National Real Estate Associations Play Leading Role in Industry

June 6, 2011 - PRLog -- From being a watchdog on Capitol Hill to educating about innovative land use, industry associations play a vital role in commercial real estate.  

The “Commercial Real Estate Show” this week interviewed leaders of top national commercial real estate associations to find out what resources they provide and how they support the profession.

The associations are tackling tough issues to protect the industry’s interests, whether advocating for pro-business tax policies or monitoring the proposed FASB lease accounting rules.

Advocacy is especially important right now, as 48 of the 50 states face budget deficits and some legislators are looking for new ways to tax business owners, says Doug Culkin, president of the National Apartment Association.

“So much legislation is happening,” Culkin said. “We all understand that budget deficits have to be overcome, but we don’t feel that the way to overcome those deficits is by putting an undue burden on the backs of business men and women all around the country.”

The associations also provide professional education and teach best practices, while offering networking and other shared resources for members. For example, Urban Land Institute helps its 30,000 members worldwide connect to share technical expertise or case studies.


The show aired Saturday on Biz 1190 in Atlanta and is available for download here.  Other guests included Jeff DuFresne, executive director of Urban Land Institute; Paul Kinney, executive director of the National Retail Tenants Association; and Bonnie Gottlieb, vice president for industry and member affairs at the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.

The next “Commercial Real Estate Show” will air June 11 and will offer insight into the world of commercial loan workouts. Tune in to hear our panel of experts share best practices, tips and strategies that are working well at this point in the cycle.


About the “Commercial Real Estate Show”:

The “Commercial Real Estate Show” is America’s commercial real estate talk radio show. The show is known as an entertaining and enlightening resource about commercial real estate. The show airs every Saturday morning at 10AM EST online at the show website, www.CREshow.com and on Biz 1190 WAFS in Atlanta. Show podcasts are available on-demand at any time worldwide on iTunes and on the website. The “Commercial Real Estate Show” has quickly gained a national and international audience. Each show starts with a commercial real estate market update related to the show topic by well-known national experts. Then the show host and a panel of three to four industry expert guests share information, insight and best practices related to each show’s main topic. The show host is 30-year commercial real estate veteran Michael Bull, CCIM, the president and founder of commercial brokerage firm Bull Realty, Inc.