THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
2014/5
STEFAN SWANEPOEL
COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY REALSURE, INC. LIMIT OF LIABILITY / DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY While the publisher, authors, contributors and editors have used their best efforts in preparing this Report, they make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this report and specifically disclaim any implied warranties. The advice, strategies and comments contained herein may not be suitable for your market or situation. Although the authors and contributors may, from time to time be an investor in companies mentioned in the Report, and most certainly serve as a consultants and/or advisor to numerous companies and organizations stated in the Report, the Report is written as a neutral, accurate and reasonable view of the industry and its participants. References to any companies, products, services and websites do not constitute or imply endorsement and neither is any reference or absence of reference intended to harm, place at a disadvantage or in any way affect any company or person. Information contained in this Report should not be a substitute for common sense, thorough research and competent advice. As far as possible all statements, statistics and information included in this Report were verified with the parties mentioned or a credible source. Information is not treat and casually and great pride is taken to provide accurate information. The advice, strategies and comments contained herein may not be suitable for your market or situation and readers are urged to consult proper counsel or other experts regarding any points of law, finance, technology and business before proceeding. All conclusions expressed herein are also of course subject to local, state and federal laws and regulations. Neither the publishers, authors, contributors nor editors shall be liable for any loss or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION No confidential sources were used in this Report and no information identified as confidential under any existing NDA was included without permission from the appropriate parties. This Report is a result of extensive research, articles that are readily available through the media, the study of hundreds of websites, Social Media pages, forums, surveys, whitepapers, and one-onone discussions with industry decision makers, leaders, brokers, agents and vendors.
ii
www.sp200.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF Stefan J.M. Swanepoel EXECUTIVE EDITOR Rob Hahn COPY EDITOR Thomas Mitchell CREATIVE EDITOR Tinus Swanepoel TECHNICAL EDITOR DJ Swanepoel PUBLISHER RealSure, Inc. EDITORIAL OFFICES 29122 Rancho Viejo Rd, Suite 201 San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 949-481-9409 www.retrends.com ISBN 978-0-9863779-1-4 PRICING $59.95 USA
FIRST PUBLICATION ON RANKINGS IN 2013 Printed in the United States of America with all rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
TRADEMARKS Most of the companies mentioned in this Report own numerous trademarks and other marks and this Report, the publishers, the author, the contributors or any other party involved in this Report in any way seeks to challenge or dilute any of these marks. Specifically Realtor® is a registered trademark of the National Association of Realtors®. IMAGES AND PHOTOS All images not of specific people are protected by copyright and licensed by Shutterstock.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
CONTENTS iv BENCHMARKS AND CRITERIA The SP200 algorithm.
7 THE TOP 20
Get an inside look at the top 20 of the most powerful people in the residential real estate industry.
26 THE TOP 200
Read through the definitive list of the top 200 most powerful people in the residential real estate industry.
Defining and Analyzing Power
BENCHMARKS AND CRITERIA
These are the leaders of our industry. They are the drivers! They are the ones making the biggest difference! Leadership is about showing the way, especially during times of change. It’s about enabling and empowering your team to succeed at higher levels and beat out the competition. Change the rules. Create new opportunities. Buy your competitor. Maximize your revenue. These leaders have done that…and in spades!
What makes the Swanepoel POWER 200 (SP200) unique is that we have integrated in one list all the different types of leaders in the real estate industry, even though they succeed and/or serve in different sectors of our industry. Some have entrepreneurial power or financial strength, some hold high office and have positional power, while others have political clout and some have personal power. Power is an elusive concept. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “the ability or right to control people or things.” Of course, that raises the question of what is meant by “control.” Control is defined as directing the behavior of, or to cause a person to do what you want. Power can also exist even though it may not be exercised, because simply having power can discourage others from challenging it. So you could just imagine the healthy debate we had as to what criteria should be used in creating a list of the most powerful people.
As we stated last year, creating this list is more art than science and we are the first to acknowledge that the list is not perfect. If you question any specific person’s ranking, remember we did too—at least a dozen times. This is not a popularity contest nor did we do a headcount or tally up sales revenue. We understand it is very hard to compare people when they do not all have the same data or criteria by which to measure them. We did however try to make it as much science as possible by taking into account theses types of data points as well as the financial resources of the company or organization, the organization’s significance and contribution to the industry, the company’s geographic reach, the individual’s personal influence, his/ her tenure in the industry, the office he or she holds, the decision-making power of said office, report lines, ownership and activities during the past year as well as future growth, and potential. What makes this list extraordinary
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
them for more than two decades. I even personally had face-to-face meetings and/or telephonic discussions with some 30 percent of them just in the last six months alone. This is our space and we now it very well. With that said, the SP200 editorial team still invested over 400 hours to bring you the best possible list. There is no pay-to-play, no old boys club, and no favors for friends. If you made it to the SP200 you are most certainly deserving of your inclusion and we salute you! So here they are, the 200 most powerful people in residential real estate for 2014/15.
is that we received literally hundreds and hundreds of recommendations and ultimately reviewed nearly 1,000 contenders. We scoured the Web, read hundreds of bios, read hundreds of Linkedin pages, sent hundreds of requests for additional information, made endless telephone calls to verify or confirm stats, and cross-referenced data with surveys, reports and company announcements. We however respected major leadership changes shared with us that were not yet officially announced. In the end, the SP200 editorial team debated each person lengthily, making adjustments based upon decades-long experience and knowledge of many, many people and companies on the list. I personally have met 50 percent of the leaders on this year’s SP200 and have known a good number of
Stefan Swanepoel Editor-in-Chief
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
Rob Hahn Executive Editor www.sp200.com
v
Power200
Power200 THE TOP 20 SWANEPO EL
An Inside Look into the Leaders of 2014/5
Chairman and CEO, Realogy Holdings Corp.
RICHARD SMITH
Richard Smith repeats his tenure at the top of the real estate industry’s power rankings this year, having managed Realogy to a very strong year while making one of the most important—yet little-discussed—acquisitions in recent years: the purchase of ZipRealty.
REALOGY’S MARCH TO FINANCIAL
health continues unabated under Smith’s leadership. In Q3/2014, Realogy brought in revenues of $1.5 billion with EBITDA of $287 million, and importantly, $234 million in net cash flow. As a result, Realogy expects to be able to pay off $330 million in high-interest debt in early 2015. Its performance throughout 2014 was slightly above 2013 levels, an impressive feat given that the real estate market has cooled slightly from the highs of 2013. As Realogy’s leader for over 18 years, Smith wields more power over this group than anyone else. And what a collection of companies it is. Its company-owned brokerage, the NRT, is the largest brokerage in the United States by a wide margin. In sales, it is three times the size of its next closest competitor. Some 42,000 real estate agents work for the NRT in 725 offices, all under one of Realogy’s brands. In the nine months ended September 30, 2014, the NRT posted revenues of $3 billion. That’s not sales volume of $3 billion, but gross commission income of $3 billion. Realogy also owns half of the top 10 brands in the industry: Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Sotheby’s International Realty, ERA, and Better Homes and Gardens. Between the NRT and the 6
www.SP200.com
franchisees of Realogy’s brands, Realogy touches one out of every four home sales in America. That’s dominance. Another subsidiary, Cartus, remains the world’s largest relocation company, serving over half of the Fortune 500 and over 60 percent of the Fortune 50 companies. Cartus alone brought in $125 million in net revenue in Q3/2014. Realogy also has major operations in mortgage, through its joint-venture with PHH Mortgage, and in title with its ownership of Title Resource Group. TRG alone, with 335 offices in 47 states and Washington DC, brought in $111 million in net revenue during the same period. Realogy is simply residential real estate’s most important company. Period. In 2014, Smith and Realogy took an important step to continue its dominance of the industry by acquiring ZipRealty, one of the top technology-powered brokerage companies in the world. Realogy plans to integrate ZipRealty and then roll out its technology platform to the NRT and to the thousands of brokerage companies who are franchisees of its brands. As of today, Realogy’s franchise brands are the only ones able to offer this
comprehensive suite of proven and tested technology platforms to their franchisees. Its strategic advantage has grown when compared to the other major franchises. Smith’s personal power also took a leap in recent years when he was appointed to the real estate commission on the extremely influential DC think tank, the Bipartisan Policy Center. A number of observers have noted that the Bipartisan Policy Center’s widely studied national housing policy recommendations have essentially been the blueprint of the Obama Administration’s housing policy, and have influenced Congressional legislation on housing and housing finance. Smith is a graduate of Columbus State University (BS) and Troy State University (MS), serves on the executive committee of the Policy Advisory Board for the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, is an honorary member of the Easter Seals National Board of Directors, a member of the Columbus State University Foundation Board of Trustees, a former member of the New Jersey Economic Growth Council, and our choice to repeat as The Most Powerful Person in Residential Real Estate Brokerage in 2014. ©2014 RealSure, Inc.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
1 www.SP200.com
7
Chief Executive Officer, Zillow
SPENCER RASCOFF Zillow not only blew the doors off its 2013 performance, it made one of the biggest power moves that the real estate industry has ever seen by acquiring Trulia, its chief rival and the second largest real estate portal, for an eye-popping $3.5 billion.
