Member Letter – State of the Chapter

February 12, 2021

CREW Portland Members,

Can you believe it? We are over 1/12 our way into the New Year!

We kicked off 2021 with our 26th Annual Forecast Breakfast—held 100% virtually this year—and hosted our first monthly luncheon on February 11th.  This year, we are excited to announce that our committees have planned 30+ events focused on education and networking.

We will continue to host events virtually until local government and health officials declare it safe to host in-person events again. We value your continued support of our Chapter and your consistent attendance in our programs. Virtual or not, business leads, job opportunities and networking continue to happen—thanks to all of you! Although we are not able to share a physical business card, we will continue to lean into our love for CREW and creating project opportunities in the Portland area.

Nearly half of our members volunteer on at least 1 of our 10 committees. If you are not currently involved with a committee, I want to personally encourage you to reach out to the committee Directors and get engaged. More information on the committees can be found at https://www.crew-portland.org/committees/. This is one of the best ways to grow your network and business. We also want to be sure that we stay connected to one another and that everyone feels involved with the organization. Our board is committed to transparency, proactive outreach, and a better understanding of what our members want to get out of their participation in CREW. We will introduce the following new and enriched initiatives in order to meet the needs of our members:

  • Community Outreach: We have many initiatives dedicated to outreach and inclusiveness. Future Leaders connects early career professionals with CREW Real Estate veteran’s for the purpose of building relationships, industry best practices, networking and leadership skills. CREW Careers, partnering with Girls Inc., introduces high school girls to the many career opportunities available in CRE. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team is focused on building a CRE industry of diverse  professional backgrounds, experiences, ages, genders and ethnicities, with a heightened focus on youth and emerging professionals.
  • Networking and Building Member-to-Member Connections: We host a variety of small-group networking events to appeal to book, wine, golf enthusiasts, and beyond. In addition, we have an Awards committee dedicated to celebrating your member-to-member business referrals and CRE industry success.
  • Education: CREW Portland is committed to providing leadership through board and committee involvement, strategic planning, and professional development workshops to advance in your career. The first topic in 2021 will focus on Public Speaking in a Virtual World, February 25th.

I am honored and consider it a great privilege to serve as your CREW Portland President this year. CREW has played an important role in my career development over the past six years and I take great pleasure in knowing that we have an opportunity to help empower all of you, our members, to advance your careers. As a CREW member, I had the great honor to have served on committees with some of the most engaging and innovative leaders in our industry, and to have represented the chapter in Network level initiatives. CREW has given me a place to grow, develop professionally through the Network Leadership Certificate, and apply new skills to my career at NorthWest Engineering Service, Inc.

Thank you for your support and commitment in CREW Portland, I look forward to meeting our newest members and seeing familiar faces this year. As a reminder, if you have not renewed your 2021 dues, now is the time to do so. Click here for a link to renew.

Jewel Kayfes
CREW Portland 2021 Chapter President
Director, Marketing and Business Development
NorthWest Engineering Service, Inc.

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