2018 ORRA ANNUAL REPORT
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Message from the President
2018 was a great year at ORRA. We started off the year with a new
CEO who has brought in a whole new perspective. Some aspects
of our industry are changing at lightning speed, and Cliff Long is
the person to help guide us down that road. Other things haven’t
changed at all — such as the need to increase professionalism —
and the expansion of our nationally-recognized Excellence in Professionalism -
Gold Key Certification is one way we continue to lead.
For the first time ever, in 2018 our membership hit 15,000 and made us the eighth
largest REALTOR® organization in the country. That’s not just something to be
proud of from a numbers perspective. A membership of this size provides the
resources to offer extraordinary values to our members. For example, in 2017 we
provided 86 classes at little or no cost. In 2018 we were able to hold 134 classes at
the same cost. We also were able to start this year on our long-awaited expansion
plan to open multiple satellite offices around our service area. Finally, we greatly
expanded our community engagement by becoming a director-level member at
the Orlando Economic Partnership (formerly known as the Orlando Economic
Development Commission).
None of this could have happened in 2018 without the volunteer contributions
from hundreds of our members, from those who served on one committee to our
committee chairs to our board of directors and officers. I am so grateful for all our
member volunteers do and I know I have said “thank you” before, but I will say it
again. I also want to give special recognition to our 30+ staff team that provides
member services, puts on our classes, helps us with advocacy, crunches housing
market stats, communicates to our members and the public, keeps track of the
finances, and so much more.
As we move forward, I am excited to have Jeff Fagan and Reese Stewart following
me. To have these two people leading us in 2019 and 2020 gives me great comfort
that we are in good hands.
Lou Nimkoff
2018 President