WHILE THE ACQUISITION HAS NOT
yet cleared regulatory approval, it is widely expected to close in early 2015. The combined Zillow-Trulia company would dwarf every other real estate website by almost every measure. Using Q3/2014 numbers, “Zulia” would top 140 million monthly unique visitors—almost four and a half times as large as Realtor.com, the #3 website in the real estate category. Even if we disregard the acquisition and focus solely on Zillow itself, its growth has been simply unbelievable, coming on top of astounding growth in the prior year. Its consumer advertising campaign, which began in late 2012, rocketed traffic growth for Zillow throughout 2014. In Q3/2013, Zillow had 61 million monthly uniques, compared to 35 million for Trulia and 28 million for Realtor.com. This year, Zillow posted 86 million for Q3, versus 55 million for Trulia and 32 million for Realtor®. Zillow is as large as its next two competitors combined. Accordingly, Zillow is making more money than ever before. It posted revenues of $88.6 million in Q3/2014 — a 66 percent increase year-over-year, which in turn was a 67 percent increase year-over-year compared to 2012. 8
www.SP200.com
Zillow’s revenues have grown by an amazing 178 percent over the past two years. In Q3 of last year, some 44,700 real estate agents were subscribers; in Q3 of 2014 that number is more than 60,000. Spencer Rascoff joined the company as one of its founding employees in 2005 and currently serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Prior to Zillow, he co-founded Hotwire.com, a leading Internet travel company, which was sold to Expedia. He has received numerous awards, including Fortune’s 2012 40 Under 40 Hottest Young Stars in Business and Forbes’ America’s 20 Most Powerful CEOs Under 40. Rascoff is the leader of the company that is the center of every conversation in real estate today. One could argue that every major real estate company is reacting to Zillow and its continued growth. Evoking the full rainbow of emotions from enthusiastic support to fear and loathing. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Zillow is changing real estate as we know it and Rascoff is leading that charge. The amazing performance of Zillow, combined with the bold move to acquire Trulia, moves Spencer Rascoff from third place last year into second, behind only Richard Smith.
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
2 www.SP200.com
9
Chairman and CEO, HomeServices of America
RON PELTIER
Ron Peltier continued to build on 2013, when he orchestrated one of the biggest industry acquisitions in recent times, grabbing two top 10 franchise networks at the same time— Prudential and Real Living.
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES
(BHHS), the new franchise brand of HomeServices of America, became a major national player almost overnight, converting most former Prudential franchisees into BHHS affiliates and naming its 1,000th office in September of 2014. company-owned The brokerage, HomeServices of America, has also continued its aggressive acquisition spree. In 2014, HSA added Intero to the fold— one of the largest brokerages in California with over 1,000 agents, 7,000 transactions, and $5.7B in sales volume (2013 numbers). While Realogy prefers smaller “tuckin” acquisitions, HomeServices is putting together an empire of the largest, oldest, and most powerful regional companies in the country. Peltier continues to play a major role in handling major issues 10
www.SP200.com
and conflicts such as syndication and the role of the MLS like the former star hockey player he was: by body checking and dropping the gloves. As one of the founders of the Realty Alliance and a powerful director of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World network, Peltier is one of the central figures in the power struggle between brokerages, technology companies, and the world of organized real estate. He has been the Chief Executive Officer of HomeServices of America Inc. since its inception in July 1999, and now also serves as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. He holds a Master in Business Administration from the College of St. Thomas and a Bachelor's from the University of Minnesota where he was a Gopher’s hockey standout.
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
3 www.SP200.com
11
Co-Founder and Chairman, Keller Williams Realty International
GARY KELLER
4
Gary Keller, the co-founder and mastermind behind Keller Williams Realty International, gifted speaker and New York Times best-selling author.
AFTER ANNOUNCING A YEAR AGO
that they had become probably the largest company in the U.S., based on agent count, they didn't even pause for a second to celebrate but keep tearing upwards. 2014 was another year of growth as another 12,000 agents joined the redand-white to bring the total agent count at the end of 2014 to around 107,000. Based on head count of a single real estate brand, KWRI is unquestionably the largest in North America. But it wasn’t merely headcount that KWRI added in 2014. Transactions increased 10 percent, closed volume increased 15 percent, and commissions increased 16 percent—all well above industry averages. To put the performance into context, Realogy’s franchises increased volume by only 3 percent, and NRT only increased by 1 percent while Realtors® as a whole saw a decline in volume of 1 percent. 12
www.SP200.com
KWRI has been a pioneer in a number of practices, many of which are becoming more widely adopted within the industry, such as caps on commissions paid to the brokerage, profit sharing, and an unapologetically agentcentric model and philosophy. Its agent-centricity has extended to its embrace of the agent team that for all intents and purposes is a brokerage within a brokerage. And KWRI extended the concept in 2014 by launching Mega Agent Expansion, which encourages successful agent teams to launch into new locations, in exactly the same way that brokerages open new offices. As a privately held company, KWRI’s revenues and profits are not disclosed, but at its 2014 annual conference it revealed that throughout 2013, KWRI distributed $78 million in profits to associates; an increase of 41 percent from the
$55 million in profits shared back in 2012. 2014 profit sharing numbers will most certainly be up again. An additional very unique dimension to this focused Thought Leader is that he is also a multiple New York Times best selling author with titles such as: The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times, and The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. He has authored more books than all the other CEOs of the Top 10 real estate franchise companies combined. Keller is a gifted speaker who mixes anecdotes and personal stories with business insights, resulting in tens of thousands of KWRI agents flocking to Austin to attend the annual KWRI events: Family Reunion, Mastermind, and Megacamp.
