In December of 2007, after joining the newly established American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners, I volunteered to start up the first ASHSR chapter in Georgia:  The Metro Atlanta Chapter. 

My goal was to bring together as many home stagers in the Atlanta area as I could for the purpose of networking, support and education.  Our members stretched as far north as John's Creek, as far east as Lake Oconee, as far south as Newnan and as far west as Smyrna.  Our chapter membership more than doubled over the year with some thanks to the increase in new HSR members as well as some much appreciated networking done by our dear friend Carolyn Higgins at Brook Furniture Rental. 

Over the past year, we had meetings via teleconference as well as informal coffee chats to vendor-sponsored lunches.  Our chapter gave back to our community by donating redesign services as well as obtaining donations of furnishings and accessories to the new Sandy Springs office for the Georgia Cancer Foundationand their new Angel Boutique.  We spent time discussing business strategies, ways to market our businesses, ways to educate about home staging as well as mentoring new stagers.  All in all, it was a very productive year and I'm so grateful to have been able to be a part of it and to those that contributed to it.

This past December, I was offered an opportunity to work with RESA as the National VP of Membership.  After the awesome SIF RT held here in Atlanta in November, thanks to Kathy Nielsen of Georgia Interior Solutions and Southeast RVP for RESA and Karen Dembsky of Peachtree Home Stagingand GA state president for RESA, I knew that it was important that I not just become a RESA member but be a part of the organization.  I truly believe that you get more out of something when you participate and contribute and I look forward to spending time this year working under this fabulous organization which is making daily strides to the growth, development and integrity of the home staging industry. 

I have chosen to step down as Chapter President for ASHSR for 2009, to give the opportunity for another stager to take over the reigns of the group and to bring some new direction and vision for the new year!  I'm so happy to announce that Annette Burnett of Sellers Advantage Home Staging stepped forward to take over the position. 

Annette is a fabulously talented home stager with many creative, out of the box ideas for marketing and networking home staging/redesign businesses.  She trained under IRIS for redesign and as well as trained under HSRas a home stager.  Annette was also a consistently active ASHSR chapter member this past year as well as current RESA member.  She is a big believer in education:  not only educating the public about what we do but for stagers to continue to be educated! 

I'm looking forward to the things she's got lined up for the Metro Atlanta ASHSR chapter this year.  BTW, this chapter remains the only active ASHSR chapter in the Atlanta area...all professional home stagers in the Atlanta area are welcomed to join!  Check out the Metro Atlanta chapter page for updates on dates, times and locations.

December 2008 Holiday chapter luncheon;  Cheesecake Factory in Buckhead.

Member Attendees:

Left: Dana Nelson, Abby Reilly, Annette Lomenick, Larisa Hutton, and Joanna Lindsey.

Right: Melanie McGann, Nadine Viruet, Annette Burnett, Nan Johnston and Kathy Lockwood.

(Thanks to Larisa for sharing her picture and for giving me permission to post it!  She was the only one that remembered to bring a camera!)