PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Staying Safe In
September (And Always)
Ah, yes. September is here, and
that means fall is upon us. A lovely
time of year when the temperatures
fall from the low 90s to the
high 80s, and when we see the light at the
end of the proverbial tunnel to a time when
we might be able to go a whole day without
turning on the air conditioner.
September is also important because it
is REALTOR® Safety Month. I have said many
times before that the services we provide to
our customers are truly significant, but that
those services are not worth risking your
(or their) safety. Late last year, I challenged
the Member Services Committee to focus
on evaluating the many products that are
available to help REALTORS® stay safe. The
committee did a great
job, and recently they announced
an agreement
with the manufacturer
of Occly body cameras
to offer ORRA members
a 43 percent discount
on the “Blinc” model. To
learn more, go to
orlandorealtors.org/
occly.
There are tons of
safety tips, articles, best
practices, forms, etc.,
on orlandorealtors.org/
safety. Please please,
please take advantage
of all the resources that
the REALTOR® organization
provides to help
you stay safe, but do so
knowing that you can
never totally let your
guard down. To remind
us of this sad reality, ORRA will welcome
very special guest speaker Carl Carter on
Thursday, September 20. Carl is the son of
Beverly Carter and, in his mother’s honor,
will deliver a powerful presentation about
REALTOR® safety.
The price to attend “Your Safety Is
Non-negotiable; The Beverly Carter Story”
is only $10 (proceeds to benefit the Beverly
Carter Foundation). Seats will sell out fast
so visit orlandorealtors.org to sign up.
Also this month, I am excited to announce
that we have signed a lease for
ORRA’s first “satellite office,” and we expect
our new location on John Young Parkway
to open in the next few months. Actually,
we’re hoping to open four satellite offices in
the coming years, one in each quadrant of
the metro area, to help serve our members
better. Please keep an eye out for more
information about the new location, where
we will hold classes and meetings, sell lockboxes,
take new applications, and more.
Finally, in September you will have the
important opportunity to vote in the 2019
ORRA Leadership Election. More details
about the candidates and the election
can be found on page 10-11 of this issue,
and of course on the ORRA website. Please
take some time to learn about the ORRA
members who are volunteering to serve in
leadership capacities, and please take the
time to vote online September 24 – 28. (I’m
a little sad to report that only 1,000 to 1,500
members participate in the election in any
given year. We can do better!)
Lou Nimkoff
4 Orlando REALTOR® September/October 2018
/occly
/safety
/orlandorealtors.org
/safety