Vintage Georgie

Georgie Stillman, ASA, Awarded Life Membership by ASA International

Georgie Stillman, ASA, a member of ASA since 1977, has been actively involved in ASA’s San Diego Chapter for many years, serving several terms in each of the chapter offices. She edited the chapter newsletter for a number of years and in seven of those years saw the publication named ASA’s outstanding small chapter newsletter.

A strong advocate of member participation at chapter meetings, she has worked hard to provide relevant programs and interesting speakers for chapter meetings. She is known as an excellent mentor and active recruiter for ASA. Stillman, who was instrumental in the development of Personal Property course work leading to accreditation, holds designations in Personal Property/Antiques and Decorative Arts and Personal Property/Residential Contents General.

Excerpts from the nomination letter:

Georgie Stillman arrived in San Diego in the mid 1970s as a young enthusiastic appraiser who had apprenticed with an ASA Senior Appraiser in Phoenix. From the moment she arrived she was determined not only to personally advance in her chosen profession, but to be a strong advocate for higher standards of professionalism. She has worked tirelessly for three decades to further the awareness of the appraisal profession and has constantly strived to raise the standards of report writing and professional responsibility.

She has been the driving force of the San Diego Chapter since the 1970s, serving several terms as President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, etc. All the while she served as Newsletter Editor and Program Director. She is constantly advocating the rewards of achieving the ASA accreditation and has mentored many new Candidate members, including myself, when I first joined the chapter. She is a strong advocate for member participation at meetings and relevant programming and has strived to help grow leadership within the chapter. She is arguably the glue that has and continues to hold the San Diego Chapter together.

Nationally, she made a significant impact on the profession when she lobbied for ASA to offer educational coursework to further the accreditation process for personal property appraisers. In the early days when ASA was not interested in offering personal property education she wrote coursework for ISA and taught classes at Indiana University and at national conferences. From as early as 1977 she was giving presentations to trial lawyers and other targeted appraisal client industries and as recently as last year to the San Diego Bar Association.

Georgie has always been a strong ASA advocate and has made it her personal goal to ensure that the “ASA” brand is synonymous with high professional standards. It is my honor and pleasure to nominate her for ASA Life Membership.

Please join us in thanking Pamela Bensoussan for her efforts in
recognizing Georgie's dedication to the San Diego ASA Chapter members.

Kathi Jablonsky, ISA CAPP & Associate ASA Member

Kathi was featured in the business section of the San Diego Union on July 24th in an article discussing her favorite websites, and how technology is used in her personal property appraisal business.

Kathi is also Co-Chair of the Program Committee for the ASA San Diego Chapter.

Please email suggestions for program topics and speakers to Kathi.

Sam Maloof:  90th Anniversary Retrospective
Mingei International Museum

Review by Garrett Goldfield

This retrospective should not be missed.  Often associated with chair making, Sam Maloof is a pioneer in the field of hand-crafted furniture.  At Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park, there is an exhibition of Maloof’s work.  Whether you are familiar with his work or not, on display are pieces of his ranging from tables to cradles to music stands to his famous rocking chairs.  Sam Maloof has the honor of being the first living artist to have a piece of furniture in the White House collection of American Furniture.  The items on display are of such startling quality and workmanship that they appear to be created by nature rather than man.  I found myself drawn to these pieces because of the symmetry and tranquility that they inspire. They are art, not just furniture.  Maloof’s pieces display an amazing variety of colors and the figuring inherent in the polished wood is almost hypnotizing.  The woods used in the creation of these pieces included Rosewood, Maple, Walnut, Zircote and Eucalyptus.

The museum displays an eclectic collection of his pieces, about 30 or so by my count, all of which are inspiring in both function and style. Even more impressive is that Maloof makes no drawings before he designs his furniture; he says that the design appears as he works the wood. You can see Maloof in an hour long video in a viewing room next to the exhibit. The video is of Maloof explaining how he creates his pieces. There is some wonderful footage of prototypes within his home.

This is one of those exhibitions that is so inspiring that it can alter a person’s taste in furniture and how they might furnish their home. I encourage you to attend this show. As a special bonus during the exhibition, Mr. Maloof is scheduled to speak at the museum this fall, on October 8th at 4:00 PM. (call Mingei International Museum for more information).

This exhibition is timely and pertinent to collectors and appraisers alike. Until now I hadn’t realized that it is still possible to actually order a piece of furniture from the Maloof workshop. Although pricey, you can commission a piece that Mr. Maloof works on himself, even at the age of 90. As an appraiser, I have noticed that the market for these pieces is rapidly increasing. At a Bonhams & Butterfields auction earlier this year, a Maloof conference table and armchairs sold for $194,250. This was the highest price paid to date for a Maloof piece.

In addition to having a chair in the White House, Sam Maloof works can be see in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

October 17, 2006

Appraisals and Case Studies with the FBI
presented by Barry Vecchioni, Special Agent
with the San Diego Office of the FBI

November 21, 2006

Taxes & Tax Planning for Small Businesses
presented by members of the Levitz Zacks & Ciceric
Accounting Professional Practice firm

December 2006

Furniture Restoration Workshop Tour
Antique Refinishers & School of French Marquetry in North Park
presented by owner Patrick Edward

“It Never Rains But it Pours”

A phrase fellow appraisers often say to each other. 

It always seems that there are slow periods followed by an avalanche of work.  How can we schedule appraisal assignments, when we are in the middle of one of those busy periods, so that both the client and you get the best work possible?  I don’t really know the ‘universal’ answer to that question, but I can tell you what I do – right or wrong.  Maybe you will have a better idea you can share with us.

