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| 2000
Habitat Awards Speech presented by Ronald Sher |
It is a pleasure to be with you tonight and welcome to the 2000 habitat achievement awards dinner. I am honored to have been one of the judges, a sponsor tonight, as well as given the opportunity to make the opening presentation. Concerning the topic of "Challenges for Cooperatives in the Millennium."
Friends, Shereholders, Cooperators, lend me your ears, we are here to praise a select group pf individuals; those who have been nominated. Judged and selected, by their peers and real estate professionals to receive the highest award in the real estate cooperative condominium community, the "Habitat Achievement Awards". This award and the procedures used by Carol Ott, publisher and editor in chief, along with the entire habitat staff work extremely hard and are truly dedicated to making this a successful event. Thank you.
Most of you don't realize that Habitat utilized several panels of independent and impartial judges comprised of lawyers and other real estate professionals who reviewed and evaluated, critiqued and appraised, compared and contrasted, quantified and qualified, analyzed and assessed, determined and considered the nominees, their accomplishments, their relationship to the building or project, if they are paid or volunteer, board member, staff-superintendent, or managing agent.
As I look out tonight on the multitude of faces of the nominees, you all represent the finest in the industry and set the high standard for leadership and have raised the bar. You signify and your accomplishments symbolize the very essence of excellence in the cooperative community.
This is truly an exciting and exhilarating year to be nominated and receive an award; especially during the presidential campaigns and senatorial debates; gaffs, misquotes and subliminal messages. Imagine a board treasurer confusing millions with trillions. This juxtaposed to the high ideals and principals exhibited at the Olympics. When we analyze the nominations and judge the different categories of awards, such as general effectiveness, crisis management, finance, governance, quality of life and building maintenance, we truly see a wide variety of plateaus, quantified from Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum awards in all different areas of accomplishments.
We must put behind us the rats and snakes of survivor show, as well as, those that did not survive the island, there are those that did not survive the cleansing of the industry, morganthal indictments or attorney general investigations.
So what makes for a more cooperative cooperative and what are the challenges for the millennium? Is cooperative a noun or an adjective? Are cooperatives not cooperative enough? Who decides when a cooperative is too uncooperative? What provokes the dissident to become a nominee and run for the board? Remember, the dissident of today is the board of tomorrow. The concerned shareholder committee can be a friend or foe, dependent upon your treatment of them and your appreciation of their concern and resolution of their issues; the concerned shareholder committee is less likely to conduct a coup d'etat if they are truly handled in a cooperative manner. Should the board be more cooperative and what do you lose, if any; is it the power, prestige, or precedent?
The definition of cooperative is a corporation comprised of shareholders owning stock with the right to reside pursuant to a proprietary lease. Rather, the more basic definition is collaboration, a synergy, teamwork between and among shareholders and board members. When or how often do we really feel that synergy of spirit and accomplishment?
Just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, from Brooklyn to Brewster, Staten Island to Suffolk, Long Island to the Island of Manhattan, cooperation is defined in many different ways in the millennium.
Cooperation can be measured in quantities as small as getting one shareholder to pay on time or as large as structuring a multi-million dollar mortgage refinancing. As small as fixing a defaulted boiler switch to as large as settling with a defaulted sponsor. There are successes that are short-term or short lived due to the nature of the project and there are successes that are long term and hopefully permanent.
As real estate professionals, we know all too well the difficulties encountered in obtaining and maintaining a cooperative property. The obstacles which line our paths are many. Balancing the needs of individual shareholders and unit owners with the global concerns of the cooperative or condominium association is a never-ending juggling act. It requires the delicate coordination and facilitation of the efforts of the board of directors/managers, owners tenants, sponsors and investors, building staff, outside contractors, lenders, mortgage brokers, appraisers, financial advisors, real estate brokers, accountants and attorneys.
It is said that success has many fathers and failure has none. I submit that cooperation has many collaborators, in the millennium, that have the judgment of Solomon, the patience of Job, and the leadership of Moses.
For cooperation to be cooperative you must adhere to the adage that proper prior preparation prevents poor performance. Therefore, they must establish priorities, determine objectives, implement policies, set agendas, and effectuate programs.
The board of directors may very well be the master of its fate, Ralph Kramden was and remains the king of his castle, but the cooperative cooperative is captain of its ship; that charts the course, trims the sails, steers the rudder and thankfully will never be asked to walk the plank. A president of a board once told me that he felt the true cooperative spirit when going to the annual meeting, and being greeted with just a simple "thank you" for doing a good job. No "ifs," "ands," or "buts," either spelled with one 'T' or two. Another board president defined having a cooperative cooperative as coming home, driving into the garage, walking past the laundry room into the lobby, up to the elevator and hearing no complaints, arguments and no knocking on her front door or telephone calls in the middle of the night. Unparalleled success was defined as having that occur two nights in a row.
The top ten factors that contribute to a cooperative cooperation are the following:
1. Hardworking, Dedicated Board of Directors
2. Cooperative Shereholders
3. Responsible Sponsors
4. Good Managing Agent
5. Experienced and Responsive Staff
6. Qualified Outside Contractors
7. Conservative Accountant
8. Super Lawyer
9. Healthy Reserve Fund
10. Most Important, a Lifetime Subscription to Habitat.
Challenges for the Millennium
Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's superman, no it's Habitat Achievement Award Winners. A strange volunteer from another planet, who came to earth with powers far beyond those of mortal people. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, change the course of mighty rivers and bend steel with their bare hands. Disguised as a mild mannered (or not so mild mannered) award winner is a shareholder, director, manager, or employee for a great (or not so great) metropolitan cooperative, fighting a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the cooperative way. As John Houseman would say, these awards were won the hard way-you've "earned it."
The challenges of the millennium are upon us. They include issues as divers as compliance with local law 11/98 and its progeny. Rebuild the façade. As Billy Joel said, "We didn't start the fire," but we have to be ready for the establishment of a fire safety program-evacuation plan-sprinklers. Combining challenges with cooperation: identifying the handicapped and ones who will need assistance in the event of evacuation, maintaining a list to provide for the fire and emergency people. Invite fire department community liaison officers to hold meetings, practice fire drills. Really ensure the safety of the residents by checking the smoke detectors in apartments, not just hallways, and stairway emergency lighting.
Broadband connections for all residents, providing Internet access across the board, along with several telephone lines, faxes- most buildings will be wired by the year 2010, for free. Biondi considerations, avoiding discrimination litigation in the year 2000 and beyond. UCC Clarification of the priority lien.
You are all winners for having been nominated. It means as a shareholder, director, employee, or manager of a building, your decision-making powers may not be faster than a speeding bullet, but they are expeditious and extraordinary. You may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, bend steel with your bare hands or change the course of mighty rivers, but you possess insight and vision (not necessarily x-ray) to perform, decide, endure, and make vital, critical, and important decisions, that do change the course and effect the future of your cooperative. Being the recipient of these awards means you have faced the obstacles of the present and are prepared for the challenges of the future.
In conclusion, tonight's recipients have been nominated and selected for their outstanding, dedicated, and excellent work. These award winners and their accomplishments clearly demonstrate what it really takes to be a cooperative cooperative and overcome the challenges of the millennium. Congratulations to all.
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