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
President and CEO, Realogy Franchise Group
ALEX PERRIELLO
5
Alex Perriello, the trusted right-hand of Richard Smith, our Most Powerful Person in Real Estate for 2014/5, has one of the highest profiles within the residential real estate brokerage industry. PERRIELLO IS A 36-YEAR VETERAN
of real estate, having begun his career as an on-the-street real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in California. From that beginning, he has held just about every position in the company, from sales to management, exemplifying leadership and resolve. As President and CEO of the Realogy Franchise Group (RFG) since 2004, Perriello manages six of the top ten brands in real estate today: Coldwell Banker and Coldwell Banker
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
Commercial, Century 21, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, ERA, and Sotheby’s International Realty. Collectively, these brands represent some 250,000 agents working at 13,400 franchised offices in 105 countries around the world. Realogy brands, including the NRT which is a franchisee of RFG, are involved in one out of every four home sale transactions in the U.S. Realogy continued to grow in 2014, posting year over year gains
in revenues and EBITDA of $199 million and $136 million (3 percent and 2 percent) respectively—a nice performance given the sheer size of RFG. Perriello, in our estimate, rises one slot this year due to the acquisition of ZipRealty, which provides RFG with a powerful inhouse advantage that none of the other franchisors have today. In the fiercely competitive battle to get and keep franchisees, RFG has increased the technology stakes in the space. www.SP200.com
13
Chief Executive Officer, National Association of REALTORS®
DALE STINTON
6
Dale Stinton heads America's largest trade association, representing almost 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries, and he is a perennial Power Player in Washington DC, which during changing and difficult times is no easy task.
STINTON, A 30-YEAR VETERAN of
NAR, took over the reins as CEO in 2005 and has done so with commitment and determination.
In 2014, NAR made two key tactical moves that we feel justify Stinton climbing one position in the rankings this year. The $950 million sale of Move to the global media giant News Corp, which could not have happened without the concurrence and cooperation of NAR, went through smoothly from start to finish. After the Trulia acquisition by Zillow, many had written off Move as playing a major role in the future of portals and online lead gen, but this
14
www.SP200.com
transaction was smart, bold, and has most certainly thrown the door wide open again. Stinton also shepherded through an ambitious program to totally change organized real estate. Called the Core Standards program, this new NAR initiative attempts to reinvent and reinvigorate the highly touted cooperative relationship between national, state, and local associations. The mission is to significantly raise the bar at all three levels of the organization. A bold goal, but if successful it will transform the industry’s association landscape for decades to come.
In a world in which nine out of 10 buyers begin their home search online, it is critical for Realtors® to create a branded space online. That is why NAR began the process of securing the .REALTOR domain for its members seven years ago. NAR was one of the first associations to be approved for a top-level domain for its membership. Since the domain name was released in October 2014, more than 85,000 names have been registered, making the launch a huge success. And then, in the same month, NAR also won the rights to the new .REALESTATE top-level domain. The REALTOR® industry is in good hands ©2014 RealSure, Inc.
President and CEO, RE/MAX
DAVE LINIGER
7
The Most Interesting Man in Real Estate, Dave Liniger led RE/MAX in 2013 to go public. Since then, RE/MAX has shown solid growth: with agent count, up 5.3 percent to 97,647; Revenues up 9.7 percent to $44.2 million for Q3/2014 and EBITDA up 5.9 percent to $23.4 million.
ON THE EVE OF 2015, RE/MAX HAS
a leadership issue that needs to be addressed soon. One, which impacts Liniger directly, is the retirement in December 2014 of Margaret Kelly, who has led RE/ MAX as CEO for nine years, and was our #11 overall and the highest ranking woman on the 2013/14 SP200 list. Liniger will step back in as CEO, and while no one could deny his ability and experience, this © 2014 RealSure, Inc.
can only be seen as an interim role. As all three of his major competitors made big moves last year, his slightly lower ranking is more a reflection of their slightly higher placement. That said, RE/ MAX has the largest and most saught-after global footprint, and their brand remains the one of the most well-known and respected real estate brands in the world. Anyone who has ever underestimated
Dave Liniger has learned the hard way that he is one of the, if not the most tenacious leader in our industry. Expect many new and exciting announcements from this U.S. Air Force veteran; multi-engine, instrument rated, commercial pilot; NASCAR driver and owner; around the world hot air balloonist; golf course owner; and Co-Founder of the Denver-area conservation center. www.SP200.com
15
Chief Executive Officer, Keller Williams Realty International
MARK WILLIS
8
Mark Willis is credited for being the driving force behind Keller Williams Realty International’s explosive growth over the last decade. MARK WILLIS IS THE ENIGMATIC AND CHARISMATIC LEADER
who when he took over as CEO nearly ten years ago, committed to grow the company’s agent count from 18,000 at that time to the magical level of 100,000. Well he fulfilled that promise ending the year 2014 with approximately 107,000 agents. Willis began his career with Keller Williams in 1991 as team leader of the Austin Southwest market 16
www.SP200.com
center where he quadrupled office production over a fiveyear period. He subsequently served as regional director, expanding the South Texas Region to San Antonio and Houston, developing a 1,900-agent business. Exceptional growth is in his DNA and as the company changes into an even larger and more diversified corporation, Willis is clearly destined to play an even larger role within the organization. ©2014 RealSure, Inc.
President and Chief Executive Officer, NRT LLC.
BRUCE ZIPF
9
Bruce Zipf is the real power behind Realogy’s wholly owned and operated real estate brokerage subsidiary with operations in more than 35 of the largest metropolitan areas, 710 offices, and over 42,600 agents.
WITH OVER $150 BILLION IN ANNUAL SALES VOLUME IN
2013, the NRT is ranked the largest real estate brokerage company in the country by a mile and then some. The NRT’s volume is larger than the next nine largest companies put together. With 320,000 transaction sides in 2013, it has been in more deals than the next four largest brokerages combined. The NRT brings in over $4 billion in gross commission income to Realogy. Even as the technology companies get all the press, and the various real estate brands grab the headlines, the NRT is the foundation upon which Realogy is built, and it's not slowing down. © 2014 RealSure, Inc.
It adds companies to its portfolio every year, including ZipRealty and its brokerage operations in 23 markets with 1,800 associates. Since the start of 2014, the NRT has acquired 15 companies, including such stalwarts as Martha Turner Properties in Houston. That is dominance. That is industry leadership. Although Bruce Zipf is a very behind-the-scenes and unassuming CEO, he has been the leader of this company since 2005 (ranked #13 on our list last year) and we acknowledge growing power he wields through his leadership of this industry giant, by moving him up four positions this year. www.SP200.com
17
President and CEO, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
BUDGE HUSKY BUDGE HUSKEY WAS PROMOTED TO PRESIDENT AND CEO OF COLDWELL
Banker Real Estate LLC in January 2013, where he today oversees marketing, operations, learning, and field services supporting more than 87,000 Coldwell Banker sales associates in approximately 3,000 offices in 49 countries and territories around the world. Prior to joining Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Huskey spent the previous 12 years in several executive positions with the NRT, the nation's largest residential real estate brokerage. Huskey began his real estate career as an agent in 1984 with family-owned Huskey Realty where he stayed until joining the NRT in 1998 as a branch manager for Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Longwood, FL.
President and CEO, HomeServices of America, Inc
ROBERT MOLINE
10
Robert Moline has been the President and Chief Operating Officer of HomeServices of America, Inc. (HSA) since 2008, and is the right hand of Ron Peltier overseeing the second largest brokerage company in North America. HSA IS SECOND ONLY TO THE NRT, WITH $63.5 BILLION IN
sales volume in 2013, and more than double the size of the #3 company, Long & Foster. As Peltier grows the empire that is HomeServices (part of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio), Moline manages the crown jewels (company owned stores) by ensuring successful growth both organically and through acquisitions. Climbing many positions this year is largely attributed to the fact that recently Moline has also been 18
www.SP200.com
very active in a number of critical industry issues, from Franchise IDX to brokerage AVMs to the role of the MLS. He is considered by many to be the primary driver behind two potentially industry-changing efforts: Project Upstream and an unnamed “broker portal” initiative. During his 23 years in real estate brokerage, Moline most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of HomeServices of Nebraska, Inc. His career began as a Certified Public Accountant with Peat, Marwick and Mitchell. ©2014 RealSure, Inc.
