2019 REALTOR Gala

Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® Installs 2019 Officers and Directors.

On Saturday, January 12, 2019, The Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® (HAAR) held their 2019 REALTOR®Gala.  This annual event is not only a celebration of the induction of their officers and directors but also serves as a kick off to the coming year.

The event was held at the Huntsville Botanical Garden and featured entertainment by Metropolitan DJ. A number of local dignitaries including the Mayor of Huntsville, Tommy Battle, Madison County Probate Judge Frank Barger and Huntsville City Administrator John Hamilton were in attendance. Also in attendance were Alabama Real Estate Commissioner Sue Smith, Alabama Association of REALTORS CEO, Jeremy Walker, Alabama Association of REALTORS President, Stacey Sanders and Northern RVP RaJane Hampton.

Each year, the incoming President chooses a theme to represent what they would like to accomplish in the coming year. 2019 President, Cindi Peters-Tanner has chosen the theme “Make It Happen”.  Tanner explained that “for each person the ‘It’ part of that theme will be different. Personally and professionally we all have things we want to accomplish or ‘happen’. So this year we are going to be in charge of Making It Happen”. Tanner also encouraged attendees to get involved at the association, invest in ARPAC and to be professional. Tanner said “We are all Realtors and professionals in the real estate industry, serving our clients best interests is our number one responsibility.  If we raise the level of professionalism between ourselves we will raise it towards our clients and the public as well.” Tanner closed her speech by saying, “Everyday we wake up and start fresh, just because you had a bad experience yesterday does not mean you can’t have a great experience today. We each choose how we approach every day, every transaction and every call. I hope you choose to be positive, excited and engaged at the association, that you will MAKE IT HAPPEN for yourself and your clients this year”.

In addition to the induction of the officers and directors the winner of the Broker Excellence Award was named. This is only the second time this award has been given and is meant to recognize a broker leader each year that stands for professionalism, agent training, leadership and association involvement. This year’s winner is REALTOR® Jim Hoekenschnieder with Legend Realty. Jim Hoekenschnieder has been a REALTOR® for 14 years, and held the position of Qualifying Broker for 10 of those years. In the area of professionalism, this broker leads by example, and expects integrity from each agent. Education is a key component to the brokerage’s brand and success. Hoekenschnieder stood out among all of the other nominees and we are honored to have him as a member and as the winner of the Broker Excellence Award.

After the induction of twenty-six officers and directors, attendees celebrated with plenty of music and dancing. The Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® is excited for 2019 and looks forward to a growing market and being a part of the vibrant “Rocket City”. 

Those inducted to serve on the 2019 HAAR Board of Directors are as follows:

Officers: Cindi Peters-Tanner, President; Sha Jarboe, President-Elect; Zelda Lanza, MLS President; and Isaac Winkles, Secretary/Treasurer.

Directors:  Heather Batchelor, Zach Bingham, Joannie Blackwell, Melanie Brooks, Tim Brown, Loraine Cordule, Brenda Elliott, John Evans, Jr., Tamara Fox, Judy Fudge, Lore Hislop, Chris Hulser, Jim Johnson, Jay Jones, Kim Leach, Terry Lewis, Kathy Mann, Valerie Miles
Regina Mitchell, Jean Nelson, Monica Sanford and Robert Simons

The Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® is a 2,000+ member organization of real estate professionals engaged in every aspect of the industry, including residential/commercial sales and leasing, appraisal, etc. They also maintain ValleyMLS.com, the leading real estate source in North Alabama.


Click HERE to view photos from the 2019 REALTOR Gala.