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IRWA CHAPTER 57

August / September 2023 Newsletter

8/25/2023

. . . On The Move!

President's Message
By Robbie Hechanova,
R/W-RAC

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Chapter 57 IRWA Members...

Stay cool! That’s the message and theme moving forward or until we make it through this heat. Summer is here and looking like it's going to stay for a while.
I, along with members of our board, Kim Bibolet, Christie Santolucito, Patti Feist, Kelley Kelley, Hector Casillas, and several Members attended the annual Education Conference in Denver, Colorado. There were a host of topics ranging from Easements – Case Studies and War Stories, Federal Agency Panel Discussion on Successful Relocation Planning and Advisory Services, Lessons Learned in Appraisal Review for Acquisitions and Litigation, Rails-to-Trails Railroad Rights of Way – A Railbanked Right of Way Case Study, and events like the Foundations Golf Tournament, Young Professionals Event – Game Night at the Denver Athletic Club, and of course the Finnegan Fun Run. The sessions were heavily attended, and many ended up with standing room only. There were a number of vendor exhibit booths with raffle prizes and a number of us were seen stuffing our bags with giveaways.

The Long Beach preview booth along with its Back to the Future theme was a hit. Hector and I were honored to accept the Website of the Year award, and a big thanks goes out to our very own Emily Madueno for devoting her time and effort to maintaining our website. Our very own member, Mau Obando, was part of a large group of recipients that were awarded their SR/WA. It was good to meet new folks and reconnect with those we had not seen in years. We hope to bring the same energy and enthusiasm to next year's conference in Long Beach. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Hector Casillas and I (rhechano@socalgas.com) for more information.

Stay cool out there!
Robbie

June / July 2023 Newsletter

6/5/2023

The Communicator

Outgoing President's Message
By Hector Casillas, SR/WA
2022-2023

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Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .
Things have been busy this season. I saw some of you at our 1st picnic, I met new faces at the forum in Oakland, and I’m ready to meet some more at the education conference in Denver.

In exciting news, our Chapter is part of the 2024 Long Beach Education Conference Planning Committee. If you’d like to volunteer in this committee or fill any of the Board's vacant positions, please see any Board member to get involved.

I’d like to wish you all a happy, fun, and safe summer.

I'll see you around,
Hector Casillas, SR/WA

Incoming President's Message
By Robbie Hechanova, R/W-RAC
2023-2024

For those I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting, I am Robbie Hechanova, your Chapter 57 President for 2023 and 2024. I started my right-of-way career in 2010 with Overland Pacific & Cutler in the Real Property Services Department, cutting grass, then becoming an Agent, and then a Project Manager. Currently, I work for SoCalGas supporting major projects. Looking back, I would not change the path I took to get here as it played a big part of becoming the person I am today. As a Relocation Agent, I took my first IRWA course in Relocation where I felt like a fish out of water. Luckily, there were members taking this class for the credit and assured me that things would start to click. Sure enough, they did and I continued to grow my right-of-way experience from relocation to acquisition and now pipeline work. As I continued my journey in right-of-way, I was eventually invited to join the Board where I volunteered to become the Relocation Chair, and then voted in as Secretary for the Chapter. Over the past few years, I've had the honor of working and serving alongside long time members and learning from the best in the industry.

As we get back to what feels like a new normal, I look forward to seeing more of everyone at our board meetings and chapter luncheons. Our upcoming 2023 Education Conference in Denver is one of our major events, which many of us will be attending. For those of you who have already registered, I look forward to seeing you and for those who still have not registered, I encourage you to do so. At the conference we hope to get ideas and pick the brains of those who coordinated the event in preparation for the 2024 Education Conference since it’ll be in our very own back yard, Long Beach.

I am excited for this upcoming term, working with the Chapter leadership, and looking forward to serving the "fun chapter" 57.

Cheers!
Robbie

April / May 2023 Newsletter

4/4/2023

The Communicator

President's Message
By Hector Casillas, SR/WA

Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .

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Springtime is here and before you know it, summer is just around the corner, but first we have a number of events I would like to call your attention to:

1. April 5th - Joint Luncheon with the Appraisal Institute at the Riverside Convention Center. (Register Here)

2. April 22nd - Spring Family Picnic at Rancho Jurupa Regional Park. (Register Here)

3. May 2nd and 3rd - Course 502 Business Relocation in Downtown Riverside. (Register Here)

Our Communications Chair, Ms. Emily Madueno, has sent out invites for all of these events. Be sure to register soon, we can’t wait to see you all.

