Members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors' Los Gatos/Saratoga district continue their longtime tradition of passing the gavel from past district chairs on to the district's incoming chair. On Nov. 30, the gavel was handed down to Mary Kay Groth, a Realtor with Sereno Group.
Before the ceremony, 2016 district chair Suzanne Yost, a Realtor with Alain Pinel Realtors Los Gatos, welcomed the more than 60 members of the local trade association who were present and thanked them for their support. 2016 was a very successful year for the district, said Yost.
Yost noted high attendance at the bi-monthly Realtor tour meetings and successful events like the district's annual bocce ball tournament and the annual pumpkin auction. The pumpkin auction this year raised a record $6,195 for Operation Reindeer, a program that helps about 100 families in the area with food, clothing and gifts for the holidays. The local Realtor district has supported Operation Reindeer for many years.
Yost also thanked this year's district council members, composed of Realtors and affiliate members doing business in the Los Gatos and Saratoga areas. This year's council included Groth, Alan Barbic (Sereno Group), Ryan Nunnally (Alain Pinel Realtors), David Tonna (Alain Pinel Realtors), Pelin Erdal (Sereno Group), Audrey Hutton (The Hutton Mortgage Team) and David Messer (Intero Real Estate Services).
The Los Gatos/Saratoga Realtor district is the largest of five districts in the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR), with approximately 1,900 Realtor and affiliated professionals. The local trade association, which is based in Cupertino, has over 5,000 Realtor and affiliate members, engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
The passing of the gavel began with Marlene Rodman (Sereno Group), 1994 president and the last president of the Los Gatos/Saratoga Board of Realtors before the Realtor boards merged to form SILVAR. Rodman passed the gavel on to past district chairs Jeff Barnett (Alain Pinel Realtors), David Tonna (Alain Pinel Realtors), Doug Evans (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Karen Trolan (Alain Pinel Realtors), Alan Barbic (Sereno Group). Barbic then passed it to Yost, who handed the gavel to Groth.
Groth has over 25 years in real estate experience. She began working in property management and moved into residential real estate with Cornish & Carey Los Gatos. Now at Sereno Group, she continues to hold as her core value: "To treat others as I want to be treated."
Groth thanked everyone in advance for their support and invited them to be just as active and involved in district activities in 2017. She paid tribute to the late John Tripp, a longtime resident of Los Gatos and a past district chair and past association president. Groth said Tripp was instrumental in her decision to seek the district chair position.
During her term Groth said she wants to promote education and high standards of ethics and professionalism among members. Groth also thanked this year's event sponsors: Sereno Group Los Gatos – Diamond Sponsor; Keller Williams Bay Area Estates – Platinum Sponsor; and Alain Pinel Realtors Los Gatos and Meriwest Mortgage – Gold Sponsors.
As a district chair of SILVAR, Groth is responsible for conducting the district's Realtor tour meetings in the upcoming year. She will also represent local homeowners' interests and the Los Gatos and Saratoga Realtors at the state Realtor association meetings as a California Association of Realtors Region 9 director.
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 email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.