2003 REALTOR of the YEAR, Daniel Boulais

Daniel Boulais, of Century 21 Franklin Street Associates in Pittsfield and Lenox has been chosen the 2003 Berkshire County Realtor® of the Year. Nominated and chosen by his colleagues, Dan is being honored for his commitment to civic-minded leadership in both the REALTOR® organization and in the Berkshire community.

Dan is most recognized among his peers for his commitment to community service, and has chaired the REALTOR® Community Service Committee for four years. In this position, Dan worked tirelessly on projects and events that promoted the REALTOR® image. In partnership with another organization in which Dan holds membership, the Civitan Club of Pittsfield, he is co-chair of the annual charity golf tournament which is the largest fund raiser for both groups, raising

Daniel Boulais
Daniel Boulais

over $7,000 for Berkshire charities every year. He also participates in the shopping, cooking and serving of dinner at a homeless shelter and is very active in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and Daffodil Days.

As project leader for the REALTOR® American Dream Team at the Relay for Life in June of this year, Dan camped out at Wahcohah High School to check-in walkers, provided food and support all night long, walked throughout the event and worked on the luminaria candles used to light the track. Initial figures show that the REALTOR® team raised $4500. The American Cancer Society Daffodil Days’ program not only reaches REALTORS®, but Dan also coordinates volunteers to sell them at the Berkshire Mall each year, having raised $2,552 in 2003.

As the President of the Central Council REALTORS®, he represents the needs of real estate professionals on the Board of Directors as well. He is also on the Professional Standards Committee for both the local and Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®, handling ethics and arbitration disputes and is active in government affairs as it relates to housing affordability. Dan was a 2002 nominee for the National “Good Neighbor Award” and serves on the Education Committee and chaired the Equal Opportunity Committee, teaching new agents about fair housing practices.

“The position I am most proud of is the Chairperson of the R.C.S. This committee has done more for the local community time after time and year after year. I have put a great deal of time into this committee to not only help the local community but also to promote the generosity and concern for our community that is felt by all REALTORS® of this Board.” – Dan

Apart from the REALTOR® organization, Dan is active in many organizations throughout the Berkshires. He is President-elect of the Civitan Club of Pittsfield, a non-profit organization helping those less fortunate with an emphasis on aid to the mentally and physically handicapped, youth leadership development and good citizenship. Through this organization, Dan has participated in Pittsfield Downtown Days, as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer, the Fishing Derby at Wild Acres Park for handicapped children, is a volunteer PC-TV television camera operator for the “Know your Berkshires” community program and assists the participants competing in the summer and winter Special Olympics Games, to name a few.

Dan is a member of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. He is resides in Pittsfield with his wife Laurie and his three girls, Jamie, Jaclyn and Danielle.

As the 2003 Berkshire County Realtor of the Year, Dan will now be competing for the Massachusetts REALTOR of the Year title at the State event held in September. The following REALTOR® members from Berkshire County have brought home this state award four times since it’s inception; the late Ester Quinn (1986), Nancy Kalodner (1988), Debbie Dwyer (1998) and Sherry Street (2001).

If you want to send congratulations and well wishes to Dan on his extraordinary work on behalf of our association and our community, you can e-mail him at mailto:Dboul40790@aol.com.

 

LOCAL ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES:

  • Annual Civitan / REALTOR® Golf Tournament Co-Chair –2001, 2002, 2003
  • Equal Opportunity Committee Chair – 2002
  • Orientation Committee – 2002 (Presented the Fair Housing section)
  • Education Committee Member – 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
  • Berkshire County REALTOR’S® Central Council President – 2003
  • Central Council Director on the BCBR Board of Directors – 2003
  • Professional Standards Committee – 2001, 2002, 2003
  • REALTOR® Community Service Member – 1997, 1998, 2002
  • REALTOR® Community Service Chair – 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003

STATE ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES

  • REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill– 2001, 2002
  • Professional Standards Committee Member – 2003-2004
  • Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) Designation – In Progress
  • Certified Buyer Representative (CBR) Designation

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES

  • Accredited Buyer Reprehensive (ABR)
  • Nominated for the “Good Neighbor Award”, 2002
  • 2002-2003 CIVIC ACTIVITIES
  • Pittsfield Civitan Club – Project Chairman – 2002, President Elect – 2003
  • Pittsfield Downtown Days Participant – 2003
  • Salvation Army Bell Ringer – 2002, 2003
  • Fishing Derby Volunteer for Handicapped Children– 2002, 2003
  • Volunteer PC-TV camera operator for the “Know your Berkshires” program.
  • Volunteer at the Special Olympics Winter Sports Program – 2002, 2003
  • Volunteer at the Special Olympics Games – 2002, 2003
  • Member of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce
  • American Cancer Society – 2002-2003 Daffodil Days Committee member
  • American Cancer Society – 2000-2003 Relay for Life Committee Member

BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Dan first began real estate with one mission: To help homebuyers find their perfect home. In offering buyers top-notch service and support, he obtained his CBR (Certified Buyer Representative) designation offered by the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® in Berkshire County and also obtained his ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative) designation from the National Association of REALTORS®. He has begun taking GRI designation classes and was an active member of the ‘Sweat Hogs’ sales program. He is always at Berkshire meetings and educational events.

It has been difficult to fulfill the mission of helping average, working class citizens find homes given the current real estate market in Berkshire County. With inventory at an all time low and home prices steadily rising, Dan has witnessed a changing market that challenges buyers to find affordable housing in our area more than ever.

But Dan did not sit back and do nothing. In addition to the traditional education classes taken to master all facets of providing buyers with fiduciary representation, Dan also began to focus on housing education and development as well. Dan began attending REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill, to voice to our representatives the direct impact that some housing and land legislation has on the Berkshire marketplace. Berkshire Representatives and Senators heard about expediting real estate permits so that development of new housing stock can not be held up by opponents of a new project in a drawn out court cases but rather an expedited hearing process due to the time sensitive nature of this type of situation. It was clear from the REALTORS® that uniform wetland and title 5 codes will remove a barrier in many towns to the production of housing.

Dan also attended the Housing Initiative Forum in Berkshire County, which set out to identify the specific housing challenges we face in a tourist area and possible solutions that we can bring to organizations already working on the problem. As a member of the Berkshire County Board of REALTORS® Board of Directors, Dan has been involved in declaring affordable housing as the key 2003 goal of the association. He has also participated in meetings with several local non-profit organizations to determine how REALTORS® can make a difference in their housing programs.

Dan will remain a strong advocate for the buyers of Berkshire County. He has shown that education and action is the key to enabling the buyers to have the best service and options available. His commitment to the community and to the buyers he works with clearly highlight the manner in which his business is conducted.

OTHER NOTES:

Dan was nominated multiple times for this award by REALTORS® in all regions of Berkshire County. He has made an impression of selfless service to so many people and is the embodiment of REALTOR® spirit and human spirit.