News
More than 150 real estate professionals who gathered Thursday morning shared a common virtue: hope.
Real Estate Lives, a Tampa nonprofit dedicated to career outreach for displaced real estate professionals, held its second annual breakfast to honor volunteers who have helped retrain and support scores of workers. The group has helped more then 400 workers find jobs in and out of real estate.
Tampa lawyer Ron Weaver co-founded the network in November 2008. The all-volunteer group has collected more than $30,000 in donations from some of the area's largest real estate companies to provide support services. Its roster has swelled to nearly 1,000 members.
An operations coordinator for a Tampa placement agency urged attendees not to give up in their job pursuit. But Shelley Roth-Kocsis cautioned that many may find new jobs in different fields with different salaries.
"Suck it up," she said. "There is work out there. Hang in there. Keep your chins up."
Real Estate Lives has held more than 300 meetings, networking events and small-group sessions. Real estate groups from around the country are seeking information on how to duplicate the network, Weaver said.
The group maintains a job board with hundreds of listings on its website. Job seekers must register and provide a resume to gain access.
The fact that hundreds of real estate professionals are seeking work didn't deter Mark Murphy of Valrico from networking at the event. The former hospital administrator heard about the meeting through other networks.
"There are a lot of people here who know a lot of people," he said.
Bill Muehling agreed.
The Dunedin man has been out of work in the construction field since October and expects to start his new construction-related job in January. He left the real estate field years ago but attended to reconnect.
Muehling praised the group's passion for helping people.
"It's just a network of people," he said. "It's very uplifting."
Loading...
