Our Final Centennial Blog

After many years of planning, anticipation, excitement and hard work we are about to bring our MIBOR Centennial year to a close. Projects like the Centennial Celebration don't just happen; they are the result of many hours and in this case, years of hard work by a dedicated group of volunteers. As chairman I would personally like to take a moment to acknowledge the core committee of MIBOR members John Creamer, Brad Osborne, Amy Englert, Kurt Simmons  Sue Applegate and Pam Aguirre. Without their leadership, dedication and hard work the Centennial projects would not have been possible. Also special thanks to the members who turned out for various events and volunteer days throughout the celebration year.

The year began with the Super Bowl which spotlighted the city as well as a tremendous opportunity for MIBOR's Centennial Cabinet, lead by Bill Hacker to work together with the city and the Boner Center as part of the Building a Living Legacy project. This philanthropic component of the centennial year raised $500,000 specifically for the project which included a commitment for over 30 homes in St. Clair Place. This commitment was over and above the monies pledged by the REALTOR® Foundation to raise awareness of the homeless in our community. Job well done!

The other major part of the centennial year was the production of the centennial book, REALTORS®: Opening Doors for 100 Years, and its companion DVD. With the help of our author, Todd Gould, WFYI and the history committee we were able to produce a beautiful and informative history of our industry. In addition the book illustrates our profession's role in the development of central Indiana, various neighborhoods, industry growth, how we overcame some of our prejudices of the past, and the inspiration to better our industry by giving back to the community in which we live and work. REALTORS® have always played an important role in strengthening communities and now through the development of the REALTOR® Foundation we are focusing on the true meaning of what Bud Tucker always called "paying our civic rent." If you haven't added this book and video to your office or home library, its not too late. Call today to reserve your copy while they are still available. 

Because the Centennial Celebration lasted throughout 2012 the committee opted for several events beginning in January with our book launch party at WFYI and the celebration kickoff at the MIBOR ball. February brought about the day of service to our communities by MIBOR members. March included the Central Indiana Housing Summit and the St. Patrick's Day parade. May showcased several "Centennial" runners in the One America Mini Marathon followed by another volunteer day in June. Also in June we participated in the Medallion Block Party Celebration held on site at the Building a Living Legacy Project near the Boner Community Center at 10th and St. Clair. The block party consisted of self guided tours of restored properties and some newly constructed homes, remarks from the CEO of the Boner Center and Executive Director of the Indy-East Asset Development and testimonials from residents. REALTOR® Night at Victory Field was held in July to a capacity crowd which included over 600 REALTORS®. A good time was had by all including the Indians who won the game!

As you can see MIBOR celebrated its 100th birthday in true REALTOR® Fashion. None of these special events would have been completed if not for the time and talents of many MIBOR members under the leadership of a talented and dedicated staff led by Claire Belby and CEO Steve Sullivan. 

We hope that you have been able to participate in some of the centennial festivities and that you enjoyed learning more about your industry and your city and its progression over 100 years. Happy Birthday!

Accomplishments...

During this time of year, many like to reflect on past accomplishments and look forward to new beginnings. Our CEO, Steve Sullivan, took time to reflect on his tenure at MIBOR and came up with this short list of accomplishments that he is most proud of: 

• That the overall quality rating of our service by members has improved so dramatically over the years.
• That over 90% of members in 2012 think that MIBOR is headed in the right direction
• Control of expenses over the last decade, including the resulting minimal increase in dues/fees.
• Broker Listing Cooperative® - re-establishing and re-branding the culture of a cooperative. Secondarily obtaining trademark protection for the BLC® Listing service.
• BLC® Policy Committee - the deeper inclusion of brokers in the decision making process.
• Staff Reorganization in 2010 – focused on business services and solutions. Resulted in improvements including response rate and quality of service. 
• Quality of the management team.
• Restructuring of BOD with addition of specialty seats, which ensures not only voice but diverse viewpoints.
• The Building a Living Legacy Project.
• MIBOR.com public website in 1996 – putting listings online which was unheard of at the time.
• The success of the REALTOR® Community Investment Initiative (2006-2010).
• Recreating the for-profit subsidiary resulting in significant annual tax savings.
• Seamless transitions of surrounding local associations and subsequent creation of geographic divisions.
• MIBOR’s second lockbox conversion (approx. 8 years ago) – how smoothly it went.

