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Buckley praised Giordano, the board’s programming director, “for pulling together the amazing programs and jumping on it very quickly” at the start of the crisis, allowing the organization to stay connected and to continue to be a resource to its members.
CREW New Jersey also continued to host monthly in-person gatherings — its “Coffee and Conversations” event, typically outdoors — providing an opportunity for members to connect with safety measures and social distancing in place.
“It just goes back to pivoting how we were doing our programming, but still providing it and really ramping up the amount of programming that we were doing,” Alvarado said. “That has really helped with our member numbers
as well. Luckily, it has stayed pretty steady and we’ve actually been getting new members joining, so I think that’s a reflection of the dedication that the board has to rebuild this year.”
By late last year, with Alvarado set
to take over as chapter president,
the group focused on providing additional content and even more networking opportunities. Its spring events, while still virtual for the
time being, will touch on key topics such as storm water management and brownfield projects and include partnerships with entities such as the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority.
CREW will also ramp up offerings such as virtual wine and chocolate tastings, which create additional value for members while allowing them to be engaged in a less formal setting.
“These are great opportunities to just get to know each other,” Alvarado said during the Dec. 15 virtual meeting. “And I always think (that) really one of the best ways to get business from somebody is the personal touch. Here CREW New Jersey is giving you the opportunity to do that ... so you’re
not cold calling somebody that maybe you want to collaborate with or do business with. You have a shared experience with CREW.”
Expanding the chapter will likely go hand in hand with a growing industry. Alvarado, a transactional attorney, said business “has been going very strong” for the last six months or so, following an obvious period of shock and uncertainty at the start of the pandemic. RE
CREW New Jersey’s 2021 board of directors includes a mix of commercial real estate service providers and other industry experts.
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