CHAPEL HILL - It was a festive pre-Thanksgiving meeting of the Greater Chapel Hill Association of Realtors that saw, for the first time, the installation of officers usually reserved for the December holiday gathering. Mark Zimmerman, president of RE/MAX Winning Edge of Chapel Hill, was installed as the 55th president of the association in a luncheon ceremony Nov. 17 at the Holiday Inn.

In handing over the gavel, Eric Miller said that while presidency had been gratifying, he was thankful to be turning over the reins early to Zimmerman, whose "long business and professional experience I have relied upon often during the past year." One of the most noticeable accomplishments under Miller's shortened tenure is the association's purchase of condominium office and meeting space at 112 Perkins Drive adjacent to Chapel Hill North off Weaver Dairy Road.

"The new place should serve our 700-member organization well and provide much-needed meeting space for us and for other non-profits and grass-roots community organizations we do business with," Miller said. In addition to office and meeting space for about 30 people, there will also be a Realtor store, where members can buy needed supplies for their businesses with the profits going to support the association, according to Sue Millager, the association's executive director. The association will move into its new space early next year.

Ace Robbins, broker/owner of Prudential Carolinas Realty and a long-time leader of the Chapel Hill association, led the installation ceremonies, after which Zimmerman thanked his peers for giving him the opportunity to serve.

"I look forward to working with all of you next year," Zimmerman said. "Be thankful you're a Realtor. You could have been working for Lehman Brothers, or one of the many other now defunct corporations on which people relied for their livelihoods. "As Realtors, you have always made your own business. You are professionals, whose assets include knowledge, skills and experience that others need. Things may be tougher right now, but being self-reliant is a blessing in a time when one cannot depend on institutions for security.

"Be thankful we work in this southern part of heaven. This year has shown we are not immune to catching an economic fever, but ours is lower than most of the rest of the country. We caught it later, and it will not last as long... Collectively we have the strength to persevere and prosper," Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman did not break with the tradition of accepting the presidential pin from his spouse; and he gave tribute to her, saying, "Everyone in this life needs a support system. I am so fortunate mine comes with such a radiant smile." Zimmerman has been married to his wife, Leslie, for 25 years. He also writes a monthly My View column for The Chapel Hill News.

Zimmerman, whose extensive work history includes 15 years with top ad agencies in New York and Chicago, became a member of the Realtor association in 2005. He owns and operates RE/MAX Winning Edge in Chapel Hill -- the first successful Re/Max in Chapel Hill, according to Millager. "Mark is new to real estate although he comes by it honestly -- his mother, Lynn Zimmerman-Tate, has been active and successful in real estate in Chapel Hill since the early 1980's."

Timothy D. Kent, executive vice president of the North Carolina Association of Realtors, describes Zimmerman as "an extraordinary leader with a unique ability to articulate the key issues facing real estate. In a challenging time such as this, Mark is the right person at the right time to lead the REALTOR community in the greater Chapel Hill area."

Robbins also installed the following officers and directors: Bill Whitmore of Fonville Morisey Realty, President Elect; Claudia Groeber of The Home Team, Treasurer; Eric Miller of Terra Nova Global Properties, Past President; Allan Nanney of Keller Williams, Assistant Treasurer; Mairead Garvey Coldwell Banker-Howard Perry & Walston, Director; Virginia Ferguson of York Simpson Underwood, Director; Terry Crook Coldwell Banker Realty Center, Director; Maggie Tunstall of Realty World Carolinas, Director; Pat Neagle of RE/MAX Winning Edge, Director; Chad Lloyd of Fonville Morisey, Director; and Jessica Bryan of House to Home Realty, Director.

The keynote speaker at the luncheon was historian Freddie Kiger, who spoke about the intertwined development of Chapel Hill and UNC. He ended his history lesson with the story of the Davie Poplar and a metaphorical allusion to the Realtors as its seedlings:

"It is said that as long as that tree lives, Chapel Hill will live. And it still survives even though in the 1870s it was hit by lightening, and nearly split in two. In 1902 high winds took away some of its large limbs. Today we find the tree loaded with concrete and bound by thick cables, but still green -- still alive. And nearby is Davie Poplar Junior and Davie Poplar III, and its seedlings have been planted in all 100 counties of this state, proving as Charles Kuralt said, 'This is the university of the people of North Carolina.'

You are a human extension of that Davie Poplar. You are its seedlings that say 'welcome' and 'goodbye;' and when those who go away find they can't wash this place out of their hearts and souls, you are here to welcome them back again."

Sally Keeney can be reached at shkeeney@yahoo.com