As we reach the end of one year and look to a new one, I wanted to share a few personal thoughts with the trailblazing team that helped make H.O.M.E. Inc.’s vision and mission a reality. Our country and our community face many economic challenges. Fixing the housing market and helping consumers will be pivotal to success. I strongly believe that we can make a difference. We have to blaze some trails to make it happen. Thanks to your help and support, we’re well on our way!

Major changes… and a lot of time… will be required to get out of the worst economic conditions since the depression. The increase in home foreclosures in our county (and elsewhere) is the result of a housing problem that has been at the heart of a world financial crisis. There’s plenty of blame to go around, as summarized by USA Today earlier this week:

o Investment bankers created bundles of subprime mortgages and other toxic financial instruments, and then peddled them as low-risk, high-return investments, fueling the housing bubble and infecting the global financial system.

o Lenders could give virtually anyone a loan that they could sell at a profit, while offloading the risk by selling the mortgage.

o Some borrowers bought more house than they could afford or financed investment properties with no clue about what they were doing. Others were misled about, or misunderstood, the financial implications for their mortgage when the economic cycle turned down.

o Congress and some regulatory agencies were lax as they oversaw a failed experiment in self-regulation. 

We see the results on the news every day. Credit is less available to businesses and consumers, homes are worth less, retirement accounts are devastated, too many homes are in foreclosure and consumers are forced to spend less… causing companies to layoff employees and even go out of business. Getting back on track will take time. Financial institutions will suffer from weak earnings, resulting in low stock prices. Families will be required to downgrade their personal living experience. With less credit availability and high credit card debt, they are reducing big ticket purchases and home remodeling. Buying decisions will focus on necessities for a long time. Regulators will introduce new rules and regulations in an attempt to fix the problems that got us here. Historically the capital system tends to accept these regulations, pay the associated costs and then find ways to get new/acceptable products and services to the market. Transparency and accountability are absolutely a must.

We’ve all seen that companies which change to provide superior value to their customers win… while those that don’t innovate decline and eventually disappear. In today’s environment those who didn’t change are really being put to the test.

o General Motors, Ford and Chrysler were not quick to change, even as they lost market share to imports. Then, they struggled to catch up on quality and costs, and didn’t meet customer needs as well as the imports. We all know where they stand now.

o I started my career at Sears but left after 13 years because the company was no longer innovative. When Wal-Mart started entering rural markets Sears wasn’t worried. Those markets were “too small.” Sears didn’t see that they needed to change to compete. Now Sears may not be here for the next holiday season.

This crisis will create new opportunities and an increased willingness to change! Now is the time to increase the stock of affordable houses for income-qualified families in Collier County. The Federal government recognizes the importance of family home ownership and is providing billions of dollars to turn foreclosed homes into decent and affordable living units. We now have a new model that works. 

We will have to blaze some trails to successfully accelerate our efforts. As trailblazers we must challenge ideas, not people. The idea that government and business cannot embrace and support change must be challenged. Overcoming today’s tough problems will take government, business and non-profits working together. If something is important, stick to the bow of the boat and guide it to your successful destination. We are blessed to have a Housing Director in Collier County who sees an opportunity and seizes it, in spite of the challenges of leading a trailblazing team. 

Our first house has been a learning experience, with all the associated ups and downs. It required change, which is always disruptive and stressful. H.O.M.E. Inc. was a different type of organization with a new and unproven model. We asked many people and organizations to make some changes to give our model a chance. And we had to learn how best to work together to make the  model a success. I want to thank all of you trailblazers for making the changes necessary to put us on the road to turning the problem of increased Collier County home foreclosures into quality affordable housing. We can all be proud that we got our first home done… we did it together… and we are well positioned to accelerate the availability of H.O.M.E. Inc. affordable housing in 2009 and beyond.

H.O.M.E. Inc.’s first house sale is my personal dream coming to fruition. I see the fulfillment of our shared passion for helping income-qualified families live in a decent, affordable home. As a family who celebrates Christmas, it will contribute to making this Christmas and Holiday Season the best of my life. I must admit that another reason for my “personal best” Holiday Season is the birth of our first (and probably only) granddaughter last year. We will celebrate Christmas together for the first time this year. I am blessed by many events and want to take time this holiday season to give thanks for the support of the team who made this dream a reality. This blessing is a result of a huge team of people who helped us blaze the trail… early on and through the entire learning experience of making our first home a reality.

Everyone reading this will face change in their personal and work lives during these challenging times. I hope the experience of bringing up our first home has proven that when we do the right thing and are completely transparent and accountable, success is only limited to what our minds can imagine.

Many of you have heard me say some very direct things about what I think. My thoughts come from many years of business success… from trying and failing… from always looking for the better way. While I admit to many idea failures, I thrive on the good feelings that come from making new ideas successful. One thing you can always count on from me is honesty and sincerity. I have no second agendas. What you see is what you get. Trailblazers do not accept defeat. We leave poor ideas for better ones… we change as conditions change… and we celebrate success. Can more people become trailblazers? YES. Do we need more? YES. Why? We will make Collier County a better place to live and work.

I sincerely thank our team of trailblazers and look forward to many more successes and grateful Holiday Seasons. May GOD bless you and look out for you as we work our way through these turbulent times.