Dashboard Photo of Fog

AAR's leadership team encounters a patch of fog on the way to the White Mountains. Photo courtesy of Holly Mabery.

This is one of my favorite times of year.  Yes, the holiday lights, parties and feasts, but I also get to participate in one of the great AAR leadership traditions going back to AAR President Jim “the Sarge” Brodie.  It is the AAR Officer Visits.  Sounds official, doesn’t it?  Well, yes and no.

Each fall after the Leadership Conference in October, the incoming leadership team sets out to visit all of you…well, the people that represent all of you.  We come to your local association and spend time getting feedback regarding your association’s opportunities and challenges for the coming year.  Your leadership at AAR is always looking for ways we  might be able to partner with your local association in the future.  It is a fantastic exchange of information and ideas–learning more about what is specific to your market and how we can come together at the state level to help our members better. From Bullhead City to Sierra Vista, Rio Rico to the White Mountains, we get to come to your home for a chat.

Dashboard photo of trees

The team go to admire some fall color on the way through Oak Creek Canyon. Photo courtesy of Holly Mabery.

This year, common trends include the excitement of  digital signatures rolling out to all members during the first quarter of  2011 and the great partnership with education, including specialty classes like SFR and social media training as well as GRI and other designation courses.  We’ve been sharing a lot of information on the vision of the Arizona Integrated Business Platform with all of the local associations and how local associations, MLSes and AAR can more efficiently and effectively serve our respective members/subscribers.  The business platform will integrate in one place all of our member benefits and services, together in partnership with the participating local associations and MLSes, to provide our members with a streamlined transaction from start to finish.

My theme song this time of year is Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.”  Getting to come see the local associations and your leadership for a chat is the best part of my service as a leader at AAR.