ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — The Baldwin County Coliseum was packed as Lacie Maynard of Realty Executives Gulf Coast, in Gulf Shores was named 2009 “Realtor of the Year” by the Baldwin County Association of Realtors.

Maynard has been a member of the of the Association’s Board of Directors for the past four years, and has been active in local, state and regional boards. She also helmed the local board’s Habitat for Humanity program and received numerous awards for her service to that organization. She is an elder at the First Presbyterian Church in Foley.

Last year’s recipient, Nick Wilmott, presented the award to Maynard, who was speechless with surprise during the presentation.

In an e-mail afterward, Maynard said, “I was very surprised and greatly honored to have been chosen as Realtor® of the Year. This is especially meaningful because I know it is not based on production. We, as an industry, have lost many Realtors during this recession but I am pleased to be among those who have been able to hang on. I have to credit my family and not only the colleagues in my office at Realty Executives, but also my Realtor® friends in the community. While this last year has been difficult for Realtors®, it has been even harder for our friends, family and clients who are suffering from reduced property values and job losses. My hope and prayer is that we will continue to see improvement, however small, and move back into a healthy real estate market.”

The association also changed their by-laws to allow the association’s immediate past president a voting seat on the Board of Directors.

Robert J. Musso, a senior vice president and regional executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta addressed the meeting. Musso is based out of New Orleans. The Atlanta bank covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia and portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

While some indicators seem to show the United States is coming out of the current recession (Musso said this downturn has been, “the longest and deepest” since the Great Depression) there are still some problems ahead.

Overall, the The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta covers what Musso says is the, “eighth largest economy in the world.”

“The labor market is under a great deal of stress,” said Musso, adding that businesses have reduced staff and hours to save money. While Alabama is doing better than may other states, Musso expects the “employment momentum” to remain low as employers have learned to do more with fewer people.

Housing sales, Musso noted will probably go down another 2 to 3 percent before the market finally stabilizes, but, “The end is in sight, if we haven’t gotten there already.”

The United States Government will “gradually phase out” policies that have kept the economy afloat during the recession, Musso said.

”The Federal Reserve stand ready to keep the economy going,” Musso said.