Issues of the day included the development of research delving into municipalities and their infrastructure (as it relates to commercial real estate and property ownership), as well as global economic trends and development challenges. The consensus: NAR should be a strong, solid national association on these issues and should generate proprietary research data to lead the industry.

The recently released and comprehensive 2007 Commercial Member Profile was presented and will be made available on REALTOR.org, through the NAR Research and RCA channels.

Questions raised by the group included: What can be learned from countries who have been dealing with soaring energy and oil prices that now confront the U.S.? How will these rising prices affect the urban planning and development of U.S. cities and, in turn, the work of commercial real estate professionals? How can NAR help members know what to expect, drawing lessons from how the industry has dealt and adapted around the world?

A workgroup (including representatives from all NAR affiliates) will be formed to oversee research on these questions, to be solidified into a member survey in the next 60 days. The goal: to identify the most pressing commercial real estate issues. This workgroup will also "fill the gap" between the subcommittee's twice-yearly meetings and ensure that research is compiled and reported in the timeliest manner.

And thank you to the Honolulu contingent for supplying macadamia nuts for the group and lucky guests!