ISELIN, N.J., March 31, 2010 – The Industrial and Office Brokers Association of the New York Metropolitan Area (IOREBA) accepted five new associate members from various financial companies. With roots dating back to 1927, IOREBA is one of the nation’s largest regional commercial real estate groups; its more than 300 members conduct business in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
 
“Finance and real estate go hand in hand, and it is always great to put our existing members in touch with new financing professional members,” stated Charles Logan Jr., president of IOREBA and chief executive officer for The Aztec Corporation. “Our monthly meetings are well attended, which make for great networking and potential business opportunities. It is also a great time to talk about the status of the economy, how each company has weathered the storm and where the opportunities might be.”
 
“I have been a guest speaker at one of IOREBA’s events and have seen how valuable the membership is,” said Phil Romano, vice president at Investors Savings Bank. “Some of the members encouraged me to join, and it has been very helpful with my business.”
 
As social media is changing the way companies do business, last year IOREBA established a LinkedIn group for members to continue to network outside of events. In fact, new member Shergoh Alkilani first found out about IOREBA through the site.
 
“I noticed a contact of mine was in the IOREBA group on LinkedIn,” noted Alkilani. “I viewed IOREBA’s group page, and was very impressed by the members, so I applied to become a member the next day.”
 
Like all IOREBA members, the latest additions participated in a rigorous approval process before they were accepted. They include:
 
·        Shergoh Alkilani, principal at The Alkova Companies in Alpine, N.J.;
·        Steven Goldstein, property manager at Cantor Companies in Linden, N.J.;
·        Deborah Nexon, originator at G.S. Wilcox & Co. in Morristown, N.J.;
·        Phil Romano, first vice president at Investors Savings Bank in Short Hills, N.J.;
·        Ryan Greer, mortgage broker with Meridian Capital Group, LLC in Iselin, N.J.
 
IOREBA recently introduced a flexible fee schedule and lower pricing for events, to ensure members can still afford to attend in a struggling economy. Members also have the value-added benefit of exposure in the “Members” section of www.ioreba.com. Company listings, headshots and bios of each member are featured there. Members can also post company press releases in a recently established Member News section. Both of these areas can be viewed by all visitors to the Web site.