11
He eventually became a district and regional manager in the organization's Central Florida region before being named in 2004 as president and chief operating officer of the NRT's Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Florida. Huskey served as president of the Orlando Association of REALTORS®, where he was honored as Realtor of the Year, and director and committee chairperson for the Florida Association of REALTORS®. Huskey currently serves as a National Association of REALTORS® Director and serves on the Strategic Planning Committee. He won the 2006 Coldwell Banker Chandler Barton Award representing dedication and service to the Coldwell Banker brand and is a 1981 graduate of Mercer University and earned an MBA in 1984 from Wake Forest University.
Chairman and CEO, Long and Foster
WESLEY FOSTER WES FOSTER IS FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN, AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE Officer of the Long & Foster Companies: Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., Prosperity Mortgage Company, Mid-States Title Insurance Agency, Inc., and Long & Foster Insurance Agency, Inc. He founded Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. in 1968 and has grown it into the largest privately owned real estate company in the U.S. with over 10,000 agents working from over 170 offices and generating an astounding 73,000+ transactions a year, third only to two giant public entities. Presently, he is seated on the Board of Directors of Lane Construction Corporation of Meriden, CT and the George C. Marshall Foundation. He served on the Board of Directors of RELO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Metro Board of Directors of First American Bank of Maryland, and the Board of Directors of First Union National Bank of Virginia. Foster is a 1956 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
19
12
President and CEO, Weichert Realtors
President and CEO, Century 21 Real Estate
JIM WEICHERT
RICK DAVIDSON
JIM WEICHERT BEGAN HIS COMPANY IN 1969 with
RICHARD W. “RICK” DAVIDSON WAS APPOINTED PRESIDENT and chief executive officer of Century 21 Real Estate in February 2010. In his role, he leads one of the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization of approximately 6,800 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 78 countries and territories worldwide with more than 100,000 sales professionals. Davidson has served in franchise senior executive roles since 2006, and prior to that he was a franchise owner of a Realogy brand.
a small Real Estate Office in Chatham, NJ. Today, headquartered in Morris Plains, NJ, Weichert has grown to one of the largest privately held real estate companies in the nation with approximately 150 company owned and 275 franchise locations across the nation. The group provides real estate, financial services, mortgages, and home and title insurance services through 18,000 sales associates, 10,000 referral associates, and 2,000 employees
13
Weichert Realtors remains a familyowned company and although Jim still serves as its President and Chief Executive Officer, his son James Weichert Jr. is growing in stature every year and will most likely be the new leader of this company in the not too distant future.
Chairman/CEO & President/COO, Hanna Holdings
Co-Founder, Trulia
HOWARD HANNA & HELEN HANNA-CASEY
PETE FLINT PETE FLINT CO-FOUNDED TRULIA, INC. IN 2005 WITH HIS PARTNER
EXPLODING IN TO THE TOP 20 THIS YEAR IS THE DYNAMIC DUO SIBLING team of Howard W. “Hoddy” Hanna III and Helen Hanna-Casey who run a $10 billion empire, one of the largest in residential real estate in the U.S. This third generation family owned company was founded in 1957 by Howard and Anne Hanna with one office in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Hoddy serves as Chairman and CEO while Helen serves as President. The company spans over 170 offices and over,6,200 agents.
Sami Inkinen. In 2014 he pulled off one of the most financially lucrative sales of the year when he sold Trulia to Zillow for an astounding $3.5 billion. Kudos on creating, building, and being able to capitalize on a multi billion dollar company in less than a decade. The sale has already been approved by shareholders but is being contested by Move, Inc. and is still officially pending FTC approval. It is however expected to close during the first quarter of 2015. Flint drops out of the Top 10 this year in large part because he will now be managing a subsidiary of a larger group and won't have as much power and autonomy as he did as co-owner and entrepreneur of his own company. Zillow plans to keep the Trulia search portal and brand alive and that keeps Trulia as the second largest portal in the residential real estate industry for 2015. Most certainly the “new” Move, Inc. ownership, the challenge from Movoto, the creation of possible broker portal, as well as other initiatives will seek to challenge that. Pete holds a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Stanford University and remains on as CEO of Trulia. 20
www.SP200.com
15
With more than 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, prior to his current post he served in a dual capacity as chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate and as president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates. In this role, Davidson was responsible for overseeing the Coldwell Banker residential franchise operations on a global basis after having led the brand’s commercial operations since May 2006. Davidson is an honors graduate of the College of Management and Business at National-Louis University.
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
14
Howard Hanna III, known as a man of steadfast determination and integrity, is involved in day-to-day operations. Getting his real estate license at 18 and following in his father’s footsteps, he has always been known as the idea man, brimming with energy and charisma. Howard Hanna Real Estate Services was among the first in the country to launch a weekly television program showcasing homes listed for sale and is the only real estate company in the nation to offer a “100 percent Money Back Guarantee.” Helen has many responsibilities within and surrounding the real estate industry. She serves as President & Director at two of her family owned companies: Hanna Holdings, Inc, and Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, Inc., and is Independent Director at TriState Capitol Holdings, Inc. © 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
21
16
President and CEO, Redfin
17
Chief Executive Officer, RealtyONE Group
GLENN KELMAN
KUBA JEWGIENIEW
GLENN KELMAN CLIMBS FOUR SLOTS THIS YEAR AS HE has doubled Redfin’s footprint in the last year and now operates in 48 U.S. markets. He also closed one of the largest ($70.9m) funding rounds of the year, bringing the total raised to an astounding $166.6 million. Kelman leads Redfin, a company whose controversial business model has gained more and more attention these days as their great online and mobile capabilities give many other companies a run for their money. First criticized and now often emulated, Kelman’s company restructures the commission-based agent / brokerage relationship so that agents work directly for the brokerage on a salary, and (instead of a commission) receive a bonus solely on the buyer’s review. This new model creates an entirely new dynamic between agent, buyer, and brokerage, one that has the buyer’s needs at its heart.
AS COMPARED TO OUR 2013/4 SP200 LIST, KUBA JEWGIENIEW
Kelman was a co-founder of Plumtree Software. The company created the market for portal software and led that market for many years, going public in 2002, it was acquired by BEA in 2005. He graduated from UC Berkeley summa cum laude.
is the fastest climbing executive to break into the Top 20 in 2014/5. He is CEO of the company he founded in 2005, Realty ONE Group, one of the fastest growing online real estate brokerages in the country, with 6,000+ agents closing over 25,000 transactions totaling $7.2 billion per year. The company boasts that their new innovative residential real estate brokerage platform gives entrepreneurial real estate professionals the freedom, resources, strategies, and collaborative environment they need to realize their full potential. It seems to be working very well as Realty ONE has rapidly risen to the top of most of the markets they've entered; claiming to be #1 in Nevada, #3 in California, and #2 in Arizona. For the past 6 years, Realty ONE Group has made INC. 500's list of fastest growing companies in America. Very impressive indeed. Jewgieniew has a Bachelor in Economics from the University of California at San Diego.
19 President and CEO, Crye-Leike
President & CEO of Brookfield Real Estate Services
WESLEY FOSTER
PHIL SOPER
HAROLD CRYE SERVES AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CRYE-LEIKE,
Inc., the company he founded in 1977 with his partner Dick Leike. After just three years, he grew it into the largest firm in Memphis. He now heads a team over 2,500 agents operating from more than 80 offices generating over 27,000 transactions a year. He also serves as CEO and Chairman of Reliance Relocation Services, Inc. and is past chairman of the Realty Alliance, past Chairman of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, former President of the Memphis Area Association of REALTORS® as well as REALTORS® of the Year for the same association.
