Investors Realty Chairman RJ Neary recently traveled to Rome, NY with five fellow members of The Counselors of Real Estate® (CRE) organization’s Consulting Corps for a site study. The purpose of the trip was to assess and provide expert advice on the redevelopment of the long-vacant 40-acre Rome Cable Complex, a brownfield site located near the city’s urban core. The group spent four days on-site and provided preliminary observations and conclusions.

“I said to the outreach coordinator before we went on-site that we may have an impossible site,” RJ said. “However, after being on-site and listening to stakeholders, I feel like we have a plan that could work.”

The study was requested by several non-profit organizations involved in the Rome community development in conjunction with the city of Rome. Follow-up conferences are still ongoing, and a full report is expected within the next couple of months.

As part of its community outreach and public service, CRE sends members with relevant backgrounds and expertise to review and analyze projects submitted by communities and non-profits around the country who are looking for strategic advice on redevelopment projects of significance to their communities. The Rome study was the first project the CRE Consulting Corps has done in conjunction with the Center for Creative Land Recycling.

RJ was admitted to the CRE in 2016. The CRE is an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and membership to the organization is by invitation only. Membership criteria include experience and standing in the commercial real estate industry. Members can be brokers, appraisers, managers, attorneys, and other related disciplines within the commercial real estate industry. Ryan Zabrowski was also admitted to the CRE in 2021 but has not yet served on a CRE Consulting Corps team.

Spread the word. If your community or non-profit has real estate challenges they would like advice on, consider the CRE Consulting Corps. To learn more, visit www.cre.org or contact Samantha DeKoven, Director of Public Service Initiatives, at 312-329-8431 or sdekoven@cre.org.

This article appeared in our company newsletter in December of 2021. Please click here to download the entire newsletter.