It’s your turn! What are you proud of this year?

The Evidence is Everywhere…

Celebrating MIBOR’s Centennial has come about in so many ways. Recently I saw another great example of something meaningful and lasting. Every time I think the centennial is just a birthday, a milestone that has come and will soon be gone, I get my wake-up call. At the Chase Legacy Center on the Arsenal Tech High School campus there is one more reminder that so many people came together to create the Building  a Living Legacy project. And of course that project was the philanthropic splash of the entire centennial year. 

On Tuesday, October 30^th, it was rainy, cold and windy. Not the ideal setting for an outdoor reception. So inside we went to unveil a unique sculpture that now stands just outside the garden at the Legacy Center. The sculpture is colorful and dynamic just like the Near Eastside neighbors of Indianapolis it represents. On one side, the names of the most generous Building  a Living Legacy donors are embedded in  clay and mosaic tiles – designed by local artist Jude Odell and created by elementary, middle and high school students. The other three sides celebrate the renewed spirit of the Near Eastside brought about by the completion of many elements of the area’s Quality of Life Plan and of course the 2012 Super Bowl and its Housing Legacy Project.     

Bill Hacker

A few people spoke at the brief reception including Odell and one of the high schoolers who volunteered. Bill Hacker from the Building  a Living Legacy campaign cabinet also spoke quite emotionally and eloquently about what the project has meant to him and how helping families make better lives for themselves strikes at the heart of what real estate professionals care most about. It was a fantastic reminder that because of so many partners and donors, 32 families have fresh starts and are free from the insecurity and uncertainty of homelessness.

The piece itself is beautiful and tells a story. It’s made up of more than 800 mosaic pieces. It’s been fired countless times to withstand the elements. It will last. You should check it out. 

Claire Belby
MIBOR Communications Director

Transformation in Action...

On June 7^th, we will be installing permanent medallions on the 32 homes in the Building a Living Legacy Project in St. Clair Place. A few days ago, I was out in the neighborhood marking the spot on each house where the medallions will be installed. As usual it was a beautiful day. I don’t know why it is, but most of the time I’m in St. Clair Place, the weather is incredible. Blue skies, puffy white clouds, bright green grass, a gentle breeze, you get the picture. Most of our volunteer days last year were blessed with equally fantastic weather. No need to discuss the snowy, icy bus tours in early 2011 or 95 plus degree groundbreaking ceremony last summer – let’s stay positive people. Anyway, the place puts me in a good mood.

I have to say though, the most delightful thing happened when I passed a certain house. On the corner of Eastern and St. Clair is the cutest arts and crafts style home. We’re talking adorable, magazine cover quality material. And what was else on the corner in the yard? One of the last remaining yard signs from the project – one of YOUR signs with the MIBOR centennial logo plastered front and center. I was so proud! 

Then it hit me. That was the exact corner where I went with Cabinet Chair Bill Hacker last year as he taped an interview for WFYI’s series More than a Game. That day with Bill, we had to keep stopping the taping because the construction noise on the house. You’ll have to take my word for it, but that house looked nothing like the beautiful piece of architecture I saw this time. Wow! It’s an amazing home that will bring new beginnings for a family. I could not have been proud or more convinced that this project was just the right fit for REALTORS®.

I hope I’ll see you on the 7^th. The party will be celebration; a toast to all the real estate community has accomplished through Building a Living Legacy. You just have to see it. 

Claire Belby

MIBOR Communications Director

Congratulations from NAR President Moe Viesi

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) President, Moe Viesi, recently sent us a video message to congratulate MIBOR on 100 years of service. Mr. Viesi was unable to make it for the Centennial Celebration in January, but was kind enough to send us his greetings. Beyond saying congratulations, he also recognized the Building a Living Legacy: Centennial Project and the commitment YOU made to lift up a neighborhood and help reverse homelessness in central Indiana.


