Newsletter for Summer 2023
If you follow the OMG Facebook page, you know we’ve been playing hard as well as working hard this summer! There is always a lot going on, and we’re delighted to share a few updates with you!
Welcome to Kristin Freeman, who is now an OMG full-time employee as a Member Support Specialist! She is working with Rosie Bugarin in our Conferences & Conventions Group.
OMG bid a sad farewell to a longtime employee this summer: Cindy Matthews passed on July 23. Cindy spent more than half of her 35-year career in association management with OMG, retiring in 2022.
When she joined OMG as an executive director in 2002, she quickly became the “go-to” expert for the Tidewater Mortgage Bankers Association, Institute for Real Estate Management Hampton Roads Chapter and Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association, among others. OMG extends its most sincere condolences to Cindy’s family and friends in this most difficult time.
Giving Back to Our Communities
Giving back to our communities is important to OMGers, and our Vice President of Government Affairs Tyler Craddock was doing just that when he read “Green Eggs and Ham” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” to first-graders at Beulah Elementary School in Chesterfield County. Thanks for giving back to the community, Tyler!
SVAR Comes to Chesapeake for OMG Visit
Recently the Southside Virginia Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors visited OMG’s Chesapeake offices for meetings and lunch, connecting and reconnecting with OMGers who love working with this outstanding association. Our doors are open anytime for our clients who would like to visit and meet the staff!!
VDHA Retreats for Strategic Discussion and Board Planning
The Virginia Dental Hygienists Association(VDHA) board of directors met on a Saturday this summer at OMG’s Richmond offices to discuss their current and future board goals and strategic plan. Jennifer Thomas, CAE is VDHA’s executive director, and said the meeting was extremely beneficial to these leaders, who are now “charged up” and ready to move into their future!
Maryland PA’s Meet in the Vineyard
Maryland PA’s held a regional member event at a winery this summer for members and their families to get together and network. Around 35 attended this fun event; Jennifer Thomas, CAE is MdAPA’s executive director.
Fun Times for NPBA Members this Summer!
Summer’s sizzling for the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association’s Young Lawyers (YLS) Section. In July, members gathered at Saltine in downtown Norfolk’s Hilton The Main for some “almost Feel Good Friday” smiles and networking. Also, once the weather had warmed in May, YLS launched their kayaks from the Highland Park Veterans Kayak Launch in Norfolk on a beautiful Saturday morning with their official U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Coming up, YLS will enjoy a Summer Social on Aug. 17 at Luna Maya restaurant in Norfolk and, on Sept. 6, will gather for a baseball outing to watch the hometown Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park. Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association Members age 36 and younger, or those who have been practicing for five years or less, participate in YLS.
Advocacy in Action! NARPM Members Turn Out for Legislative Conference
National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM®) members gathered in Washington on June 26-27 for the association’s 2023 Legislative and Educational Conference. With their home base at the Phoenix Park Hotel, attendees learned about the new tools available to them with the legislative tracking team at Quorum and received a HUD update from federal government officials. They also learned “How to Hug a Porcupine,” did sightseeing around our nation’s capital, and took in the grandeur of D.C.’s famous landmarks and museums. Most importantly, they made a difference! With government affairs directors Tyler Craddock and Troy Garrett, CEO Gail Phillips, CAE, and regulatory advisor John Broadway working behind the scenes, NARPM®’s Members walked the halls of Congress office buildings, visited with key staff to share NARPM® priorities, conveyed their expertise about rental management issues, and told the story of how these issues affect property managers’ everyday lives. NARPM® President Tim Wehner, MPM® RMP®, and President-Elect Melissa Sharone, MPM® RMP®, also filmed their quarterly “Behind the Scenes” video message to Membership during the event. The response from legislative offices following NARPM®’s visit was tremendous!
SVAR Unveils New RPAC Wall of Fame
The Southside Virginia Association of REALTORS® (SVAR) unveiled their brand new RPAC (Realtor Political Action Committee) Wall of Fame this summer. The new display is geared toward recognizing all those members who play an important role in supporting Realtor advocacy efforts through their PAC contributions. Members gathered to celebrate the new display, which is housed in the SVAR offices in Colonial Heights, VA. Pictured is SVAR President Jennifer Resnick.
Communication is Key: Tips to Great Client Relationships
Even the best relationships run into bumps along the way, whether it be a misalignment of expectations, changes in leadership, or financial difficulties. How do you identify and address these red flags, and successfully repair a difficult situation?
Gail Phillips, CAE, is Senior Vice President at OMG and knows a thing or two about client relations. Recently she gave a talk to a group of association management company representatives at the AMC Summit hosted by the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) and shared some tips for great client relations.
“It’s always better to work on great relationships with your clients rather than trying to fix a bad situation or misunderstanding,” explained Gail. So how can you better your chances of a great, ongoing relationship with a client? “Communication is key”, she said.
For example, she says that surveying your clients regularly is hugely important. “At OMG, we survey our clients annually with a set of very comprehensive questions to get a good read on how they feel about our service,” she said. “It’s invaluable information for us and gives the client an opportunity to give us feedback on things they’d like to see us do better.”
Read the rest on OMG’s News Blog at https://www.managegroup.com/communication-is-key-tips-to-great-client-relationships/.
What Does Being a Leader “Feel” Like?
In a recent article by Whitney Meyerhoeffer, MPA, CAE, that tried to describe what it actually “felt like” to be a leader, OMG’er Sarah Mattes- Marshall, CAE (SVAR CEO) was quoted as saying that “she felt the uncomfortable feeling of having to be courageous to do hard things.”
Referencing a quote from James Robilotta; “Curiosity takes vulnerability and vulnerability takes courage,” Sarah said that as a leader she felt it was important to be able to do hard things such as being focused on the big picture (past, present, and future), and letting go of your ego. You can read the entire article here.
And Now for Some Fun…
OMG staff were busy this summer with our clients, but we also carved out some time for fun and family. Here are a few of our adventures…
John Muir famously said, “The mountains are calling, and I must go.” And go she did. OMG’s Public Relations & Digital Media Director Victoria Hecht visited Boone, North Carolina with her family exploring favorite towns, antiquing, tubing, cooking and enjoying plenty of porch sitting.
Member Support Specialist Amy Emert and her husband Kevin spent a little down time on Mexico’s beaches this summer!
Creative Services Specialist and Web Designer, Barbra Barbour, took time this summer to design and build her own deck – all by herself!
SVP Gail Phillips, CAE and her husband Gary can usually be found on a beach catching up with friends and family any chance they get during summer vacations.
Lisa Noon, CAE (VP in the Richmond office) is a history buff with a particular love of castles, so she and her husband, sister and niece took a 9-day rail tour of Scotland along with a few days in England early this summer.
OMG President Mike Reitelbach, CAE hit the road in his RV to tour Canada and Alaska, where he ran into a famous character somewhere in the Yukon!
OMG Member Support Specialist Shannon Sharples has reported a number of adventures this summer with her son, from a visit to the NFL Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill Speed Training Camp at the VB Sportsplex, a nature hike at the Bluebird Gap Farm in Hampton, and his first baseball game to see the Norfolk Tides play (the two balls he is holding was given to him prior to the start of the game by the opposing team’s catcher who just finished practicing with their pitcher).
|
|
OMG is expanding and always on the lookout for more great team members. We would appreciate any referrals from our readers; see “Careers” for current positions.
At OMG, we are all about:
- Innovative ideas
- Membership growth
- Customer service
- Proactive executive leadership
- Net revenue gains
You’re ready to thrive. We’re ready to help. Email us or call Mike Reitelbach at 757-473-8701.
