Daily Real Estate News  |  November 10, 2008  |   McMillan: It's About Building Bridges
“REALTORS® must build a bridge to the future—over the chasm of today’s market challenges—so that tomorrow’s real estate industry will be empowered to move forward into its second century,” NAR’s 2009 President Charles McMillan told a glittering throng of friends at his Inaugural celebration at the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando.

But looking forward doesn’t mean “forgetting those that brung us,” McMillan reminded the audience.

McMillan said his first inspiration in life was his mother, Ethel Magnolia, now 86. “She showed me you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to work. She’s my definition of a hero,” he said.

McMillan also recounted the wisdom shared with him by mentors such as NAR presidents Phil Smaby (19767), Nestor Weigand (1988), Norm Flynn (1990) and Richard Mendenhall (2002).

“Richard has been a personal and professional guide whose wise counsel has never faltered and never failed,” said McMillian. He also recalled that Flynn had provided “unsolicited encouragement that often comes back to me now in times of doubt.”

Ready for the Challenge

McMillian is no stranger to tough times. He entered the real estate industry in 1983, at a time when double-digit interest rates had virtually stalled home sales. How did he succeed? A combination of optimism and naiveté, he says, which makes him equally positive about today’s difficult markets.

“People are always going to need to buy and sell, and that’s what we’re here to help them do,” he said.

McMillan’s son, Charles B. McMillan, introduced his father at the inaugural reception. He recounted stories of the “tough love” and sacrifice McMillan made for his family. “When he was in the Navy, he’d often work a second job to provide for his family. I’ve always respected him for that,” said the younger McMillan.

Taking NAR to a New Level

Other people who knew McMillan well also shared their insights into the man who will be NAR’s 101^st president”: “Charles and I both started at the bottom of the Greater Forth Worth Association ladder, and I followed him up the leadership ranks,” Texas Representative Rob Orr told his fellow REALTORS®. “Now, Charles is becoming president of NAR, and I know he’ll take the association to heights it’s never seen before.”

McMillan, CIPS, GRI, who is now principal broker of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas/Fort Worth, has served as the president of the Greater Fort Worth and Texas Associations of REALTORS® and was named a TAR Life Director in 2002.

Nationally, he’s served on NAR’s Executive Committee, chaired numerous national committees, and has been a member of the International Operations Division from 2002-2007, attending conferences and serving as an international representative for NAR in today’s global real estate market.

No Sitting on Sidelines

“Charles McMillan has faced many challenges along the road that has brought him to this appointment with destiny,” Texas Association of REALTORS® CEO Benny McMahan told the crowd before swearing in the new president. “At one stressful point, I suggested that he might want to step away from the burdens of his long-term commitment to the association, and he said to me: ‘It’s impossible for me to just sit on the sidelines; it’s just not the way I’m made.’ Charles is a unique individual who values service to others more than himself,” concluded McMahan.

—Mariwyn Evans