Welcome to Ask Mr. Relo!
Mr. Relo is our Relocation Expert, and he has decided to share his wealth of knowledge on all things relo with you!

I own a service industry company that works extensively with corporate transferees and third party companies. I was considering joining a regional relocation group. What are the advantages of joining such a group?

There are many advantages. The networking opportunities are limitless and the exposure your company would receive by attending meetings is very valuable. Not only that, there are educational advantages as well. Each meeting discusses new topics relevant to the corporate relocation industry, including tax and legal issues, and offers members educational credits towards CRP designations.

Is there a Metro-Detroit organization?

The Detroit Regional Relocation Council is one of the largest and most respected regional relocation groups in the country.

Would it cost my company to join?

Today about 88% of the regional relocation groups charge membership dues. Among these groups, 33 percent charge more than $100 for membership.

How many members are there in these groups.

The Detroit Regional Relocation Council, or DRRC, has over 150 members. Across the country about 40 percent of these groups have memberships over 100. These memberships consist of both corporate and service industry members. Over 50 percent of these groups have a computerized membership database, with 30 percent reporting that their databases are highly structured and consistently administered and maintained from year to year. Most of these groups are comprised of a Board Of Directors and Officers.

How many meetings per year do these groups have?

Each group, according to the Worldwide ERC® 2004 Regional Group Survey, indicate having a predetermined number of meetings per year. Most commonly, regional groups meet four times a year but many hold additional networking events such as golf outings and holiday parties and many offer donations to charities.

What is the Worldwide ERC®?

The ERC stands for Employee Relocation Council. Founded in 1964, Worldwide ERC® was formed to help members overcome the challenges of workforce mobility. Members come from many professions – human resources; recruiting; government; military; real estate; financial services; household goods movers; counseling; consulting and more. Regional relocation groups, along with The Worldwide ERC®, provide current issues, trends, and best practices for the movement of employees within the United States as well as global mobility.

How can I find out more information about these regional groups?

Eight in 10 groups have web sites, up from 60 percent in 2002. Most of these websites offer information pertaining to meetings and conferences, Board and officers, membership information, and information about the regional group itself. You can find out more about the Detroit Regional Relocation Council by visiting www.detroitrrc.org. Some other regional groups are the Great Lakes Relocation Council, www.greatlakesrelocation.org and the Chicago Regional Relocation Council, www.crcchicago.org.

In your opinion, what is the single biggest relocation-related issue about which you receive questions and/or wish there were more explanatory information available?

Policy issues probably ranks as #1. Also double-deed gross up policy development and then tax and legal issues. Those are just a few of the many issues discussed within a regional relocation group.

I never knew there was such a demand for these types of groups across the country. It would seem invaluable for my company to become a member.

Coming from many relocation fields, members are offered a wide variety of opportunities through regional relocation group membership such as regularly scheduled local meetings offering seminars and presentations. These sessions give you an abundance of programs available at most national sessions. These meetings address the same industry topics from local and national industry experts.

These meetings offer CRP (Certified Relocation Professional) credits that can be used toward recertification of your Worldwide ERC® CRP designation.

Networking with others also involved in domestic and international relocations is a major membership bonus as well as community involvement…charitable giving and hands on participation are encouraged throughout the year.

Michael J. Schultz, CRP, RCC
Relocation Director
The Relocation Group