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A Word From Roger
A couple of weeks ago I had the
opportunity to attend Worldwide ERC's International Symposium in
Seattle. Attendance at these events had been
declining in recent years which is understandable considering the
state of the economy. However, this convention was extremely
well attended and corporate representation was at an all time
high.
It didn't hurt that Peggy
Smith, Worldwide ERC's CEO, invited corporate members to attend as
her guest, but it still required time away from the office and travel
to the location. I was quite impressed by the buzz of various
members, and there was a noticeable sense of cautious optimism among
the attendees that the worst of the economic crisis is over.
As this was the international
symposium there were over 40 countries represented. The vast
majority of the people I spoke to from these different geographies
were all seeing a positive change in the business climate which I
believe bodes well for our industry.
The keynote speaker, Gary
Hamel, inspired attendees to think in different ways about their
business models. He encouraged innovative thinking and looking
at your own employees as the people that will guide the strategic
direction of the organization. He said employees can drive
change and innovate in ways you may never have thought
possible. After all, these are the people in the trenches day
in and day out with customers and suppliers managing solutions and
addressing customer needs. Why not look to these employees as
innovators and tap their knowledge about the goods and services
they provide. He challenged traditional management
orthodoxy to engage workforces in the area of problem
solving. Most large organizations will look to outside
consultants before their own employees to be innovative and challenge
organizational norms. However the best people to make
suggestions and improvements are employees that live and breath
with customers on a daily basis.
He stressed that
leveraging and empowering your workforce to make suggestions
and come up with innovative concepts will create
an innovative and strategic organization. He compared
having a top down approach to living in a dictatorship or the old
Soviet Union, and in the long term these types of regimes don't
survive. However, in an engaged democracy, while not a perfect
system, you at least get the grass roots efforts of people trying to
make a difference.
I came away from this
conference with a renewed optimism on the state of the relocation
industry and to look at WHR in a different light as well.
If you attended this event, I would love to hear your thoughts
and what you took away from the conference.
Best
Regards,
Roger
Thrun
President
& Founder
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Where Do Most People Want
to Live?
Source: Harris
Interactive
October 20, 2010
www.realtor.org
If you could live in any state, except the one you
live in now, what state would you choose to live in?
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New York Fed's Pursuit of
Claims Against Banks Is Like 'Jersey Shore'
www.online.wsj.com
Two
years after the jumbled days of the financial crisis, it is easy to
forget that government and the private sector have had more hook-ups
than an episode of "Jersey Shore."
At
some point, these relationships were bound to get messy in a big way,
and now they have.
As The
Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, institutional investors led
by BlackRock Inc. and Allianz SE's Pacific Investment Management Co.,
or Pimco, are asking Bank of America Corp. to repurchase or
"put back" as much as $16.5 billion in soured
mortgage-backed securities. The request also went tobank of New York
Mellon Corp., the trustee for Bank of America on the disputed deals.
More...
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2010 Housing Opportunity Pulse Survey
Americans Still Believe Buying a Home is a Good
Financial Decision
National
Association of Realtors
October,
2010
www.realtor.org
NAR's
eighth annual Housing Opportunity Pulse Survey reveals that nearly
eight out of 10 respondents believe buying a home is a good financial
decision, despite ongoing challenges with the economy and housing
market. The survey, which measures how affordable housing issues
affect consumers, also found job security concerns to be the highest
in eight years of sampling, with 70 percent of Americans saying that
job layoffs and unemployment are a big problem in their area; eight
in 10 cite these issues as a barrier to homeownership. The telephone
survey of 1,209 urban and suburban adults in the top 25 metropolitan
statistical areas was conducted for NAR by American Strategies and
Myers Research & Strategic Services for NAR's Housing Opportunity
Program.
Click here to read the results...
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Wall Street Whispers: Mortgage Market's
Necessary Evil
By Lauren Tara LaCapra
October 21, 2010
www.the
street.com
WASHINGTON -- The government's enormous estimates of
how much more cash taxpayers will have to dole out to keep Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac alive indicate that the two firms have become a
necessary evil on the long road to a housing recovery.
The government estimated on Thursday that the two mortgage-finance
giants may require $142 billion to $363 billion over the next few
years. The outcome is heavily dependent upon two unpredictable
factors: Home prices and interest rates.
More...
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Follow
Worldwide ERC's CEO Peggy Smith as she blogs about workforce mobility
and other business issues.
Read blog here
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View
the new issue of Themes on the Economy by Diane
Swonk presented by Mesirow Financial
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Transferees Speak
"My Relocation Coordinator and Associate were
WONDERFUL. My husband handled the majority of the move because I
was studying for licensing exams (and I KNOW he can be hard to deal
with) and they exceeded all of my expectations."
Herbert from
"SimpleMove is an outstanding program with great
benefits.
SimpleMove allows people the access to the best agents
in the market and you get a rebate check for using the program. There
is no better way to buy or sell a home or property!"
Jeff from
Harland, WI
"We were very happy with the service our Relocation
Coordinator provided. At the time we started this process, she was
working with [Relocation Associate] who also was outstanding."
Karla from
"My Relocation Coordinator and Associate were a
pleasure to work with. Very responsive. Very helpful in
explaining the process. I felt fortunate to have them on my
team."
"I was so lucky to have been assigned to my
Relocation Coordinator. He was great and made this move for me
and my family so much easier! [Relocation Coordinator]-Thanks so
much for your outstanding support! You are the Best!"
"My Relocation Coordinator has been great. I really
appreciate him. He has really acted as if I am his only customer! I'm
glad I got him. My Relocation Associate was very helpful as well.
She answered my questions and was always personable and willing to help
in anyway."
"My Relocation Coordinator has been
outstanding...his attitude, patience and quick response have been
wonderful. This is my first relocation and he has made it very positive
for me!"
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