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IREM’s 2024 Global Summit – the final lap

Picture of IREM By   ·  5 minute read
2024 IREM® President Libby Ekre’s tag line, the “power of purpose,” set the tone for IREM’s Global Summit held in Indianapolis October 6-9. More than 700 people from around the world attended the event for three days of learning, networking, building tours and celebration. Governance sessions were held, a new IREM chapter was announced, REME (Real Estate Management Excellence) Awards were presented, the IREM Foundation raised $160,000 for IREM education scholarships, and this year’s Foundation award winners were announced. But that’s not all.

Property tours

Attendees had several opportunities to visit local properties, including the Bottleworks District, the urban community CityWay, and OneAmerica Tower. 

  • The Bottleworks District, originally home to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Indianapolis, is a fusion of past and present, located in the heart of historic neighborhoods near Indianapolis’ North Mass Ave corridor.
  • Living at CityWay has changed the definition of luxury living with a concierge approach to services, extensive on-site amenities, carefully curated retail selections, and sophisticated apartments.
  • OneAmerica Tower just received LEED Gold certification,and has full Fitwel certification. Geothermal and responsible for half of the water that feeds the canal downtown, those who attended this tour witnessed Class A sustainability with a 40+ year old property. 

Opening premier party

A highlight of every IREM Global Summit, this year’s premier party was held at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art October 7. Guests were treated to a private evening at the museum along with food, drinks, music, and the exceptional experience of wandering the museum’s extensive collections and exhibits.

The opening session

Maintaining the IREM standards for excellence in real estate management requires the time and efforts of teams of people. IREM’s Leadership Team, Board of Directors and Regional Vice Presidents are among these dedicated volunteers. The Global Summit provides a forum to acknowledge these efforts, our sponsors, exhibitors, and the accomplishments of our Next Gen CPMs, Student Leaders, and DISI Leaders. A video featuring IREM highlights and events throughout the past year gave us a quick overview of how IREM is evolving into the future.

This year IREM welcomed keynote speaker Mina Starsiak-Hawk, real estate agent and star of HGTV’s hit series “Good Bones.” Mina gave a frank and funny recounting of the evolution of her career as a home renovation star. “Good Bones” ran for eight seasons, with Hawk and crew renovating dozens of homes in Indianapolis, before Hawk was done and ready for the next challenge in her life.

Governance

IREM Global Summits are where directors, governing council members and leadership come together to do the work that keeps IREM running. This year, in addition to the necessary tasks that are always executed, a new chapter in the UAE was announced! M. Jawad, CPM®, MRICS, and the first IREM member in the Middle East to earn CPM designation, was on hand to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Education

Providing education that helps property managers keep up with trends and the latest developments is central to IREM’s purpose. This year’s Global Summit offered a wide range of educational options for attendees. Here are just a few of the topics explored:

  • Affordable housing panel – Ryan Huffman, CPM®, led a panel on affordable housing. Panelists, which included Eileen Wirth, CPM®, Anthony Tynan, CPM®, and Toni Harris, CPM®, ARM®, agreed on the complexity of compliance with affordable housing programs that can be federal, state, or even local.  
  • EV charger readiness – As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, it’s crucial for property managers to understand the importance of EV charger readiness. Panelists Fred Prassas, CPM®, David Holland, CPM®, and Angela Aeschliman, CPM®, CCIM, opened the discussion to essential strategies for sustainable and future-proof EV readiness. 
  • ESG – Yardi representative Randy Moss led a session focused on ESG challenges in property management. His company has extensive experience in sustainability data management and has benchmarked more than 11,000 properties globally. Moss highlighted the challenges of collecting and organizing data, especially from tenant-owned utility accounts.

Many more sessions were held on disaster preparedness, driving ancillary revenue, mental health, AI, and improving presentation skills.

