by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Being the best isn’t easy: just ask the Sales and Marketing Council.
A lot of hard work produced national recognition this year as the local SMC chapter was named the nation’s best in its category by National Association of Home Builders.
“It is a great accomplishment,” said Amanda Randolph, the only full-time staff member of the organization. “For the members, I think the distinction adds value to what they’re doing and it gets them excited to be a part of something successful.”
SMC is the marketing arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association and earned the distinction as the top council in the country with more than 500 members. It was the second No. 1 in three years as the North Florida group continues to shine over the others in its category: Tampa, Washington D.C., Chicago, Riverside, Calif. Houston, and Raleigh, N.C.
The judging is on six categories: organization, program, education, community involvement, promotion and member development.
“They are tightly run, like a little machine,” said Lisa Parrish, the SMC coordinator for the NAHB. “They really function as a team and have a strong support system in place.”
The chapter placed high in each category, she said.
Organization: SMC is part of NEFBA and gets full support from the association. Executive Director Daniel Davis and his staff assure the SMC leaders of strong backing. SMC has 22 committees with chairs from various industry leaders who organize and assist Randolph. Committees include networking events, awards, charitable, and fair housing and other industry related activities.
Program: With at least 10 meetings annually, and all featuring either a motivational speaker or a speaker of local interest such as Jacksonville mayor John Peyton, SMC has continued to attract good attendance to its meetings.
Education: “A lot of people were surprised at all the different classes we offered when I told them (at the national meeting),” said Randolph. “I didn’t realize we were one of the only ones who offered everything.”
Community involvement: The chapter’s outside activity was considered the best of all applicants.
Promotion: NEFBA backed the SMC volunteer efforts with good promotion in the association’s newspaper, Bildor News, and in area media.
Member development: Keeping member numbers up during the down market and maintaining its lofty perch as No. 1 may be daunting, said Randolph, but the numbers indicate her success. “It’s kind of funny,” said 2008 Chairman Alayna Oram of Burdette Ketchum. “Our organization has actually gotten larger and stronger as the market has gone down.”
Founded in 1986, SMC offers its members — Realtors, builders, developers, lenders and sales and marketing professionals — networking and real estate-based educational opportunities.
“This business is still about relationships,” said Oram. “SMC helps bring all these industry members together and offers them many things. Networking is one of the most vital and helps build those relationships.”
The success isn’t a coincidence, said Steve Williams, the immediate past chairman and president of Edgewater Companies. Instead, it shows how area industry members are taking the steps necessary to maintain their current business and succeed where others aren’t.
“We have a lot of synergy here,” said Williams, a 15-year SMC member. “Everyone is enthusiastic and finds a way to keep things up.”
That synergy is on display the second Friday of every month at the SMC Breakfast Programs at the University of North Florida where several hundred members have breakfast, talk shop, hear about industry news, congratulate monthly sales leaders and hear from different speakers on topics involving the real estate and building industry.
But 2007 is gone and the award is on the shelf. Now, an encore?
“Yeah, there is some additional pressure and people ask ‘Can you do it again?’” said Randolph. “But, going back-to-back isn’t impossible and with the hard work we do here, we should be right back in the mix.”