President’s Message
Jerry Levine, The Levine Group Architects & Builders, Inc.

What a way to begin the second decade of the 21st Century...a depressed economy, tight credit, stock market uncertainty and clients who are valuing price more than service. How are we going to make lemonade out of this basket of not so pleasant fruit? How will we survive and what will the Metro DC Chapter look like? Let's look at what happened in 2009...

A tough year for our membership locally and across the country. Remodelers all over are struggling to survive the worst economic event in the last 80 years. Many of us have had to make very difficult choices to find our way through this thick fog. There are a number of companies who are no longer with us as we begin the 2010. We started 2009 with 438 members and ended up with 405. Not bad for living through a near depression economy. We continued to network, learn and bond together at our monthly gatherings with an average attendance of about 156 members per meeting. I think that really says something important about the dedication and commitment of the member companies that we have in our chapter. If you have made it through this past year, you are a winner. Congratulations on some real hard work!

The Fed Ex Field meeting was a huge success and great fun for all. Education Day was smaller than in the past but the quality was appreciated by everyone. Over 200 entries for the Capitol COTYs, over 100 local winners, 12 Regional winners that has been clearly acknowledged by NARI chapters all over the country...as the most competitive area in the nation for remodeling awards.

Whether you participated in the COTY event or not...no matter what size or what kind of service you offer the marketplace...there is no doubt that NARI Metro DC is made up companies that have a remarkable ability to create solutions to homeowner problems, provide dependable materials and products and draw and execute design ideas with great care and very high quality craftsmanship.

All of us will have to work hard this next year and find new ways to survive the downturn. Each of the individual recipes that we cook up for our companies for a successful 2010 need to include the following: We need to stay together...depend on each other...talk to each other...use each other and help each other to steer our way through this storm. All of you have one of the most powerful support systems any organization could ask for...right at the end of your telephone.

So...Every job that you see...talk NARI
Every sales call that you make...talk NARI
Every client that you visit...talk NARI
Every subcontractor that works for you...talk NARI
Every supplier that you use...talk NARI

Do you begin the follow the theme that I'm developing here?

If we all talk NARI...we grow our membership...we become stronger...we gain more recognition in the marketplace...we all benefit by increasing the value of what it means to be a NARI contractor.

We need your help to spread the word about who we are, what we stand for and why a NARI contractor is different and better than the rest.

You are the best! Thanks...Jerry