State of the Industry Breakfast 

At the State of the Industry Breakfast, three different speaker panels were moderated by Kim Collins, CPM®, IREM 2024 Secretary/Treasurer Nominee. Collins asked panelists Michael Tuer, vice president and general manager of Yardi Systems, and James Scott, MIT lecturer and IREM’s “innovator in residence” about how property managers can create efficiency through automation. Scott highlighted the importance of evaluating the return-on-investment (ROI) of any tech solution being considered for a company or a property. 

Greg Cichy, CPM®, Erin Hopkins, PhD, associate professor of property management at Virginia Tech, and Dan Gaddis, business development manager at Mantis Innovation, talked with Collins about how sustainability creates great potential for higher NOI, particularly through cost reduction.  

The final panel focused on the adaptive reuse of properties, with Brad Ashley, CPM®, and Ashley Rogow, technical designer at Gensler, sharing examples of adaptive reuse projects they’ve been involved with.  

Ted Thurn, IREM’s senior director of government affairs, shared tips for how IREM members can talk about adaptive reuse with legislators by explaining the benefits, sharing IREM recommendations for policy change, and highlighting government incentives for adaptive reuse.  

 The Gala

It’s the real estate management event of the year! This year’s Gala was indeed the highlight of four days in Indianapolis. 2024 IREM President Libby Ekre CPM®, took the stage to thank those who’ve made her presidency the pinnacle of her career, and to hand IREM over to 2025 IREM President Dawn Carpenter, CPM®. Dawn assumed the role of 2025 IREM President at the Gala during a brief convocation led by IREM Past President Tony Smith, CPM®.

Dawn’s family was on hand to honor her many achievements in real estate and real estate management, and to also acknowledge Dawn’s devotion to family as a sister, daughter, and aunt to many nieces and nephews. Her nephew, John Cernak, kicked off Dawn’s upcoming presidency by celebrating her career, her commitment to real estate management, her dedication to family and to IREM.

The IREM Foundation held an Impact Icon contest that started before the Gala began, which raised more than $160,000 for IREM Foundation scholarships. Since IREM members are naturally generous, several chapters were in friendly competition to contribute the most.

Foundation awards

IREM Foundation President Dee Headley, CPM®, and Vice President Chris Mellen, CPM®, ARM®, for an update on Foundation news, and to honor this year’s Foundation Award winners:

Chrystal Skead, CPM®, ARM®, 2024 Lloyd D. Hanford Distinguished Instructor

Cindy Clare CPM®, 2024 Louise L. and Y.T. Lum Award

Barry Blanton, CPM®, J. Wallace Paletou Award

Hazard Center Office, 2024 Jackson Control Sustainability Award

Each of these winners were selected for their many contributions to the advancement of real estate management.

REME Award winners

The IREM REME Awards remain the night’s big event. Here are this year’s winners:

United Plus Property Management, LLC, AMO® of the Year

CBRE Group, Inc. – 2024 IREM Innovator Award

Welltower – 2024 IREM Excellence Award - Corporate

Sharon Turner, CPM® – 2024 IREM DEI Excellence Award - Individual

Joseph Rubay, CPM®, ARM® – 2024 IREM Excellence Award - Individual

Tine Helton, ACoM® – 2024 ACoM of the Year

David Sayers, ARM® – 2024 ARM of the Year

Paul Nathan, CPM® – 2024 CPM of the Year

These 2024 REME Award winners remind us of what is possible when passion meets purpose. IREM applauds every one of these champions for their dedication, leadership, and vision. Read more about the 2024 REME Award winners.

Meet us in Boston April 23-24

Registration is now open for PropertyCon: An IREM® Education Experience. Held in Boston, MA, on April 23-24, 2025, PropertyCon will bring together the best minds in the industry for two full days of the first-of-its-kind learning and networking opportunity. 

For a preview of what to expect at PropertyCon, watch this video featuring Dr. Drew Pinsky, the event’s keynote speaker.

Sessions will cover finance, maintenance and operations, marketing and leasing, professional development, and leadership training, with content on DEI, sustainability, and technology woven throughout all programming.

Check IREM’s website for full PropertyCon and registration information.