When my work calendar starts getting filled with a lot of deadlines, I begin telling potential clients that my first date available is two or three weeks after the final deadline I am working on.  This allows me to accommodate the usual, but unplanned for, problem appraisals that take up more of our time than expected.  This technique is especially important when you have multiple deadlines approaching.  THINGS NEVER ARE AS EASY AS WE THINK or hope.

I always call potential clients and let them know the situation, and discuss their needs and my fees, as well as point them to my website and the San Diego Chapter website. I mention that there other fine appraisers who can help them just as well as I can, and I give them some referrals from our membership. Then I name a date that I will call them back and set an appointment. If they really think I am the ONE AND ONLY (smile) appraiser who can help them accomplish their goals they will wait for me. If they visit the website or contact one of our members who can help them, then that is fine too. I just want them to get to the best person who can meet their appraisal needs in the time frame that meets their goals. Even if they find another appraiser, I know they will appreciate my wiliness to help, and keep them from choosing someone from the phone book I may not think has the qualifications of our members.

I don’t like to work under too much pressure, into the midnight hours (I make mistakes then), which can happen if you take on too many jobs at once.  I explain to clients that if they are willing to wait for me, if they have decided I will do the job they want, then I will give them my full attention.  If they find someone in the ASA family who can do their job within their time frame, then I know that is what is best for them, and me, and I am happy to have such a talented group of appraisers to refer these jobs to.

Some Chapter News

I am looking forward to another great year of education programs and I thank Kathi Jablonsky, CAPP, ISA and soon to be ASA Senior, for helping to set up wonderful programs for the coming year.   Kathi is now SD ASA co-chair of our Program Committee. 

A special thanks to Garrett Goldfield, another soon-to-be ASA, for helping with this Newsletter.  Our chapter is very lucky to have so many new members who bring their expertise and enthusiasm to our meetings and website.

All the best,

Georgie Stillman, ASA

Reported by Garrett Goldfield

On July 18, 2006 the San Diego chapter of the American Society of Appraisers held its annual planning meeting.  This meeting is an opportunity for members and leaders of the chapter to brainstorm on how to improve upon the successful elements of the chapter and generate ideas for how the chapter can evolve to meet the expanding needs of the membership. 

The ideas came fast and furious at the meeting under the spectacular leadership of Georgie Stillman, ASA and Pamela Bensoussan, ASA.   The attendees at the chapter lunch were able to provide new ideas in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and genuine desire to make the San Diego chapter even better.  Ideas came in from candidates, members and senior members of ASA. 

Particularly noteworthy was the presence of so many new members of the chapter who not only attended but offered dynamic new ideas.  Suggestions and discussions included:

• Guest speakers, lectures and presentations to help our members improve their skills, including topics:  Appraisal Case Studies with the FBI, Research Dimensions within Today’s Appraisal Profession, and Restoration of Antique Furniture– to name only a few.
• Newsletter topics that provide pertinent information and reviews of current events and appraising methods.
• Unique facets of appraising personal property and business valuation within Southern California.
• Community outreach and appraising workshops that all members of the chapter can use to promote the chapter and their businesses.

The chapter also saw a dramatic increase in the number of members who volunteered to participate in the hard work necessary to become one of the best ASA chapters.  We are off to a terrific beginning to the new meeting season. 

Thanks to the members and leadership committee for all the suggestions and hard work and we look forward to the best from our chapter this year. 

Keep the ideas and suggestions coming!

ASA/CICBV Sixth Business Valuation Conference
October 19-20, Toronto

For details, go to ASA International website.

Valuation Fraud Symposium
October 12, Washington, DC

For more information, visit the The Appraisal Foundation website.

Learn Professional Report Writing From the Experts
September 14-17, Los Angeles

ALL215: Appraisal Report - Writing Topics Include

• Difficulties of writing and how to overcome them
• Types of writing styles used in appraisal reports
• Critical thinking skills
• Argument analysis
• Logical fallacies
• Examples of good and poor writing

Appraiser Qualifications Board: Public Meeting
November 7, La Jolla

Details at the Appraisal Foundation website.

Other Courses

September 15-16, 2006 - SE 100 USPAP
September 18-19 - PP444 Appraisers Toolkit: Fakes, Frauds, and Reproductions
October 12-13, 2006 - PP445 Report Writing Review (UC Irvine)
October 14-15, 2006 - PP443 Charitable Contributions: Do's and Don'ts (UC Irvine)
November 2-5, 2006 - PP/GJ204 - Personal Property Valuation--The Legal and Commercial Environment (UC Irvine)

Special Interest and Connoisseurship Courses 2006

September 18-19, 2006 - PP444 Appraiser's Tool Kit: Fakes, Frauds and Reproductions

Personal Property - The Connecticut River & Pioneer Valleys in Autumn
October 18 - 22, Hartford, CT

Members Need Education Units to
Reaccredit Their ASA Designation Every 5 Years

Read about the ASA reaccreditation requirements at the ASA website. (To view this information, you must log into the Members Only section, then, in the left column, click on the Reaccreditation link.)

This newsletter is published (September through June) as a service to the ASA Members and the community it serves. If you would like to receive this publication, please contact Jan Giamanco- 619-781-8588.

Newsletter Editor - Georgie Stillman, ASA

Newsletter Published by Jan Giamanco of G-Force Services