), Kaye Ivey, Jody Milliard, Jan Thompson, Gloria Morvis (seated), Barry Payne and Nina Boss.
- David Laprad
There’s a common belief in the real estate industry that Realtors and builders don’t get along. While that’s not the case in Chattanooga, that didn’t stop Barry Payne, president of the Homebuilders Association of Southern Tennessee, from joking about the alleged strained relationships during his speech at the joint lunch meeting of the local Women’s Council of Realtors and the organization he currently leads.
“I’m a product of a mixed marriage,” Payne said as he took the podium in the banquet room at HBAST. “My dad was a builder and my mom was a Realtor. Since I’ve got a little of both of them in me, I’ll argue with myself sometimes.”
The quip got a big laugh, proving that a good joke can go a long way toward getting the attention of a room full of people feeling the incapacitating effects of warm spaghetti.
Payne’s first joke went over just as well. “I was nervous about speaking today, so someone told me to picture everyone in their underwear,” he said. “I thought that would be easy since I’d be speaking to a room full of women, but then the first person I saw when I got here was Charlie (Hon III, chairman and CEO of Title Guaranty & Trust Company of Chattanooga). So, I had to change my approach.”
Earlier, Chereé Dumas, current WCR president, opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and introducing the head table. (See photo.) She then asked the guests to introduce themselves. Eight non-members stood up, including several from Keller Williams Downtown.
Next, Frankie Bass of Realty Executives offered the invocation, saying, “Iron sharpens iron. That’s what the WCR is all about.” She then led the room in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Since the meeting was intended to encourage guests to become members of the WCR, Dumas then showed a brief video, titled “Are You Ready?”, promoting the national organization. The clip can be viewed online at www.chatt.wcr-tn.com.
Dumas then asked Gloria Morris, president of the Women’s Council of the Home Builders Association, to pitch her group’s fundraiser. Morris said the event, titled “Ladies Day Out,” will take place May 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the same room. Lunch will be served and a number of vendors will be present, including a massage therapist, a hair colorist and several women’s accessories merchants. The group hopes to raise $1,500 for scholarships to be awarded to UTC students.
Martha Miller of Prudential Realty Center.com then invited the sponsors to speak, including Jody Millard of Jody Millard Pest Control and Hon. Millard expressed his gratitude for the support WCR members give his business. Hon opened with a joke, introducing himself and clarifying that he is not one of the founders of the 123-year-old company. He spent most of his three minutes in the proverbial spotlight, however, thanking the WCR for its support of his company. “We go back a long way,” he said. “We appreciate all you do for us.”
Kaye Ivey, president-elect of the WCR, had the privilege of introducing Payne, a builder and developer. The council had asked him to speak about how to plan for a profitable year, but he said he was leery of tackling the subject. “I wouldn’t presume to tell anyone how to be profitable,” he said. Instead, Payne discussed the value of planning.
“My dad was a good businessperson. I learned a lot from him,” he said. “He’d tell people to get up, do what they’re least looking forward to doing that day and then go from there. He also encouraged people to be proactive.”
Payne said his mother taught him how to have a positive attitude. “Those of you who know me know I like to complain,” he said. “But my mom could turn something bad into something good. She would tell you to look for the opportunity the situation presented.
“There are a lot of opportunities in Chattanooga right now for you to recreate yourself. Volkswagen presents a rare opportunity. We don’t fully understand the depth of what’s going to happen. Our schools are going to change; our job market is going to change; or roads are going to change. It’s hard to see now what things will be like down the road, so hang in there, look for opportunities and change what you want to be.”
After Payne stepped down, Miller took center stage again to sell the guests on the idea of becoming a WCR member. Pointing out the benefits of networking and the opportunities for personal and professional development, Miller said the WCR hopes to add 12 members in 2010. Visit www.chatt.wcr-tn.com and click the “Membership” link at the top of the page to sign up.
No joint meeting between the WCR and HBAST would be complete without a giveaway. This year, members and guests tossed their business cards into a Tupperware container to be included in a drawing for a $50 Visa gift card. Kim Campbell of Chattanooga Closet Company won.
To close the event, Karen Flores of the WCR’s Ways and Means Committee asked affiliate members to sign up for the annual spring basket fundraiser. She said donors could stuff their baskets with any variety of goodies. One basket donated last year included all the ingredients for martinis; another contained dog care products. To donate a basket, called Flores at 423-385-3069.
The WCR will auction off the baskets at the next general membership meeting, scheduled to take place at the Doubletree Downtown on April 7 at 11:30 a.m. The topic will be “Are You Worth Your Commission?” The event will cost $15. Free parking will be available.
Jokes, however, will cost extra.
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