Here is Moe Viesi's message



The celebration is far from over. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to commemorate our 100 years of service in central Indiana. This is truly a special time. However, we're not just looking back...we're looking forward. And the best is yet to come.


Visit www.mibor100.com today to join the celebration!

Giving Back to the Community

On June 8, MIBOR members will team up with The REALTOR® Foundation for a volunteer day, in continued celebration of our Centennial. Volunteers will make a difference for several REALTOR® Foundation grant recipients and neighbors of last year’s Building a Living Legacy neighborhood, St. Clair Place. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., volunteers will focus on projects including painting, cleaning carpets yard work and organizing donations. Please join us! Contact Claire Belby at clairebelby@mibor.com and let her know where you would like to volunteer your time on June 8. Visit www.mibor100.com for a list of locations and more information.

Volunteerism deeply rooted in MIBOR history…

Volunteerism is not a new thing in our industry. Over the years, MIBOR members have showcased their civic pride in a variety of ways. When the MIBOR Board of Directors discussed forming the MIBOR Foundation (Now the REALTOR® Foundation) in 1984, they were driven by a desire to give back to the community.

“For a lot of us, we felt that there was something missing in our Board activities. But we could not quite put our finger on what it was…when it came to our relationship with the community, we would often enjoy the benefits of our relationship with our community, in terms of sales, profits and success in the industry,” said Don “Pooch” Hunter former Foundation member. “In order to keep that flow going, we needed to cultivate a relationship in which we could also give back and strengthen the very community that helped strengthen or organization. It was reciprocal.” – Excerpt from REALTORS®: Opening Doors For 100 Years

Even before the MIBOR Foundation was formed, our members regularly engaged in volunteer activities.

“The Board organized a number of activities designed to improve communities and strengthen neighborhood development including neighborhood cleanup projects, small home-improvement initiatives, tree plantings, and playground installations. In the early 1980s the Board developed a project called “Operation Cooperation.” Members worked with residents in the Forest Manor development to clean yards, paint homes and plant flowers and shrubbery around the neighborhood. To celebrate the Board’s 75^th anniversary in 1987, the Foundation focused on cultivating an ongoing partnership with New Hope of Indiana, a medical treatment facility for mentally – and physically-handicapped children in the region. The Foundation also worked with the Indianapolis Parks Foundation to help raise money to renovate parks throughout the city.” –Excerpt from REALTORS®: Opening Doors For 100 Years

REALTORS® have continued to give back to the community in recent years as well. Just this past year, MIBOR members donated $500,000 to lift up an emerging neighborhood through the Building a Living Legacy Centennial Project. MIBOR worked in partnership with the John H. Boner Community Center, Indy-east Asset Development Corp, and other partners for more than three years to renovate and/or build 32 homes, which (the number selected to represent 32 NFL cities) to house 32 families coming out of, or on the verge of, homelessness. Each home provides permanent supportive housing on a continual basis with vital social services provided by the John H. Boner Community Center. Throughout the project, members have spent a lot of time in the Building a Living Legacy neighborhood, cleaning up trash, planting flowers, laying down mulch and more – a true testament of the commitment made to this project.

As we look forward, there is no question that the philanthropic giving and volunteering will only continue to grow within our industry. Have you played a part? If you’re interested in getting more involved, please connect with us. 


Lacey Everett
MIBOR Communications Specialist

A Generational Industry...

MIBOR’s 100th year has given us all a wonderful opportunity to look back and reflect on the real estate industry and how it has affected, and been affected by, the major events in Central Indiana over the past century.  As a third generation MIBOR member, a couple of thoughts stand out to me.

(L-R) Norm McClain, Gene McClain, Dave McClain

The first, and most obvious, is the current state of the market and the challenges it presents.  Having joined the board in the 1990’s, the market had never seen a decrease in my time as a member until just a few years ago. While we all freaked out for a short time (and for those of you who still are… you can calm down now… it’s getting better!) and many asked “should I stay in real estate?”... I never thought of leaving the industry.  This is what we’ve always done.  


