July2016

LOOKING FORWARD LARRY THOMAS, PCAM | CAI-NJ CHAPTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Staying Relevant

A fter reading Steve Kroll’s excellent article “The Benefits of CAI-NJ Membership — A Community Association Volunteer Leader’s Perspective” in the June 2016 issue of Community Trends ® , I came to the realization that all of our community leaders and profes- sionals need to be relevant in order to properly serve our communities. The governance and management of our community associ- ations is an ever changing industry. Whether we are dealing with legislative issues, mortgage reform, delinquency matters, aging buildings and amenities or fair housing/ discrimination issues, the landscape changes daily. In order for all of us to remain relevant in our roles as community leaders, it is import- ant to keep abreast of what is happening that can, and will affect our communities. CAI-NJ is constantly researching these matters and coordinates several educational opportunities for all of our members. Our monthly magazine, Community Trends ® , presents timely articles pertaining to community issues. These articles are written by members who are experts in their respective fields. Here are my suggestions on how to stay up-to-date and maintain your relevancy in the community leadership arena. Steve mentioned most of these in his article last month. 1. If you are a board member • Make sure you and your board read all of CAI’s printed materials. These include Community Trends ® (produced monthly by CAI-NJ), and Common Ground (produced semi-monthly by CAI National’s office). • Attend any and all in-person educational events present- ed by CAI-NJ. These include any legislative updates (CAI-NJ sponsored four updates in 2016), the CAVL Roundtables, the Annual Senior Summit (held this year on July 14th at Renaissance at Manchester), any of

our lecture series held at the CAI-NJ Headquarters in Freehold (see the calendar on the facing page for future lectures). • All board members should attend the Annual Conference and Expo (this year it is being held on Wednesday, October 26th, in Somerset NJ). This is the one event that brings together all of our professional vendors and “In order for all of us to remain relevant in our roles as community leaders it is important to keep abreast of what is happening that can, and will affect our communities.” service providers. With over 160 exhibitors and several educational classes, this is the one “must attend” event. • Make sure your professionals are relevant. CAI and CAI‑NJ have a vast contingency of community industry focused professionals you should contemplate when considering a service provider or vendor. Look for law firms that have a staff solely dedicated to community associations. CAI awards the CCAL designation to attorneys who meet educational and experience require- ments in the community association field. Consider an engineering company that specializes in community associations. These firms can be located in our annual directory or on our website. Reserve schedules are a vital function in the success of your community’s well-be- ing and should not be left up to a firm that isn’t adequate- ly experienced in this field. CAI awards the RS (Reserve

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