PHIL SOPER IS PRESIDENT & CEO OF BROOKFIELD REAL ESTATE Services, Canada’s largest real estate franchisor and owner-operator with more than 600 locations and approximately 17,000 agents under the Royal LePage, Royal LePage Commercial, Johnston & Daniel, and Via Capitale brands. Soper was named President of Royal LePage in 2002 and CEO of Brookfield Real Estate Services in 2004. The business has more than tripled revenue and doubled agent-count under his tenure. From 2008 until 2012, Brookfield Real Estate Services made a series of strategic acquisitions in the U.S. market, including GMAC Real Estate, Real Living, and Prudential Real Estate, with a combined agent count of over fifty thousand professionals. In 2012, these businesses became Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, a joint venture between Brookfield and Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway. The new firm was named U.S. Real Estate Agency Brand of the Year in a 2013 Harris EquiTrend study. Prior to joining the real estate industry, Soper was a senior executive with IBM. He is a former governor of the University of Alberta, the same university he graduated from with a Bachelor of Commerce. 22
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
18
In 2014 Crye announced that he would pull his listings from Trulia and Zillow in the Memphis market, due to his dissatisfaction with their listing practices. Right or wrong, this move captured of lot of attention and embellished Crye’s strong convictions and entrepreneurial spirit. He received his Bachelors of Science from Arkansas State University.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
23
20
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
1
Power200 THE TOP 200 SWA NE P OE L
2
3
The definitive list of Leaders in Real Estate
4
5
6
7
8
Richard Smith
Chairman and CEO, Realogy Holdings Corp.
Madison, NJ
Smith turned a previously ailing Realogy into the parent company of the most powerful real estate company in the world managing half of the top 10 name brands in the industry. The group operates approx. 13,600 offices with more than 250,000 agents doing business in 105 countries and accounting for 26% of all existing home sales in the U.S.
Spencer Rascoff
Chief Executive Officer , Zillow
Seattle, WA
Rascoff is a founding member of Zillow, served as COO from 2008-2010 after which he became CEO. Under his leadership, Zillow achieved record Web and mobile traffic, attracting twice the number of visitors than its nearest competitor. Rascoff led the company in 2011 to a successful IPO and in 2014 boldly acquired its major competitor Trulia.
Ron Peltier
Chairman and CEO, HomeServices of America
Minneapolis, MN
Through shrewd negotiations, Peltier as CEO acquired two top 10 franchise networks adding that to their portfolio of company owned offices that were already the second largest brokerage in the U.S. Subsequently he orchestrated the successful conversion of tens of thousands of agents to the new and prestigious Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand.
Gary Keller
Co-Founder and Chairman, Keller Williams Realty International
Austin, TX
Kellers' brilliant vision and strategies as co-founder of KWRI has during the past decade redefined broker-agent relationships and in the process amassed the largest number of agents to ever work under one brand in the U.S.; 107,000 and counting. He is a gifted speaker and has been a New York Times best-selling author multiple times.
Alex Perriello
President and CEO, Realogy Franchise Group
Madison, NJ
Perriello has been CEO of Realogy's franchise group for more than a decade. He is Richard Smith's right hand and oversees operations for the largest real estate franchise in the world, with 13,600 franchises in 105 countries.The brand presidents of Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Better Homes and Gardens, Sotheby's, and ERA Real Estate report to him.
Dale Stinton
Chief Executive Officer, National Association of REALTORS®
Chicago, IL
As CEO, Stinton has demonstrated incredible leadership in bringing continued success to America's largest trade association and its more than 1 million members. Recent highlights include the launch of the high-level dot realtor domain, releasing new organizational standards, and helping facilitate the sale of Move, Inc. to News Corp.
Dave Liniger
Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, RE/MAX
Denver, CO
Liniger revolutionized the industry through his 100 percent commission-based brokerage, and with 90,000+ sales associates, RE/MAX is #1 in many markets. His life story contributes to his title as the Most Interesting Man in Real Estate - veteran of the U.S. Air Force; a former NASCAR driver/ owner; a big game hunter; and a huge humanitarian.
Mark Willis
Chief Executive Officer , Keller Williams Realty International
Austin, TX
Willis knew he wanted to be in real estate at age 11. He started as team leader in Austin in 1991 before stepping into the role of CEO at KWRI in 2005 where he set a goal to grow the company from 18,000 to 100,000 agents. The company reached 107,000 at the end of 2014 and has now set its sights on being No. 1 worldwide in agent count.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
25
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
9
10
11
12
13 14
15
16
Bruce G Zipf
President and CEO, NRT LLC
Madison, NJ
Zipf heads NRT, the largest owner and operator of residential real estate brokerages in the U.S. with 720+ offices and 45,000 agents generating over $150 billion in annual sales. He was previously responsible for financial planning, acquisitions and mergers, human resources, facilities, and the New York Metro and Boston to Atlanta regions.
Robert Moline
President and COO, HomeServices of America
Minneapolis, MN
With over 22 years of industry experience, Moline oversees the corporate functions of the second largest brokerage company in the U.S. with 26 presidents, including the president of Edina Realty, Champion Realty, Huff Realty, ReeceNichols, RealtySouth, and many Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices rebranded companies such as Fox and Roach, report to him.
Budge Huskey
Chief Executive Officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate
Madison, NJ
With over 20 years of experience in all aspects of real estate, this veteran now serves as CEO of the oldest and most revered real estate brand in the industry. Huskey oversees marketing, operations, learning, and field services for Coldwell Banker Real Estate, supporting its 87,000+ agents working in 3,000 offices in 49 countries.
Wesley Foster
Chairman and CEO, Long and Foster
Chantilly, VA
Foster co-founded his company in 1968, and as Chairman and CEO he has developed it into the largest privately owned real estate firm in the U.S., with 160+ offices producing more than $26 billion in sales last year. Previously he served as a Platoon Commander in Vietnam as a member of the Marines.
Jim M Weichert
Founder and President, Weichert REALTORS®
18
19
20
Established in 1969, Weichert grew his company from a single office into one of the largest fullservice real estate and financial services groups in the country, with 425 company owned and franchise offices 15,000 sales associates, 10,000 referral agents and 2,000 employees.
Pete Flint
Co-Founder, Trulia
San Francisco, CA
In 2005 Flint co-founded Trulia with his friend, Sami Inkinen. They took the company public in 2011, and transformed Trulia from an online advertising company into an end-to-end, vertically integrated technology platform for brokers and agents. In 2014 he concluded a $3.5 billion sale whereby Trulia would become an operating subsidiary of Zillow.
Rick Davidson
President and CEO, Century 21 Real Estate
Madison, NJ
Davidson was appointed CEO in 2010 and now heads one of the largest residential real estate franchise companies in the world with 100,000+ agents working from 6,900 franchised broker offices in 78 countries. He previously served as chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate and Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates.
Howard Hanna & Helen Hanna-Casey
Chairman/CEO & President, Hanna Holdings
Pittsburg, PA
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
Glenn Kelman
President and CEO, Redfin
Seattle, WA
Kelman is an early standout in the recent wave of online real estate brokerages after graduating summa cum laude from UC Berkeley. He has doubled its footprint in the last year and now operates in 48 U.S. markets and closed one of the largest ($70.9m) funding rounds of the year bringing his funding total to an astounding $166.6 million.
Philip Soper
President, Brookfield Real Estate Services
Toronto, ON
Soper was named President of Royal LePage in 2002 and CEO of Brookfield Real Estate Services in 2004. He leads their Canadia operations with over 17,000 agents in its Royal LePage, Royal LePage Commercial, Johnston & Daniel and Via Capitale businesses. The business has more than tripled revenue and doubled agent-count during his tenure.
Kuba Jewgieniew
Founder and CEO, Realty ONE Group
Irvine, CA
A former stockbroker and computer programmer, he has incorporated his talents in programming into building a fast growing online real estate brokerage that offers cutting edge technology to an agent-centric business model. The group has 6,000+ agents closing over 25,000 transactions totaling $7.2 billion per year.
Harold Crye
President and CEO, Crye-Leike Real Estate Services
Memphis, TN
After co-founding the company in 1977, he grew his once small shop into 100+ offices across the Southeast. He also serves as CEO and Chairman of Reliance Relocation Services. In 2014 he made headlines when he announced that he would pull his listings from Trulia and Zillow.
Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is "timing" it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.
Morris Plains, NJ
A sibling team that runs this third generation family owned company, one of the largest real estate companies in the U.S. Hoddy Hanna serves as Chairman and CEO while Helen Hanna-Casey serves as President. The company spans 170+ offices, 6,200+ agents, and an annual sales volume of $10 billion.
26
17
― FULTON J. SHEEN
21
22
23
Dorothy Herman
President and CEO, Douglas Elliman Real Estate
Huntington Station, NY
With her partner Howard Lorber, Herman acquired Douglas Elliman in 2003 and turned it into New York's largest residential brokerage, with 4,700+ real estate professionals that produced almost $15 billion in sales throughout the East Coast. She also hosts the Saturday morning radio show, Eye on Real Estate.
Gino Blefari
President and CEO, HSF Affiliates
Irvine, CA
In 2002, Blefari founded Intero and built it into one of the largest real estate companies in California with more than 60 offices generating over $5.6 billion in 2013. In 2014 the company was acquired by HomeServices of America and Blefari was tapped to assume the reins of their franchise company, HSF Affiliates; effective January 1, 2015.
Lloyd Frink
Co-Founder/Vice Chairman, Zillow
Seattle, WA
One of the founders of Zillow, Frink still comes into the office five days a week where he is responsible for Zillow's long-term strategic direction. Previously, he has served in executive roles at Expedia where he was instrumental to the company's overall growth. Frink graduated from Stanford with a BA in Economics.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
27
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
24
25
Paul Hulme
President and CEO, Alain Pinel Realtors
Saratoga, CA
Hulme co-founded the company in 1990 and has been its sole shareholder and CEO since 2000. It is now the largest residential real estate company in California, with 1,300+ agents producing over $10.4 billion in sales. Born on a farm in Utah, Hulme graduated from the University of Utah, and served in the U.S. Air Force.
Sherry Chris
President and CEO, BH&G Real Estate
Madison , NJ
Chris has over 30 years of real estate experience and has held senior management positions at Royal LePage, Real Living and Pru California. In 2006 she joined Realogy as COO for CB Real Estate, and in 2007 she was appointed CEO of BH&G. Currently, she also serves on the Advisory Boards for Realtor.com and Zillow.
31
Joel Singer
33
Matt Widdows
26
27
28
29
30
28
Steve Morris
Founder and Chairman, EXIT Realty Corp. International
Mississauga, Canada
Morris built the EXIT franchise to over 1,000 offices and 30,000+ associates with his innovative formula, where sales associates receive a residual bonus on the transactions of the sales associates they bring into the company. His efforts have been recognized by the Canadian government in the form of grants for EXIT's proprietary software systems.
Pam O'Connor
President and CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies
President and CEO, Move, Inc.
President and CEO, The Corcoran Group
SVP Sales and Marketing, National Association of REALTORS®
Chicago, IL
Goldberg heads up Sales & Marketing, Business Development & Strategic Investments, Professional Development and Conventions for NAR. His charter is to drive non-dues revenue for NAR, which allows NAR to expand its membership benefits. He also serves as CEO of the for profit, whollyowned subsidiary, REALTORS® Information Network. www.SP200.com
37
New York, NY
After joining the company in her early 20's, she became the top agent, working her way up to President and CEO in 2000. In 2001 the company was acquired by the NRT. Today the Corcoran Group is the largest residential brokerage in New York City and produces over $11 billion in annual sales through its 47 offices and 2,100+ brokers.
Bob Goldberg
36
New York, NY
An executive with extensive leadership experiences across a range of operational roles. At the President level he has led four different companies and P & L's ($50M - $800M in revenue) to notable improvement with quantifiable results/outcomes. He has B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard. O'Hara becomes CEO of Move, Inc. effective January 5, 2015.
Pamela Liebman
35
Chicago, IL
O'Connor's near 30-year career has seen her become the first woman to head a global real estate network of over 500 independent real estate firms in 35+ countries that produce over $200 billion in annual home sales. Previously, she worked in TV, and later owned a public relations firm specializing in real estate and hospitality.
Ryan O'Hara
34
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
38
President and CEO, BHHS California Realty
San Diego, CA
Cabot served as one of Prudential's most successful office managers for 16 years before he was tapped to become President and CEO of BHHS California Realty. He leads one of the largest brokerages in the country with 3,400 sales associates in 59 offices throughout Southern and Central California.
32
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. ―RONALD REAGAN
David Cabot
Chief Executive Officer, California Association of REALTORS®
Los Angeles, CA
Singer heads the largest statewide Realtor Association, with 165,000+ members throughout California. He is also CEO of Ziplogix, the industry's largest real estate forms software program. Singer received a BA in Economics and History and a MA from UCLA. Founder and Chairman, HomeSmart International
Phoenix, AZ
Since founding HomeSmart in 2000, he has grown it into the largest real estate brokerage in the Southwest. With strong implementation of agent-empowering technologies, and by stressing the values of uniqueness and individualism in his company, he led a team of 4,700+ agents to produce $4.8 billion last year.
Bob Hale
President and CEO, Houston Association of REALTORS®
Houston, TX
Since the beginning of his tenure as CEO in 1988, Hale has cultivated HAR into the second largest local REALTOR® Association in the country with over 28,000 members. His forward thinking and ability to embrace technology has led to the association's rapid growth and success; their new website generates over 3 million visitors each month.
Keith Rabois
Founder and CEO, Opendoor
San Francisco, CA
Recently, this successful entrepreneur has aimed his focus on the world of real estate, launching OpenDoor this year, a service that promises to transform the process of selling a home through technology. Rabois has enjoyed unparalleled success as an entrepreneur, executive, and investor with PayPal, LinkedIn, Yelp, YouTube and AirBnB.
Kevin J Kelleher
CEO and President, Cartus Corporation
New York City, NY
He brings 30+ years of industry experience to bear in his current role leading this global relocation subsidiary of Realogy. He manages 2,900 employees in more than 20 offices on four continents that serve 50 percent of the Fortune 50 with corporate group moves, international assignments, and government / military programs.
Philip White
President and CEO, Sotheby's International Realty
Madison, NJ
White, a 34-year industry veteran, has been with Sotheby's since 1980, holding many positions including owner of his own independent affiliate, and has spent 12 years with the NRT. White rose to his current position in 2013 and oversees 160,000 affiliated sales associates in 730 offices in 56 countries. Sotheby's action house was founded in 1744.
Jerry Giovaniello
SVP and Chief Lobbyist, National Association of REALTORS®
Washington, DC
Giovaniello has been NAR's top lobbyist since 2001 and is the most powerful lobbyist on Capitol Hill. He manages NAR's government affairs team of 40 people in Washington, D.C. Before joining NAR, he was chief of staff for two members of Congress. He received a BA from New York University and was an Officer in Vietnam.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
29
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
39
Charlie Young
40
Bradley Inman
42
William Raveis
43
Rich A Rector
46
30
Founder and Publisher, INMAN News
San Francisco, CA
Inman's impact on the industry dates back to his syndicated column with the San Francisco Examiner. In 1983, he founded Inman News and has since become the most successful online news service in the real estate industry. Inman also hosts the popular Real Estate Connect conference. He is co-founder of Homegain, TurnHere Inc., and Vook, Inc.
Lennox Scott
45
Madison, NJ
Since 2009 he has led the rebuilding and re-positioning of the ERA brand oversees, and the implementation of growth and profitability strategies for ERA's member brokers. Young has more than 20 years of industry experience, which includes 5 years in senior management at Coldwell Banker Real Estate.
