Content presented by NAIOP Maryland
Prior to its formation in 1985, NAIOP Maryland was known as the National Association of Industrial Properties (NAIP). A local chapter of the national commercial real estate association, the group provided valuable networking opportunities and legislative work, but its leaders wanted to do more. In the mid-1980s, grassroots efforts and the addition of a single letter to the organization’s acronym helped NAIOP Maryland flourish.
Ed Ely, Vice President of The Rouse Co., was one of Maryland commercial real estate professionals who recognized the need to form an alliance among local developers for networking and lobbying activities.
“Legislation was being introduced in Annapolis every year with the potential to make our life more difficult and commercial real estate developments more expensive, and we thought strength in numbers and the ability to speak with one voice made a lot of sense,” explained Ely by phone from his residence in Orlando, Florida.
In addition to The Rouse Company, he ticked off a veritable “who’s-who” of prominent names active in the association at that time. They included Don Clark and Len Gerber, McCormick Properties; Scott Dorsey and Leroy Merritt, Merritt Properties; and Bob Becker and Ed St. John, then known as MIE Properties, Richard and Donald Manekin, Manekin, LLC; and Pat Hughes, BTR Realty/MART. Attorney Ira Cook, along with a committee of principals from member firms, handled legislative activities.
“I clearly remember proposed legislation that required a union member to address nearly every asset or property management issue that arose in a building,” Ely said. “So, for instance, if a lightbulb burnt out or a toilet got clogged, the building owner would have been required to hire a worker attached to a union to fix the problem. This would have made the most simplest problem extremely expensive to address. We batted down the bill every year and, the following session, it was introduced again like clockwork.”
In the early 1980s, according to Ely, the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) was the “go-to” commercial real estate association and NAIP was the upstart. Most of the commercial real estate development activities were centered in Baltimore City and County, and the Baltimore-Washington corridor.
The group “struggled mightily” to attract membership from Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. In an effort to make the group more attractive, and encourage additional office developers to join, the “O” was added to the association acronym. Eventually, the suburban Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia markets formed their own chapters.
NAIOP Maryland was born in 1985 and Steve Hartman, then a Principal for MIE Properties was elected as the association’s first president.
The association organized eight to 10 events annually, with a focus on networking and educational sessions. According to Ely, who served on the board with Hartman, these gatherings were held at various locations around the region. Special programming was added, including annual sessions on the “State of the Market” and a holiday party celebrating the Best Development Projects of that year.
The greater Baltimore commercial real estate industry has always been known for its congeniality, Ely recalled, and the existence of NAIOP Maryland is a primary reason.
“Even though my competitors were fierce rivals targeting the same tenants, I considered the executives working there as good friends,” he said. “Especially when the savings and loan crisis severely impacted the market and we were scrambling for our lives, I knew I could call anyone at any company and receive sound advice.”
