Carl Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), challenged members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® at a meeting in Palo Alto last week, to take the time to accomplish meaningful goals that can make a difference in their communities, professionally, and personally.
Every person has 168 hours in the week to accomplish everyday tasks, said Guardino. Each person can invest their talent and time. The investment of time is the most precious commodity, he said.
The Silicon Valley Leadership Group was organized in 1978 to involve senior officers and managers of companies with local, regional, state, and federal government officials to address major public policy issues affecting the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley. It is the leadership group's vision to ensure the economic health and a high quality of life in Silicon Valley by advocating for adequate affordable housing, comprehensive regional transportation, reliable energy, a quality K-12 and higher education system, a prepared workforce, a sustainable environment, and business and tax policies that keep California and Silicon Valley competitive. Guardino said many of the SVLG's accomplishments in the span of over three decades have been "game changers."
SVLG established the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, which has a made a difference in creating affordable housing opportunities in the region. Since 2000 it has leveraged more than $1.8 billion so that 9,369 families have homes in Silicon Valley, said Guardino.
Bringing BART to Silicon Valley is major a game changer, Guardino proudly noted. SVLG led the successful sales-tax ballot measure campaigns in 2000 and 2008 in support of a 16.1-mile BART extension to the region. Groundbreaking took place on April 12, with completion for the first 10-mile portion set fro 2016. The 2,500 construction jobs the project will bring each year for the next four years will make a permanent impact in the valley, he said.
Guardino spoke of yet another game changer - his own personal involvement in "1,000 Hearts for 1,000 Minds," a joint effort launched by Councilmember Sam T. Liccardo and Guardino last year to connect 1,000 caring adults with 1,000 San Jose K-8 students to improve their literacy, math, and science skills. Guardino said it only takes a human touch and a little bit of time, but the children tutored make great strides and even leap as many as two full grades in just 10 weeks of personal tutoring.
In this next decade Guardino wants SVLG to continue to have a lasting impact in the quality of life in the region and help address the ongoing three top concerns of businesses about the region, namely transportation, housing and education. He challenged the REALTORS® to do the same.
"We have very little time. You can really make a difference, through the California Association of REALTORS®, your local REALTOR® board, professionally and individually. Here's my simple challenge: To see what a difference we can make collectively, professionally and personally. Have ambitious goals and take them on like you never have," Guardino told the REALTORS®.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.