Proving that Friday the 13^th doesn’t have to be unlucky, CREW Boston’s CREW Network Committee hosted an engagingCoffee with CREW with special guests Holly Neber of AEI and Dianne Crocker of LightBox on November 13^th.  Leveraging CREW Network has been invaluable to both Holly and Dianne on their career paths, providing them with connections well outside of their chapters, opportunities to hone their leadership skills and the courage to embrace new challenges.
  
As an active member of East Bay CREW and Immediate Past President of CREW Network and CREW Network Board of Directors, Holly spoke to the value of joining CREW Network Committees (e.g., Audit and Finance, Communications/Editorial, Industry Research, Nominating, Member Education, Recognition, Scholarship Selection, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force), assuming leadership positions within the Network, as well as registering to participate in the next Leadership Summit in February 2021 (virtual event). Dianne, an active CREW Boston member and a past member of the CREW Network Member Education Committee, stressed the value of having a strong CREWBiz Profile, leveraging the incredible power of CREW Network for reaching experts on a particular topic of interest, accessing the CREWBiz community to give and get business (https://crewbiz.crewnetwork.org/), and being proactive about engaging with members across the Network in virtually every niche of commercial real estate. No matter what challenges you might face at work, and even if you work at a local firm, there are likely CREW Network members in similar roles who might be interested in sharing experiences and advice, especially in this time of isolation. Whatever you need, get comfortable with reaching out to members outside of your chapter because “No call to a CREW member is ever a cold call.” CREWBiz is a valuable tool for setting up coffee meetings with someone you could do business with or just learn from, and help is available to create and/or update your profile via CREW Boston’s CREW Network committee (https://www.crewboston.org/News/NEWiRE-News/News/Update-your-CREWbiz-Profile-Today!). Members also may take advantage of virtual programs that you can attend anywhere, including other chapters’ events, so get in the habit of following other CREW Network chapters via social media channels.    
 
In closing the conversation, Holly and Dianne touched upon the findings of the Benchmark Study which is such an important mission of CREW, as the only industry association focused on pay parity. The results showed that women remain at one-third of the workforce in our industry, and according to Holly, “Our efforts to build the pipeline must continue, and that pipeline must be diverse. Companies must also review their hiring and promotion practices for unconscious bias.” Only through fact-based analysis of all forms of compensation can employers know where gaps exist, and work to fix them. 
 
Holly and Dianne also reinforced the importance of mentoring and supporting women in real estate which will ultimately benefit the industry at large. Attendees left with valuable tips on how to maximize the benefits of their CREW Network memberships outside the scope of the Boston chapter. As a member of CREW Network, you have access to 12,000 members globally, across 72 chapters in the US, UK and Canada, with more to come in Europe, India and Mexico City. There are myriad ways members can leverage their access to this powerful fabric of women committed to helping other women in commercial real estate worldwide.