Mr. Robbie Hechanova, Ms. Kelley Kelley, and I will be attending the Regional 1 (CA/NV/AZ) Spring Forum in Oakland on April 14th – 15th. In addition, we will be attending the IRWA Annual Education Conference in Denver on June 25th – 28th.

With my year as president coming to a close on June 30th, I’d like to thank the board and all our members for your support this year. In reflecting back, I want to highlight the Chapter 57 board members and the various committees they serve in. Each of them do a lot of hard work behind the scenes and volunteer their time to this professional organization. We are all busy professionals but this board finds the time to be there, fill in for one another, and collaborate well. I’m very grateful to have served as president and with this supportive board.

I wish nothing but the best to my successor, Mr. Robbie Hechanova, to take over as Chapter President in July.

I'll see you around,
Hector Casillas, SR/WA

February / March 2023 Newsletter

2/3/2023

The Communicator

President's Message
By Hector Casillas, SR/WA
Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .

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Things are moving quickly in 2023 and I hope the new year is treating you well so far. The chapter kicked off the year with its first board meeting in January and discussed various items and events we are planning. One of the topics this year is submitting our award recipients for 2022 to the region for award consideration. Applications for Newsletter of the Year, Website of the Year, Government Employer of the Year, and Large and Small Employers of the Year have been submitted for consideration. Best of luck to Chapter 57 and the deserving individuals (Sheryn Smay/Emily Madueno) and companies (Monument ROW/Santolucito Dore Group).

Moving on to education, Education Chair Kelley Kelley is actively working on securing Course 502 for May and Co-Chair Tim Green is working on securing Course 901 for late Spring. These courses will be a combination of hybrid and in-person courses. Stay tuned for details on those and register early!

Robbie Hechanova, Kelley Kelley, and I will be attending the Region 1 (CA/NV/AZ) Spring Forum in San Francisco in April. We can't wait to report back on the details of the forum that may benefit you, our members. A reminder to register if you're planning on attending the IRWA Education Conference in Denver, CO, June 25-28, 2023, where we will vote on IRWA business and elect new officers. We welcome all members to register and join us in Denver.

In other news, the chapter will be opening nominations for officers soon and if you're interested in serving and volunteering at the local chapter level, please email our Nominations & Elections Chair, Ms. Christie Santolucito.

This month, the Chapter's new LinkedIn page went live, special thanks to Emily! I'd encourage you all to follow us.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Hector Casillas, SR/WA

December 2022 / January 2023 Newsletter

1/17/2023

The Communicator

President's Message
Hector Casillas, SR/WA
Chapter 57 President, 2022/2023

Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .

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On behalf of the entire Chapter 57 Board, happy New Year! We hope your holidays were filled with joy and laughter.

I’m happy to report the chapter successfully hosted its first education course in over three years which was held in November, Course 100 was a hit and it sold out! Many thanks to Education Chairs, Kelley Kelley and Tim Green, for their efforts in bringing valuable training to all members. Stay tuned for future course offerings they are securing this year.

Robbie Hechanova, Kelley Kelley, and I are planning on attending the IRWA Annual Education Conference in Denver, CO, June 25-28, 2023 where we will vote on IRWA business and elect new officers. We welcome all members to register and join us in Denver.

In some sad news, the IRWA Right of Way Education Foundation’s past president, Mrs. Carol A. Croft, passed away on October 15, 2022 and in honor of her legacy, Chapter 57 donated $500 to the foundation as our token of appreciation. I’d like to note, our members have directly benefited from scholarships from the foundation.

Ms. Darcy Mendoza was the recipient of the Leader’s Light the Way Scholarship in 2022 and I was the recipient of the State Association of Real Property Agents Scholarship in 2016. The chapter is grateful for the contributions the foundation has and continues to make in educating its members and assisting those in the various paths towards earning an IRWA designation. As a reminder, there is still time to apply for the Foundation’s new Leader’s Light the Way 2.0 scholarship, all the details are in their website. Good luck to all of those applying. I’m looking forward to seeing more Chapter 57 members receiving these scholarships!

In other news, the chapter will be opening nominations for officers soon and if you’re interested in serving and volunteering at the local chapter level, please email Nominations & Elections Chair, Ms. Christie Santolucito.

Please like us on Facebook or follow us on our new Instagram page (IRWA Chapter 57) to keep up with the latest information.

I am looking forward to seeing you at our next in person event.