So the market changed.  I thought back to all of the ‘war’ stories that my father and grandfather had told over and over and over again.  At the time I was so tired of hearing about assumptions and land contracts, however, those stories helped me to gain some perspective and to remember that you need to be creative and flexible to survive in this industry.  So, I dusted off some old training materials on land contracts and started to look into these weird things called ‘short sales’.


The other thought is that I have a deep feeling of responsibility to affect the future of the industry.  I have two sons who might decide to follow in my footsteps, just as I followed in my father’s and he in his. This has lead me to be more active within MIBOR and to try and make sure my voice is heard.  I would encourage any REALTOR® to do the same.  Get involved in R.E.A.L., RPAC and your division. It is our duty to leave the real estate industry in Central Indiana better than we found it, so get involved!


Dave McClain
RE/MAX Select

The Power of Collaboration

Earlier this month, I attended the opening of the Chase Legacy Center, the new community center on the campus of Arsenal Technical High School on Indianapolis’ Near Eastside. It’s one of the signature achievements of the Super Bowl festivities. A crowning achievement, really, particularly for the residents and future residents of a neighborhood that has never before been graced with a rec center, YMCA or Boys and Girls Club.

As I stood listening to the Tech drum line bring the place to life and the dignitaries comment, one after another, about the impact the place will have on a neighborhood and its families, I felt pride (and a tear or two) to be there on behalf of REALTORS® and all the affiliated real estate professionals who know a thing or two about neighborhoods and families. It’s true that the Legacy Center is not part of MIBOR’s Centennial Building a Living Legacy project. Building a Living Legacy is about homes and the stability and security that comes from waking up each morning in a place that allows you to know that anything good you want for your life is achievable. The Center is part of the package, however. Just like the Building a Living Legacy homes are part of the package. Each is part of this sense of place; a place that has been energized and ignited because many people and many groups of people cared and then collaborated.

That’s what hit me the most on the day of the Legacy Center opening. REALTORS® have not only understood the need to help others, but the power of collaboration in order to achieve great things for others since the beginning of their organized history 100 years ago. The REALTOR® Foundation has been the leader in that effort for more than 25 of those years, providing structure to the way the real estate community helps others, but is was happening long before that.

Being part of the team that compiled the history for the book and video that celebrate MIBOR’s Centennial allowed me to see in the early copies of the minutes and in so many photos that REALTORS® never really wanted to do it all themselves. They collaborated in those very early years and in all the years since with builders, affiliates, chambers of commerce, government and so many others to create an industry that helps families and neighborhoods. It’s a great model that continues today. The power of collaboration is real and tangible. If you want to see an amazing example, drive through St. Clair Place to see the renovated Legacy homes, new street lamps and sidewalks and stop by the Legacy Center on Tech’s campus. You’ll see it around you. 

Claire Belby
Communications Director, MIBOR

Happy Birthday MIBOR!

We have been counting down the days, and we're finally here! This is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of MIBOR's Centennial. It’s a celebration of the vital role our members and this organization has played in the lives of countless homeowners - families who have achieved the American Dream of owning a home. Each one assisted by a professional, a counselor, and a guide to the most important financial decision they may ever make.

Moreover, the real estate community has helped shape central Indiana — its economy, its landscape, its character. We are proud of the footprint REALTORS® have left in the last 100 years, but we have only just begun. You see, our Centennial Celebration isn't just a birthday party. It’s the start of something lasting; a legacy of contributions REALTORS® have made and will continue to make in our community.

Our plan is to post 100 blogs in 2012. We have a lot of great things to share with you. You’ll hear from special guest writers, you’ll see photos and videos and much more. We’d love to hear from you as well! Let us know if you have any industry stories or fun facts to share. Post your comments, thoughts and ideas here. Here’s to a year of celebration…the best is yet to come!