LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Under the leadership of 2020 President Ryan Ole Hass and CEO Marty Nash, the Greater Los Angeles REALTORS® (GLAR) took on unprecedented challenges in the real estate industry and in the community at large - all while adapting to an industry that transformed to work remotely almost overnight.
Throughout the year, GLAR launched initiatives around important issues such as racial equality and diversity, fundraised for and supported local non-profits, and advocated for important regulatory changes and relief measures such as rental assistance, access to unemployment assistance and changes to allow the real estate industry to continue to function as an essential business.
“Supporting the communities in which we live and work is a core part of who we are as REALTORS®. While 2020 was certainly a challenging year for us as an association, I am incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish, and look forward to seeing what the association can do in 2021,” says 2020 GLAR President Ryan Ole Hass. “I am particularly proud of the way that REALTORS® have responded to the impact of COVID-19 on our communities, and grateful to have been a part of confronting these major challenges and issues.”
Like many others, GLAR was shaken by the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the subsequent protests that followed. The social justice movement that rose out of Mr. Floyd’s tragic death caused GLAR to reexamine and reevaluate REALTORS® role in the systemic obstacles to racial equality, and what the real estate industry’s role is in changing it.
In response to these events, the association launched “Advancing Racial Equality,” a series of virtual discussions about race, discrimination, diversity, equality and how it impacts the greater Los Angeles region. Advancing Racial Equality was a five-part series featuring panels of local and regional community and legislative leaders, and diverse pioneers from the real estate industry. Featured guests on Advancing Racial Equality included Congresswoman Karen Bass, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Assembly member Miguel Santiago, LA Deputy Mayor Brenda Shockley and others. Information from these discussions will be used by the association’s diversity and inclusion committee to recommend association community partnerships and initiatives to advance diversity, equality and inclusion in the community.
To mobilize GLAR’s membership to provide much-needed support to local nonprofits, GLAR ran a $15,000 matching campaign on Giving Tuesday to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles’ efforts to provide a holiday party for those who utilize the club and to provide assistance to families who utilize the club and need extra help this holiday season. GLAR continued to step-up addressing the issue of homelessness with its C.A.R.E. Project, which was created 9 years ago to partner with and support local non-profits – Downtown Women’s Center, PATH, Midnight Mission, West Cost Cares, Children’s Lifesaving Foundation, to name a few – as well as other outreach efforts like Sock ‘N Sacks, Food & Clothing Drives, and fundraising efforts headlined by coordinating 7 local LA area REALTOR associations to raise almost $9,000 for No Kid Hungry in April/May 2020.
Recognizing the major impact that COVID-19 had on local business communities in the region, GLAR launched an effort to spotlight businesses in the hospitality field through a partnership with concierge service LA Any Day. LA Any Day’s recommendations were shared with GLAR’s 11,600 members, who could in turn share it with their clients and friends and family. GLAR also hosted the first annual virtual ‘Wellness Week,’ offering members a chance to increase their fitness and lower their stress levels through virtual classes while supporting some of the region’s leading independent fitness and wellness professionals, another sector that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“2020 was a tough year, for sure, but it reaffirmed what we have always believed: REALTORS® are good neighbors, and we can build better and stronger communities when we are working together,” notes GLAR CEO Marty Nash. “I look forward to seeing these important initiatives continue to grow in 2021 and beyond.”
About Ryan Ole Hass: Ryan Ole Hass served as the 2020 President of the Greater Los Angeles REALTORS® association. He is the broker of record for Align RE, a boutique style, full-service real estate brokerage in Santa Monica. Ryan serves on the board of directors for C.A.R. and N.A.R. as the Vice Chair of the President’s Forum, and is the 2021 Assistant Regional Chair. Ryan also serves on the boards of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, West Coast Cares, Los Angeles BizFed (2021 Advocacy Committee Co-Chair) and CLAW (Combined LA Westside MLS) in 2021.
About GLAR: GLAR represents over 11,000 REALTOR® and AFFILIATE Members in the cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. REALTOR® members set themselves apart and above thousands of other real estate licensees who are outside of organized real estate and who do not benefit from the strong positioning of a leadership organization. For more information, please visit www.greaterLArealtors.com.
