we are GaREIA Jan/Feb 2015 21
Karen Yaap, Executive Director, Georgia Real Estate Investors Association (GaREIA)
770-451-8800, [email protected], www.gareia.org
WeAreGaREIA: Yes, I notice your strength is connecting to people. You were one of the first people
I spoke with when I came back to GaREIA. You gave me great direction as you have done with so many others. Are there any reflections on GaREIA you would like to share Karen?
Karen Yaap: I have seen GaREIA in its ‘hey day’ with 3,000 members and seven fellow staff members,
and was around in 2008-09, when the recession hit many of our members hard -- and membership numbers declined rapidly. Slowly but surely, things began to pick up by 2011 and 2012, with the dedication of Board members, volunteers, and staff. Like a train leaving the station, slowly at first,
and then reaching high speed, the momentum began and continues today. Previous members have
been re-joining, and new members are always attracted to GaREIA. We are developing new programs and services for our members and for the public. I believe GaREIA is an institution and hope that it is
around forever; if I have anything to do with it, it will be. As I mentioned in the History of GaREIA
article, GaREIA has a worthy mission, always has and always will, to help people succeed in their
dream of creating wealth through real estate investing. I am proud to be a part of that mission. My philosophy is if there’s a job to be done, you do it to the best of your ability. I have given my all to GaREIA and will continue to do so. Many others believe and work as I do, from Board members to volunteers to other staff members, and it is invaluable when you have a great team around you. For anyone taking a look at GaREIA, I can tell you many people owe their success to GaREIA, many people believe strongly in GaREIA, and it really is a great community to be a part of!
WeAreGaREIA: This has been very informative. What can you end this interview with?
Karen Yaap: I will end with this humorous story. Back in the 2000’s we held an annual Southeastern Convention and Trade Show. It was a weekend event, with 800-1000 attendees, vendors, and 18-20 national speakers. It was a huge amount of work to prepare for such a big event, and I was in charge
of the speakers. That meant contracts to be signed, products to be shipped, inventoried, and stored
in the bookstore portion at the event; travel arrangements, speakers’ material for the event binder,
sales order forms, etc, etc, etc. The staff would stay at the hotel during the event. So, it is the day
before the event begins. I was down in the product inventory room all evening, counting all the
speaker products and organizing it so that the pick-up process and accounting for the products would happen smoothly over the weekend. I headed back up to my room around midnight to do last minute paperwork, spreadsheets, etc. We needed to be downstairs at the event by 6:30 am so I worked
through the night and set my alarm for 5 am. I lied down in bed at 4:55 am and thought “if I could just close my eyes for a few minutes….”; of course I didn’t sleep a wink – with all the last minute
preparations and wanting to be totally prepared! So the event begins that morning with all the excitement of attendees, speakers, vendors, etc. Adrenaline kept me going until…. It was early afternoon, I passed one of the speakers in the hall and we were talking. All of a sudden I began to tear up and started crying. I was just exhausted. Well, sometimes men don’t quite know what to do when
a woman cries, but he was very gracious and tried to be comforting saying ‘should I get someone to
help you?’ I quickly composed myself, apologized, and said I just had not had any sleep last night with all the preparations for the event. So as a coincidence about an hour later, I ran into the same speaker, but this time his wife was with him. And I don’t know why, but in the course of a conversation with her, sure enough, I started tearing up and began crying – again!! She says ‘honey, go get something to eat’. At that point, I found the Executive Director and told her what had happened, and she directed me to
go to my room, order room service, and take a nap – which I did! Best nap I ever had, and it got me through the rest of the day! So this story is a good example of my philosophy about work – you do whatever you need to do to get the job done! And it also is just one of many, many funny stories and experiences I have had at GaREIA!
WeAreGaREIA: GaREIA has seen a lot of seasons and we are on an upswing right now. It is an organization that has birthed a lot of successful investors. I am amazed at how many people have purchased their first homes and become debt free because of the trainings we offer at GaREIA. Is there anything I have left out Karen?
Karen Yaap: I have had a lot of great times at GaREIA and I know I have many more to look forward to.
I hope everyone reading this will join our community – and get involved! The more you give, the more you get back. I look forward to meeting you. Please contact me if I can be of service to you in any way!
You can learn more about GaREIA on our website or our YouTube channel. We also offer some great ONLINE
courses, in addition to all the live classes at the GaREIA Headquarters. Stay connected with us and informed
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