Stay safe,
Hector Casillas, SR/WA

October / November 2022

11/15/2022

The Communicator

President's Message
Hector Casillas, SR/WA
Chapter 57 President, 2022/2023

Finally, pumpkin spice and fall weather are here.

There are great things happening in our chapter from welcoming new members, restarting our course offerings, recognizing recipients of professional designations at luncheons, and hearing about all the great projects we are all delivering throughout the region! The board is hard at work in planning for the rest of 22/23 FY, which includes a spring picnic on Earth Day, April 22, 2023, at Rancho Jurupa Regional Sports Park, where you and your families are invited.

The chapter recently hosted an event at TopGolf in Ontario and all in attendance had a blast. Past president, Matt Nusenow, won the Championship trophy! Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/irwa57/) or follow us on our new Instagram page (IRWA_Chapter_57) for pictures.

Peggy Barnes, Kelley Kelley, Robbie Hechanova, and I attended the IRWA Region 1 Fall Forum in October where we learned of a new scholarship opportunity called Leader's Light the Way 2.0. Please take a look at the Right of Way Education Foundation's website, https://www.rwief.org/, which is available to any member with at least two years of IRWA membership.

A few important emails to call to your attention are your IRWA membership renewal invoice and notification of registration opening for the IRWA Annual Conference in Denver, CO.

I am looking forward to the holidays and to our next luncheon where I'll see you all in person. We hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

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June / July 2022 Newsletter

6/24/2022

The Communicator

In this Issue:

Presidents’ Messages

Membership Luncheon

Did you know?

IRWA Course Schedule

Transforming the Interstate Highway System
by David Thomason and Kimberly Bond, J.D.

Industry Buzz: Bridges
Industry Buzz: Transportation

Board & Committees

About RWIEF

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April / May 2022 Newsletter

4/5/2022

The Communicator

In this Issue:

Right of Way TO THE RESCUE!
By Beth Smith, SR/WA

Joint Luncheon with SCCAI Notice

Did you know?

IRWA Course Schedule

Navigating Through Stormy Seas, Leadership through Adversity
By Yasmin L. Stump, Esq.

Industry Buzz

Board & Committees

About RWIEF

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August / September 2021 Newsletter

8/27/2021

The Communicator

For those of you who may not know me, I am Matt Nusenow, P.E., your new Chapter 57 President. My first exposure to eminent domain was a valuation dispute of a property contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, an industrial chemical used in transformers for its electrical insulating properties. My investigation of the property revealed that the contamination was not from the property owner’s operations, but from a salvage company that removed a transformer after draining the PCBs onto the ground. As my career already included remediation of contaminated sites and preparing the costs to remediate contamination, assisting in the valuation of contaminated sites seemed like a good fit.

I was introduced to IRWA, when a Law firm I worked with invited me to a Chapter 57 meeting. I immediately recognized this was a fun chapter and asked to come back. I volunteered to become the environmental chair and the next thing I knew I was asked to be Secretary. I am excited to be the incoming President of Chapter 57, the fun chapter.

These are interesting times, navigating COVID restrictions, fear, and new normal. I look forward to the opportunity and challenges of bringing us back together in person for meetings and more.

I am excited to work with our new chapter leaders including Hector Casillas, President-Elect, Robbie Hechanova, Treasurer, and Peggy Barnes, Secretary and trusted advisor. I also look forward to working with our many past leaders and chapter members. My main goal will be to coordinate a return to normal, where everyone feels comfortable. I want to create an environment at these meetings that cultivates fun. Also, we will focus on membership and education. I will work with Griffin Wayne and Kelley Kelley…

Upcoming events include the Region 1 Fall Forum, Tri-Chapter, and Spring Forum. The Fall Forum is a meeting of new Presidents and Vice Presidents from each of Region 1’s 13 chapters, as well as a couple of folks from HQ. It is scheduled for October 15th. The Tri-Chapter is the annual holiday meeting with Chapters 1, 67, and 57 scheduled for December 9th and always a lot of fun. The Spring Forum has not been planned and Chapter 57 is considering hosting it. I hope y’all join us and see what the “new normal” will look like.

Matthew Nusenow
Chapter 57 President
2021/2022

Aug. / Sept. 2021 Newsletter

June / July 2021 Newsletter

6/5/2021

June July 2021 Newsletter
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***. . .* *On The Move!***

Keep up to date with Chapter 57! Be sure to join our mailing list to receive informational emails and bi-monthly newsletters.

Did you move, get promoted, earn a designation? Be sure to let us know! We want to recognize our great members and all their accomplishments.

Sheryn Smay, SR/WA
Newsletter Editor

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