President Fred Gibbs welcomed more than 100 members and shared highlights from NAHC’s 60-year history during the association’s first ever virtual summit, November 11-13, 2020. Participants spent three days engaging in eight educational sessions taught by 18 presenters.
“The summit was very informative and also entertaining. I feel that the summit was well-planned and presented,” wrote an unidentified participant in the evaluation. “All the presenters were knowledgeable and lively. I really enjoyed it.”
Ralph Marcus, who participated on the panel, “Covid-19 Prevention and Preparation,” along with Blaine Honeycutt and April Knoch, said he did not prepare differently for the summit than he would have for an inperson session. “I adapted well to the revised platform relative to content prep.” Marcus said he also “engaged with students with a mixture of some comedic relief, along with the technical content of the class.”
Although the workshops were prerecorded, Karen Harvey said she and Kim Marcus were present for the viewing of “Conflict Resolution,” designed to help define conflict, describe conflict and discuss solutions to resolve conflict. She said they were available for questions and answers and provided their emails to the attendees so they could contact them with questions or concerns.
When asked what participants would change about the summit, one person wrote making the “Legal Landmine” and the “New Board” workshops longer. The landmine workshop dealt with legal developments affecting housing cooperatives. Presenters, Creighton Gallup, Knoch and Randall Pentiuk, wove scenarios and case studies into the material, illustrating the practical applications of these legal requirements, as well as showed the ramifications when cooperatives are not in compliance. Knoch said she took notes on questions that came through when she had an opportunity so she could respond when the time arrived. Linda Brockway, Greg Carlson, Gibbs and Annie Hill spearheaded the new board member panel discussion.
Another attendee wrote they would have liked more time for Kimalee Williams’ workshop, “How to Manage Your Property Manager.” The workshop focused on the expectations of the board and management, effective communication and steps to obtaining the proper guidance to handle common issues regarding reopening community rooms and site offices, managing those who refuse to comply with Covid safety measures, allowing a member to return home from a hotspot, preparing for evictions when courts re-open and convening annual meetings.
Other workshops included Hugh Jeffers and Greg Daniszewski’s “Financing for the Future” that explored the reasons cooperatives should seek new financing. The session also covered programs available, pros and cons of different financing programs and why now is the time to move. And Denise Hill and Diane Miller’s “Disaster Preparedness: Is Your Co-op Ready?” discussed emergency preparedness tips. This class concentrated on recent events and discussed how to prepare for a pandemic event such as Covid-19. Hill and Miller both wore masks for the presentation.
In addition to the workshops, Doug O’Brien, president and chief executive officer of the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International, discussed the various types of cooperatives that exist and the significance of NAHC’s federal issues such as the Paycheck Protection Program, disaster relief (H.R. 5337) and reverse mortgages for housing cooperatives.
Members also had fun participating in the social sessions. They played a good old-fashioned round of Bingo, shared their skills in a talent show and tested their general knowledge in NAHC Trivia.
National Cooperative Bank, Economic Consultants for Housing Opportunities, Inc. and Centennial Mortgage sponsored the summit. CSI Support and Development, Legacy, LLC, Sustainable Opportunities for Life and Dreams, Inc. and Walker & Dunlop exhibited at the summit. “
hanks again to our exhibitors and sponsors. Meet them here.
