Message from the President



Lauren Bagull
Chicago Chapter President
 

April 2020 Letter to Chapter

Dear Chicago Chapter Members:

Welcome to the Chicago Chapter of CoreNet Global. I’m proud and excited to be the President of this dynamic Chapter. I never imagined it would be under these circumstances.

It’s April 2020 and we're in the middle of a Global pandemic. It’s a challenging time for everyone - a time to pivot and embrace the unfamiliar. As a chapter, we will not lose focus of CoreNet Global’s mission to advance the practice of corporate real estate. The journey will make us innovators. We will be creative, thoughtful, focused and strategic. Ultimately, individually and collectively, we will be better and stronger for it.

I want to thank the board of directors, the advisory board and our committee members for their value-focused involvement. To our sponsors, thank you for your continued and crucial support.

The new virtual “normal” that we live in is rapidly changing the way we communicate internally and externally, and how, at least for the near term, we deliver our programs. As we move forward, we will continue to deliver value through programming that’s timely and educational. Programming has always been a critical foundation of who we are as a Chapter and we are just as committed to that premise as we always have been.

Other aspects of our work as a local chapter, though not always as visible, remain very important. At-a-glance:

  • Learning initiatives continue with roundtable forums driving connectivity and best practice conversations for our end user members
  • Membership remains focused on the engagement and retention of valued members
  • University Outreach continues to create awareness of careers in and around corporate real estate through expansion of our school network
  • Community Reinvestment is driving our connection to the community, keeping us in tune with our market
  • The Young Leaders are actively engaged with those 35 and under, helping us deepen our bench as a chapter, while producing high quality events for everyone
  • Sponsorship is focused on delivering value and connection
  • Special Events is looking to new ways to deliver impactful events in this new "normal"
  • Communications is focused on overhauling our digital platform to deliver content to our members in the most efficient and effective way and to make the overall experience seamless

For more than a decade, the Chicago Chapter has been like a family to me. It’s part time Brady Bunch, part time Cheers because with the hard work and camaraderie, everybody knows your name. And so, I encourage those who have not joined a committee, to consider doing so. The cliché is true: you do get out of it what you put into it.

I have long been excited at the prospect of being the Chicago President. While I didn’t envision this unique landscape, I remain as determined as always to continue to build and maintain a strong Chicago Chapter. Along with the rest of the leadership team, I hope we soon return to a sense of normalcy—to our meetings, our events and the other good works that we do.

Stay tuned as we fine tune our way to connect! Yet most of all, stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely
Lauren Bagull