This will be the final entry in the series MLS Insight, about how things work at RMLS™.
Just over 24 years ago, I joined the RMLS™ staff as its seventh employee. I came on board when RMLS™ was just one year old! Today, RMLS™ is a vibrant organization celebrating its 25th anniversary, but I will no longer have a front row seat as I am retiring at the end of this month.
In 1992, I answered an ad for a part-time Administrative Secretary. My job was to staff the board meetings (take minutes, etc.) and to produce Market Action, which had just started publication. It was prepared much differently then. Reports were run from the old Stellar system and then the results were retyped into a Pagemaker file for publication. There was a lot of proofreading needed! Two people would sit and read numbers back and forth for a few hours each month.
I have not missed but maybe two or three board meetings in the last 24 years, and, if you know a current or former RMLS™ Director, I think you should say “Thank you!” I don’t think you could find a steadier, more thoughtful or dedicated group of volunteer leaders.
I will miss my workmates. The RMLS™ staff is a wonderful group. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to connect with many of our subscribers, and it has been my pleasure to serve the REALTOR® community. Best wishes to you all.
It is really great to be doing a vocation that one enjoys and is good at and appreciated, like you obviously were. I’m sure you will be missed. I hope you enjoy your next chapter in life and find it as rewarding for you as your devotion to RMLS. Best regards, Jeff Yake/Easy Street Real Estate
We’re going to miss you Gail! Thank you for the wisdom and guidance you’ve provided all RMLS staff over the last 24 years!
Gail thanks for your service, I remember when I was on the board of directors your support.
Thanks for a job well done.
good luck in the future.
Larry Janson
Gail! You have always been such a delight at meetings and events. You will absolutely be missed. But oh the garden awaits! Thank you and maybe our paths will cross once again. Congratulations!
Some people rock. Gail Hare IS a rock! In my years serving as an RMLS director, if I really needed to know something, I turned to Gail… and got an answer. She has served thousands of Realtors over the years and always with a smile! Thank you so much for all you have done a day enjoy your well deserved retirement!
Gail,
Your sweet smile and gentle ways about you will be missed. You always had the answers we needed and if not you never let us down because you took the time to find them, when you didn’t. Very few people in this world have the great work ethics you have shown. I pray you enjoy your new chapter of life, just know you will be missed! No one will ever fill your shoes, they might take the job but you set the bar to high! When you miss us, haha, just join us at a meeting.
Gail, You have certainly earned this next chapter in your life. Over the past 24 years of working with you, I’ve been awed by your technical knowledge and calm presence under pressure. You have served Realtors every single day of your career, with professionalism and a smile. You will be missed. All the best to you and your family!
Congratulations Gail! Thank you for all of your work.
Gail,
I will not be the same without you!
Thank you so much for your many years of patient service to the Realtors.
Have a fantastic retirement you deserve it.
Sincerely,
Craig Fahner
Gail,
Thank you for your many years of service. You did an outstanding job and you will be missed!
Gail,
It will not be the same without you. You will be greatly missed. I knew that you would always have the answers we needed. You have always been so helpful, mild mannered, kind and knowledgeable. Thank you for being there for all of us. I value your friendship and hope to see you at book club here and there!
Gail, I’m happy for you and your retirement and wish you nothing but the best during this new stage of your life but RMLS and REALTORS® certainly won’t be the same without you! We have had the benefit of your knowledge and your calm, positive demeanor for so long, we are spoiled but you deserve this …
Enjoy your future adventures!
Gail, On the few occasions I spoke with you I was so grateful for the experience and knowledge you brought to the situation, and to your attentiveness as well. Thank you for your years of wonderful service.
Enjoy your next adventure.
Thank you for your service Gail. From another longtimer in this profession! Hope you have many good adventures on the horizon.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Gail. Best wishes for Health! Happiness! Fun!
Gail,
It’s been a long time. What a small world it has been from helping you and Rob find your home, to having you be a big part of the “Realtor Life” I wish you the very best in this next chapter of your journey. I thank you for all your great service that you have provided to us over all these years. Enjoy yourselves and be sure and experience lots of fun adventures. Take care!
Sincerely,
Lyn Stevens
Congratulations on your retirement. We appreciate all the help you have provided us through the years. Go enjoy your freedom.
Thank You
Thank you for being a part or RMLS all these years! Thank you for serving us all!
We will miss you Gail. I have enjoyed working with you for my entire career including your interactions with the EMAR Board of Directors and also my service on RMLS committees. Enjoy your next stage. You deserve it!
Gail
Congratulations on your retirement. Thank for all your service to us all for all these years. RMLS is one of the best listing systems I have seen and you should be proud of that.
I hope your next phase in life is full of happiness and joy.
Gail,
Your contributions to RMLS are immeasurable. As president in 1992 I remember how much easier you made my job. Through countless board meetings and retreats you have always been the consistent person we could always count on. Although I have not been active in RMLS positions in recent years, anytime I think of RMLS as an organization I think of you. You have been a tremendous asset to RMLS. Take care and good luck in the future.
Sincerely, Ed Medak Medak Realty
Thank you so much, Gail. You will be missed. I wish you all the best as you set out on this new adventure…retirement!
Gail,
Wishing you the best in your next phase of life! Thanks for your service, for putting up with us, and for taking the MLS so far over the years.
Salud!
-Dawn Barry-Griffin, Portlandia Properties
Gail,
Thank you for your years of excellence, and your dedication to the RMLS and the greater Portland Metro area since 1992.
Your track record as to having not missed but only two or three Board Meetings in the last 24 years, indeed speaks for itself.
Best to you and yours, and again, thank you for the MLS insight particulars, saved in my favorites.
Gail,
I hope this next phase of your life is wonderful. You helped set the tone early on for how the RMLS staff interacted with members. You will be missed and thank you for everything!!
Thank you for all that you do. Your vast knowledge and leadership will be missed. Thanks for always making me feel like part of the RMLS family.
it was great working with you. our realtor community will miss your great experience. hope the next phase is filled with great things for you! miss ya. ward
Hi Gail ~ Thank you for your 24 years of service to our Realtor community. I am sure that you deserve every minute of your retirement & trust that you enjoy it.
Kind Regards
John C Carswell, Summa RealPro
We will miss you, Gail! It has been a wonderful journey with you playing such an important role in helping to shape our industry. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Garett Chadney
The Broker Network
Gail, we are going to miss you so much! Thank you for everything you have done for RMLS & our boards. It was great working with you. Lot’s of hugs! Debbie Price
Gail, thank you for serving our RMLS membership with great professionalism. You deserve the Muhammad Ali aware…The Greatest!
Gail,
In all my 26 years in this industry, you have been a main stay. Gary Taylor is right, “You are a rock”, our rock. You will be sorely missed. Congratulations and may the road ahead hold infinite happy surprises. Thank you for all you did for each and every one of us.
Gail,
You have enjoyed a wonderful career, helped RMLS grow to what it is today and bridged many a gaps on your way. You will be missed by your coworkers and by the many realtor you have supported over your career.
My best to you as you move to this new phase of your life. My hope for you is that you do lots and lots of whatever you want.
It’s hard to imagine RMLS without you, Gail! Thanks so much for your support and guidance during my years there. All the best in your new adventures!
Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments and well wishes. I am very touched, and go on to the next chapter in my life with many happy memories of my time at RMLS™.