41
44
President, ERA Franchise Systems
Chairman and CEO, John L. Scott Real Estate
Bellevue, WA
Lennox Scott is the third generation to lead his family's business that was founded in 1931. As CEO since 1976 he has been instrumental in expanding this single office, Seattle-based firm, into a company with 110+ branches throughout Washington, Oregon, and Idaho that is annually responsible for $ 9.3 billion in sales. President and CEO, Williams Raveis Real Estate
Shelton, CT
Raveis founded the company in 1974, and from its humble beginnings he turned it into one of the largest brokerage companies in the country with 70 offices that produced over $7 billion in sales last year. He has been chosen as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and he holds a BS from the University of Dayton. President, Realty Executives International
47
Richard Smith
48
Lawrence Flick, IV
49
David Charron
50
Gary Simonsen
Scottsdale, AZ
Co-Presidents, Real Estate One
Southfield, MI
Brothers Dan and Stuart Elsea are third-generation family owners that jointly run this 85 year-old company, now the largest real estate company in Michigan. They produced over $4.2 billion in sales last year with almost 25,000 transactions.
Allen Tate
Chief Executive Officer, Allen Tate Companies
Charlotte, NC
With more than 50 years in the industry, Tate founded the "one-stop-shopping" giant of the Carolinas that generated $4.5 billion in annual sales through its 1,400+ real estate professionals. Tate is committed to his community and is an active participant in its affairs. He graduated from the University of North Carolina.
Vinnie Tracey
President, RE/MAX
Denver, CO
Tracey has been with RE/MAX since 1987, fulfilling various roles within the company. Since 2004 he has headed all of RE/MAX International's operations, representing its membership in national and international industry organizations. He is also the immediate Past Chair of the Board of Governors for Children's Miracle Network.
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
Bryan, TX
Smith improved an already successful company by joining with Coldwell Banker Residential Affiliates in 1986 and has since grown the Richard Smith Company into the largest CB affiliate in the network. In 2014 he acquired Henry S. Miller Realtors and continues to expand the company's presence in Texas, the Florida panhandle, and Colorado. President and CEO, BHHS Fox & Roach
Devon, PA
A 50-year veteran within the real estate industry, Flick built Fox & Roach into one of the most successful real estate brokerages in the country. He achieved this growth through a strategy that enacted 40 mergers and acquisitions. In 2013 BHHS acquired the company and it changed to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox and Roach. CEO and President, MRIS
Rockville, MD
Charron oversees operations for one of the nation's largest MLS systems, which is responsible for nearly $100 billion in real estate transactions each year. MRIS supports over 43,000 real estate professionals spanning the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to joining MRIS in 2001 he was the President of an Internet-based business consulting practice. Chief Executive Officer, Canada Real Estate Association
Ottawa, ON
Simonsen has been the CEO since 2008, representing over 100,000 Realtors throughout Canada. He previously served as an Associate Executive Officer for the association and six years as the Executive Officer of the Winnipeg Real Estate Board. Simonsen has been in the industry since 1984, and holds a BS from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
Founded by his father in 1965, Rector purchased Realty Executives International and became its President in 1980. He has grown the company to 10,000 agents in 500 franchises in more than 20 countries. Rector graduated from Stanford University in 1975 and has 40 years of industry experience.
Dan Elsea & Stuart Elsea
President and CEO, Coldwell Banker United REALTORS®
―DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
51
52
53
Chris Polychron
2015 President, National Association of REALTORS®
Hot Spring, AZ
Polychron is the 2015 President of NAR. He has served on the NAR's Board of Directors since 2002, served as President of the Arkansas REALTOR® Association in 2003 and President of the Hot Springs Board of REALTORS® in 1996. He has over 25 years of industry experience and is an Executive Broker with 1st Choice Realty in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Robert N. Sibcy
President and CEO, Sibcy Cline Realtors
Cincinnati, OH
A third-generation leader and 45+ year veteran in the industry, Sibcy heads this regional powerhouse in Cincinnati and Kentucky. He oversees 1,100+ agents that closed 11,000 transactions last year. He serves as Director of the Realty Alliance, the Armrel Byrnes Company, the Myers Y. Cooper Company, and is chairman of the Board of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.
Dale Ross
President and CEO, Realtors Property Resource
Chicago, IL
Ross heads RPR, the venture formed by the NAR to develop a national real estate property-centric database for its members. Ross also co-founded MRIS and served as its President / CEO for seven years. In 1985, he served as President of the Montgomery County Association of REALTORS®, and is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
31
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
54
Jeffrey Detwiler
President and COO, Long and Foster
Chantilly, VA
61
Detwiler leads the strategic direction and operations of one of the largest privately owned real estate companies in the U.S. with 170 offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. He has over 20 years of experience that include positions within almost all facets of the mortgage industry. He graduated from Princeton University.
55
Scott Shaw
Co-Founder and CEO, Sutton Realty Group
Vancouver, Canada
62
This media-shy Chinese immigrant founded his company in 1983 with Lance Tracey. Today, Sutton Realty has more than 200 franchises with 8,000 agents generating $9 billion in annual sales. Shaw serves as a director of various public companies in the technology and internet sectors.
56
Tami Bonnell
Chief Executive Officer, EXIT Realty Corp. International
West Burlington, MA
With her 30 years of industry experience, Bonnell has been operating as the CEO of Exit Realty since 2001 and has been instrumental in building three major brands of the company. Bonnell has been a speaker at the NAR convention and The Women's Council of REALTORS®, and hosts a quarterly, online seminar that informs the public on real estate issues.
57
Amy Bohutinsky
Chief Marketing Officer, Zillow
Seattle, WA
63
64
Bohutinsky heads all marketing and communications at Zillow, including brand, public relations, mobile, social-media marketing, email, business development, and advertising. She has been instrumental to its significant brand and traffic growth. Prior to joining Zillow in 2005, Amy ran communications for discount travel site Hotwire.
58
Stephen Phillips
Chief Operating Officer, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
60
32
65
Having previously held the office of EVP and COO for GMAC Home Services and CEO of GMAC Relocation Services, Phillips brings a wealth of experience to his current role, Prior to entering real estate, Phillips worked at US Bancorp, overseeing a $2 billion portfolio for large corporate clients.
He who has great power should use it lightly.
59
Irvine, CA
Greg Schwartz
Chief Revenue Officer, Zillow
66 67
Schwartz is responsible for all Zillow sales and business strategy. He also structured and now manages the largest real estate ad network in partnership with Yahoo! Homes. Previously, he served as VP of Advertising at CNNMoney and as a National Accounts Director for Yahoo! Automotive and Finance Properties.
Geoff Wood
Chief Executive Officer, Windermere Real Estate
Seattle, WA
As CEO since 2003 Wood has been instrumental in growing the Windemere Services Company into new markets in 7 states. He received a MBA from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor's from Whitman College. He is married to Jill, the granddaughter of the company's founder, John Sacobi, and they now run the company with Jill's brother, OB.
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
President, Homes.com
Norfold, VA
With 15 years of media and technology experience, Mele in 2014 was tapped to take over as CEO and oversee overall business strategy and day-to-day operations of Homes.com. Prior to joining Homes.com, Mele served as publisher of The Virginian-Pilot and president of Pilot Media, a diversified media company.
Maureen Passerini
Executive Vice President, NRT Northeast Region
Madison, NJ
Passerini is EVP of the Eastern Seaboard and Northeast Regions of NRT. She also oversees the company's eight Coldwell Banker branded operations, and the NRT's ERA-branded operation in Harrisburg, PA. She is responsible for the strategic initiatives of more than 200 offices and over 12,000 sales associates.
Mary Frances Burleson
President and CEO, Ebby Halliday Real Estate
Dallas, TX
Ms. Burleson joined Ebby Halliday in 1958. As CEO she paralleled the growth of the firm from three offices to five brands, 30 offices, 1,600+ staff and sales associates and $6.4 billion in annual sales. After more than half a century she still manages the day-to-day operations of Texas' largest independent real estate brokerage.
