Greetings WCAR Members!

It’s the most wonderful time of the Year! Right? I like to think this has been my most wonderful year for many reasons, but especially since it allowed me the chance to come help lead WCAR to bigger and better things for the foreseeable future. Eight months in and I feel very much at home and very welcomed by nearly everyone I meet.

As I look back on 2017, lots of things make me smile. For starters, we developed a very strong partnership between the WCAR Staff and the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. This allowed us to grow and develop programs, events, and classes in a spirit of cooperation and positivity. All events were extremely well attended and, along with the membership growth the association experienced, allowed us to finish the year on a very sound financial footing. A special thank you to Lisa Wurth, Matt Daniel, Kyle Shults, David Logan and Jordan Vaughn. These folks are incredible leaders!

The Board of Directors allowed me the freedom to hire staff when I accepted the position, and I immediately hired a sensational Government Affairs Director, Bo Patten.  Bo quickly fit right in and working alongside staff and volunteer leaders, helped us achieve our goal of becoming an RPAC Triple Crown Award-Winning Association.  We also greatly improved our response rate on NAR Calls for Action in areas like flood Insurance extensions, and tax reform. Most importantly, we elevated our position with community leaders and politicians, who can have a direct impact on our industry.

I hired an exceptional Communications/Marketing Director in July.  Jason Bowles laid the groundwork for much better communication between WCAR and membership.  The sad news is that Jason has been recruited and accepted a high-level job with a major national company and will be leaving us shortly.  We wish him all the best! In his place, I have already researched the field and sorted through applications and done interviews. So, beginning January 2, 2018, we will have a very bright, talented new Communications/Marketing Director on board. There will be an introduction very soon.

Our Director of Operations, Tiffany Claxton, has been my right arm and done so much terrific work in developing sponsorships, events and behind-the-scenes work here at WCAR. Knowing she is here working for our members puts a big smile on my face.

Same thing for our Director of Education, Tracie Hantle. She’s had a big year herself, getting married last April and settling into her position, which puts her in front of y’all when you step into the WCAR building for classes and events. Look for bigger and better things in the coming year from Tracie’s department.

Nadreen Bagoun has handled our basic needs as Director of Membership and does it with a smile on her face and a kind heart.  She answers dozens of member questions daily and always does so in a friendly accommodating manner. She’s a very valuable member of the team at WCAR!

So, with the foundation now laid, I know that 2018 will be another year of outstanding performance from our WCAR Staff, and working alongside our terrific Board and Committee Chairs, we will continue to work toward my vision of making WCAR the best local association in the state of Tennessee.

Here’s wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

Rob Wigton

WCAR EVP