Members of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors and the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga on Wednesday, May 22 met at the Choo-Choo Hotel for a joint lunch meeting. Dr. David Crowe, chief economist and senior vice president at the National Association of Home Builders, was the featured speaker. Dr. Crowe spoke about the state of the economy as it relates the real estate and home building industries. His projection: Things are looking up. Pictured from L-R from the head table: Lorrie Shearon, chief strategy officer for the Tennessee Housing Development Agency; Carol Seal, CEO of GCAR; Mark Blazek, president of GCAR; Dr. Crowe; Teresa Groves, executive officer of the HBA; and Tim Swafford, president of the HBA. (David Laprad)