by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Bankers sitting beside real estate agents who are talking to mortgage brokers who are eating breakfast beside builders all across the table from each other.
That is a typical Sales and Marketing Council monthly breakfast meeting at the University of North Florida’s University Center.
The monthly meetings are an opportunity for everyone within the real estate industry to gather, share stories, trade information and find out who sold the most, built the most and financed the most last month. In essence, SMC meetings are part networking, part socializing, part motivation. But when you ask folks what SMC means and what they get out of belonging to the organizations, charity often comes to mind first.
“SMC gives so much to the city and the real estate industry,” said Linda McMorrow, an agent with Prudential Network Realty. “We are always raising money for various organizations.”
Selby Kaiser, McMorrow’s twin sister and Prudential partner, echoed those sentiments. As a former chairwoman of SMC, Kaiser knows both the personal and professional value of SMC membership.
“We do a lot of work for daniel (children’s home). Today, we are collecting and raising money for school supplies,” said Kaiser at the July SMC meeting.
SMC was organized in 1986 and is the marketing arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. Its 640 members encompass the entire real estate industry and many members belong to one or more of the 15 committees within SMC. The current chairman of SMC is Mike Taylor, the division vice president of Atlanta-based McCar Homes. Taylor said SMC is a perfect opportunity for anyone working in the real estate industry to stay in touch with financial and building trends and professional opportunities.
“My role as chairman is to lead the individual committee chairs,” said Taylor, who took over as chairman Jan. 1 and established several goals to reach over the course of the year. “I provide direction and guidance as to how to achieve those goals.”
One of those goals was to increase SMC membership by 50 people and at just past the mid-point of the year, Taylor is pleased with things thus far.
“We have one of the largest SMCs in the nation. There is no reason not to be up to 700 members by the end of the year,” said Taylor, adding that joining SMC was one of the best professional moves he has made since moving to Jacksonville. “I love it. I came to Jacksonville in 1998 and I have become very well-connected in the community by being a part of the organization, both personally and professionally.”
Like Kaiser and McMorrow, Taylor’s thoughts about SMC quickly drift back to the organization’s charitable work in the community. Throughout the course of the year, SMC holds many events — some structured and organized, others much less formal and more social —to raise money and collect items for needy children and families. There’s the annual Christmas toy drive held in conjunction with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. There’s the Gala on the Green in November, a social at the Sawgrass Marriott that also includes a silent auction. There’s all the work done for daniel, Safe Harbor and Builders Care, which is devoted to providing help for older folks living in substandard housing.
“We provide scholarships to kids from daniel and Safe Harbor,” said Taylor. “There is an executive committee that looks at all the applications. Our involvement in the community is a big initiative for us. We do a lot of charitable work.”
Aside from feeling good about yourself, SMC also provides great contacts to new people to the industry and motivation in the form of monthly awards to industry veterans. Kaiser said the meetings are the best way for real estate agents to quickly and easily get a pulse on the industry as a whole.
“It’s fun and it gets you energized. For the general real estate agent, from my point of view, it’s a good way to get to know everyone in the business and people that are knowledgeable about the industry,” said Kaiser. “You can find out what’s in the pipeline. At these meetings you have site agents, builders, mortgage brokers, everyone.”
McMorrow said, “SMC is the best organization because it’s the only one that encompasses all facets of the industry. And, the charitable work we do is awesome.”