NAA staff and board members traveled around the globe in 2015 as part of the association’s Global Outreach Committee, recognizing one common thread along the way: The need to help the industry respond to the evolving global economy.

Beginning in January, NAA has opened its membership to the United Kingdom and Canada. The NAA Board of Directors approved the new dues structure late last year, enabling NAA to expand its membership efforts globally.

NAA is focusing on the UK and Canadian markets first, as they are primarily English-speaking and present limited barriers to entry. A sales representative will also be hired in the UK to mobilize NAA’s efforts abroad.

“NAA will provide its members outside the United States with the opportunities for thought leadership, access to markets, education and networking, similar to how it provides them in the United States,” says NAA President & CEO Doug Culkin, CAE.

“Of course, the products and services need to be tailored to meet the needs of the local community—whether it is language, compliance with local laws and regulations or industry practices. NAA is committed to making the investments necessary to meet the needs of the local communities.”

Global membership provides an opportunity for companies outside of the U.S. to join NAA and have access to all of the products and services offered by the association.

“Outside the United States, countries are modernizing their business practices and looking to learn from what has been done here,” Culkin says. “NAA can bring industry training, best practices and networking opportunities to these individuals.

Additionally, our U.S. members are increasingly seeing opportunities for global growth and are looking to NAA for guidance when entering a new market. Even our U.S. members who don’t see themselves expanding overseas need our support to help manage the impacts—positive and negative—of globalization.”

Culkin says many NAA members are already operating outside of the U.S. and participate in association activities. Some of these members were key participants in NAA’s Global Outreach Committee, which was responsible for the development of the global outreach business plan.

In addition to the new membership structure, the 2016 NAA Education Conference & Exposition will include content focused on global market matters. NAA will also begin modifying its existing products and services to meet the needs of the local markets abroad, including its lease program and online education and certification materials.

As for the next stamp in NAA’s membership passport? The Netherlands and Germany in 2017.

Global Apartment Investment Soars
During the past seven years, $40 billion of capital has come from outside the United States to invest in apartment housing communities in the U.S. In that time, over $30 billion of capital left the U.S. to invest in apartment housing globally. —NAA’s Lauren Boston