By Maddie Martin
Contributing Writer
GREEN BAY – The Apartment Association of Northeast Wisconsin (AANW) is working to educate both landlords and tenants on ethical rental and real estate practices.
Created in 1995, the AANW has been working to “connect good tenants with good owners and managers,” says founding president and current secretary, Janet Gollnick. “The bridge between them is what we have been working on.”
“We need to figure out a way to work together for those who are representing tenants, and those who are representing landlords,” says vice president and treasurer of AANW, Rick Van Der Leest, “to come to a solution that both parties are happy with.”
The AANW hosts various meetings and events for it’s members that aim to “educate them on fair housing laws, local ordinances, state ordinances and the like,” says Leest.
In an effort to become more engaged with the community, the association created the AANW Cares Program. Through this program, the association holds a 50/50 raffle during each of its monthly meetings.
“[The AANW] is committed to trying to get more engaged with the community than it had been in the past, so we wanted to reframe what this AANW Cares Program is about,” says Leest.
In addition to these raffles, the AANW Cares Program started holding fundraisers in 2022 for different beneficiaries. This year, the program focused on the St. John’s Ministries Homeless Shelter, which received a donation of $1,509 from the program’s recent meat raffle.
In addition to their monthly meetings, the AANW also holds various events that bring together people working in different parts of the real estate industry.
One such event is the 17th Annual AANW Trade Show coming up in October, in which attendees will have the opportunity to meet and talk to local vendors and business partners in the industry.
“We’re trying to bring together all the different stakeholders who represent the real estate industry,” says Leest.
The event will be held on Wednesday Oct. 11, from 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at the Townline Pub & Grill on Lineville Rd. The free event is open to the public for both members and non-members of the AANW.
For more information, visit aanw.org.