The History of CREW Network®
 The Early Years: forming the foundation for success.
During the 1980s, several independent organizations were formed in various cities, each sharing the common goal of bringing together women involved in the many aspects of commercial real estate to exchange information, develop business contacts, and to help each other succeed professionally. The unique element of these groups was not that they were oriented toward women in a predominantly male industry (men were also welcomed as members), but that the groups brought together representatives from a wide variety of professions, all of whom were involved in some way with commercial real estate. Groups typically included a variety of disciplines -- from law to architecture to brokerage to property management - everyone needed to "do the deal." Prior to this, profession-specific organizations for the various disciplines such as appraisers, lawyers, brokers and accountants existed, but an umbrella organization that brought all of these disciplines together did not.
In 1986, a federation of these local groups was being formed on the east coast. Known as CREW-National (Commercial Real Estate Women-National), this group was originally comprised of professionals from Baltimore, Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland, Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington DC. However, CREW-National quickly learned that the winds of change weren’t just blowing in the east. A similar federation known as WICRE - National Network ((Women in Commercial Real Estate - National Network) was simultaneously being formed on the west coast with member groups in Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Francisco. Leadership from the two federations met and realized that their groups were moving toward the same goal and were at nearly the same place in the process. Rather than interrupt the momentum and energy within the two federations, they agreed to complete their separate formations with an eye toward eventually linking together.
Building a united front
In 1987, CREW-National held its first convention in Washington, DC and members of WICRE-NN attended, as did several "unaffiliated" groups from around the country who had learned of the federations. The unaffiliated groups urged the two federations to form one national group so that they could join one federation. With such high interest being shown, a six-member steering committee spent the next year creating the national federation.
In 1988, at the WICRE-NN convention in Los Angeles, the board of directors from the east and west coast federations signed the bylaws of NNCREW - the National Network of Commercial Real Estate Women. NNCREW officially began operations on January 1, 1989 with 11 Chapters and 1,100 members. By the end of its first year, NNCREW was 17 chapters strong.
Organization highlights
In 1989, the first NNCREW national convention was held in Baltimore. The theme of the convention was "Building Success in the 1990s" and 200 industry professionals attended.
The 1990 convention was held in Phoenix and its theme was "The Global Marketplace-A Preview of the 21st Century". In 1991, NNCREW membership reached an all-time high when it hit the 2,000-member mark. The convention was in Dallas and explored the theme "The Challenge of Change". The following year, NNCREW held its convention in Chicago with the theme "Revolution to Renaissance", and attendance surpassed 300 for the first time. In 1993, San Francisco co-hosted the convention with the theme "Building Opportunities".
The 1994 convention was in Miami with the theme "Navigating the 90s". Seattle co-hosted the 1995 convention focusing on "The Power of Partnership". In 1996, Philadelphia co-hosted the convention with the theme "Reinventing Real Estate: Inner City to International", and attendance crossed the 400 mark. It was also in 1996 that NNCREW membership surpassed 3,000. The 1997 convention was in Atlanta with the theme "Dare to Dream: Building Tomorrow Today", and set a new attendance record of 550 participants.
CREW reached another milestone when it celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 1998. The convention was held in San Diego and aptly themed "Eye on the Future". At the time of this celebration, NNCREW had 39 Chapters with more than 4,300 members. 1998 marked another milestone in CREW history with the introduction of the CREW Foundation, making this organization one of the first of its kind to create a national philanthropic effort. 1999 was another year of net membership growth with more than 4,500 members now representing 41 Chapters. The national convention was held in Washington, DC and featured "Spheres of Influence".
The entry into the new millennium was marked by a strategic shift of the organization toward the principle of "Full Service Networking." The convention in Los Angeles was themed "Premiering the 21st Century: Spotlight on Real Estate". The number of chapters was increased to 42.
In 2001, the convention was held in Boston, Massachusetts, and the theme was "Revolutionary Thinking in Commercial Real Estate". This year also saw the organization’s name changed to CREW Network and its 43rd Chapter came on board.
2002 got off to an exciting start with the addition of five new chapters (New Orleans, Jacksonville, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Tucson) pushing CREW Network’s membership to a record high of 5,000 members. Chicago played host to the 2002 convention, where the theme was "Building Bridges for Business - Spanning the World of Commercial Real Estate". Also during this year, the first issue of the organization's electronic newsletter, CREW NetWORKS, debuted, providing members a monthly update of member happenings and timely industry news. Adding to the excitement of 2002, CREW Foundation awarded a total of $80,000, its largest grant package ever, to four deserving organizations that work toward the economic self-sufficiency of women and girls.
2003 continued to be a year of exciting growth and new beginnings as CREW celebrated its 15th anniversary and welcomed its 49th, 50th and 51st chapters (Austin, Montreal and Birmingham). CREW Network also undertook an extensive 10-month strategic planning process in order to meet the changing needs of its members and the commercial real estate industry. The 2003 Convention was held in San Francisco with the theme "Gateway to Innovation - Golden Opportunities in Real Estate."
History was made in 2004 when, for the first time, the CREW Network Convention was held outside of the United States. Toronto, Ontario was the site of this international event, which explored the theme of Business Without Borders. CREW Network grew to a record 6,000 members in 54 chapters with the addition of CREW Hampton Roads, CREW Lehigh Valley and CREW Northern Nevada. 2004 also marked the year CREW Network established its core purpose to advance the success of women in commercial real estate with an envisioned future of achieving parity in opportunity, influence and power.
Moving Forward
Never content to rest on its laurels or to bask in the successes of its past, CREW Network continues its work as the industry’s premier advocacy group for women in commercial real estate by creating an environment that promotes the expertise and successes of its members, creates member-to-member business opportunities, and positions CREW Network as the industry’s definitive resource for information about, and the advancement of, women in commercial real estate. |