Greg Mason
President and CEO, Edina Realty Home Services
Minneapolis, MN
As the newly appointed CEO of Edina Realty Home Services, Mason is now part of the senior management team for HomeServices of America. He heads the region's largest residential real estate firm, with 60 offices throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. He has a BS in Biology from the University of North Dakota and a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law.
Cameron Merage
President and CEO, First Team Real Estate
Irvine, CA
In 1976 Merage founded First Team Real Estate in Orange County, CA. As President and CEO, he has grown it into one of the largest independent real estate firms in California, with 1,700+ agents that produces over $5.8 billion annually, specializing in the sale of residential properties valued at $2 million and up.
Martin Rueter
President, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates
Morris Plains, NJ
Rueter is a fourth-generation Realtor , with deep roots in the industry. He heads up the 275 franchise division of Weichert Realtors. Previously, Rueter was instrumental in helping grow Centrury 21, joining the company in the mid 1970's and rising to the level of Senior Vice President. ®
—SENECA Seattle, WA
David Mele
68
Robert McAdams, Jr.
President, Real Living Real Estate
Irvine, CA
McAdams brought his 20 years of industry experience to the company in 2002 as VP of Finance and has served as its President since 2012. He has been integral to the company's success, and under his leadership it has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the best innovative concepts. He received his BS from Clarion University.
Greg Macres
Executive Vice President, NRT West
Concord, CA
Macres leads NRT's operations in Northern California, Colorado, Utah, and Hawaii, from sales training to real estate management and career guidance training. In the late 80's he became an owner of Contempo Realty, successfully growing it until it was acquired by the NRT. He also founded the Children's Gaucher Research Fund.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
33
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
69 70
71
David Osborn
Regional Owner, Keller Williams Realty International
Dallas , TX
Osborn has ownership in three regions and is the number one franchise in the Keller Williams family accounting for over 5,000 transactions a year. He is also Operating Principal for three other regions.
Paul Levine
Chief Operating Officer, Trulia
Chairman and CEO, @Properties
Chicago, IL
Golden and Wong are co-founders of @properties (established in 2000), which is considered a new paradigm business model. They rapidly grew the company to 1,300 agents, producing 10,000 transactions per year totaling over $4.5 billion in sales.
72
73
74
75
76
34
Chris Bennett
General Manager, Corelogic
78
Greensboro, NC
Steve Ozonian
80
Irvine, CA
Ozonian has had a remarkable real estate career. He served as a senior executive with Sorrento Capitol, RealEstate.com, Help-U-Sell, BofA, RE/MAX, MOVE Inc, Realtor.com, Prudential, and CB. In his new role he is leading the portfolio of its real estate affiliates and building a new national real estate company-owned brokerage. President and CEO, Long Companies
Tucson, AZ
81
Koberlein has been with the Long Realty Company since 1991, holding positions in both branch and senior management. As CEO she oversees the leadership for all Long Companies, including Brokerage, Mortgage, and Title and Insurance, overseeing more than 1,400 licensed real estate associates in more than 39 offices.
Mary Tennant
President, Keller Williams Realty International
Austin, TX
82
As President of North America's largest real estate franchise, Tennant has helped lead Keller Williams Realty to record growth, productivity, and profitability gains. Since her promotion to COO in 2006 she oversees all franchise headquarters' operations, including the company's training activities. She is also owner of various KW market centers.
Linda M Vaughan
President and CEO, ReeceNichols
Kansas City, MO
Created by the 2002 merger of J.D. Reece Realtors and J.C. Nichols Real Estate, Vaughan now heads the largest residential real estate firm in Kansas City with 1,900+ agents in 20 offices; ReeceNichols, Inc., a subsidiary of BHHS. Vaughan has over 35 years of industry experience and has served as the company's president since 2005.
www.SP200.com
Bellevue, WA
Riss is the CEO and Owner of Landover Corporation, the holding company of Coldwell Banker Bain and Coldwell Banker Seal, which own and operate 30 offices with over $4.7 billion in annual sales. His success comes from a strong and strategic drive of acquiring companies.
―PETER F. DRUCKER
79
Rosey Koberlein
President and CEO, Coldwell Banker Bain/Seal
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.
CoreLogic appointed Bennett to head the combined Realist and MarketLinx teams and improve its MLS product groups. He has been with the company since 2002 and has been instrumental in driving the MLS system business forward. The company's combined data includes 3.5 billion records dating back over 40 years. Chief Real Estate Officer, Carrington Holding Company
Bill Riss
Austin, TX
As Trulia's COO, Levine is responsible for leading the Consumer and Business Services divisions. He has 15 years of consumer Internet experience and most recently served as President of Digital at Current TV. He is also an investor to numerous Bay Area start-ups. He has an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Michael Golden & Thaddeus Wong
77
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
Art Carter
Chief Executive Officer, California Regional MLS
San Dimas, CA
Carter is the driving force behind the data share revolution and the unification of California MLSs, forming the largest MLS in the nation with more than 75,000 member agents from 34 Associations. He serves on the Board of the Real Estate Standards Organization and is past President of the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS).
Austin Allison
President and CEO, Dotloop
Cincinnati, OH
Founder and CEO of dotloop, where agents come together online to complete entire real estate transactions; so far more than 7 million buyers and sellers. In 2012 he was listed among Forbes 30 under 30, and was featured on the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine's "Young Millionaires" edition.
U. Gary Charlwood
Executive Chairman, Century 21 Canada
Vancouver, BC
In 1975 Charlwood and a partner founded Century 21 Real Estate Canada, growing it into one of the largest companies in the country with more than 400 locations and 8,000+ salespeople. He is also a major shareholder in the Century 21's reach into China and other countries in Asia.
Paul Morris
President and CEO, Keller Williams Forward Management
Beverly Hills, CA
Morris is Regional Director and part owner of KW's second largest franchise, overseeing its operations in Central and Southern California with ownership in 40 offices with more than 8,200 agents. Morris has a degree in economics, a Masters in Management from Oxford University, and a JD from Cornell Law School.
Stephen Baird
President and COO, Baird and Warner
Chicago, IL
Baird heads this family-owned firm, one of the oldest residential real estate brokerages in the nation; established in 1855. He is a former Chairman of The Realty Alliance and graduate of Harvard University, where he continues to remain active. The company generates more than $4 billion in annual sales with approximately 1,600 agents in 23 offices.
83
Joe Horning
President and CEO, Shorewest REALTORS®
Brookfield, WI
Horning is the third-generation leader of this family-owned brokerage, and with his brother John who serves as EVP, he oversees the Shorewest Family of Companies. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, is VP of Metro MLS, and is Chairman of the MLS Policy Forum for NAR.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
35
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
84
85
Walter Schneider
President and Co-Founder, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada
Ontario, Canada
Schneider co-founded RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc. in 1980 with his partner, Frank Polzler. Today RE/MAX is one of the two largest real estate franchises in Canada. Worldwide expansion has led to global success and the two now control 30 percent of the global RE/MAX network, with more than 2,400 offices and 29,000 sales associates.
Tom Gonser
Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, DocuSign
San Francisco, CA
Gonser is considered by many to be the father of electronic signatures and in creating DocuSign he has changed the way real estate transactions take place. His innovation is used to facilitate the online exchanges of contracts, tax documents, and legal materials. Previously, he co-founded NetUPDATE, an online transaction management system.
91
Jon Coile
93
Tom Tognoli
―JOSS WHEDON
87
88
89
90
36
94 Mark McLaughlin
Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Union International
San Francisco, CA
McLaughlin acquired Pacific Union in 2009 and retooled it with the adaptation of technology applications. His changes helped to grow the company to almost 5,000 transactions a year totaling over $5.5 billion. Previously, he built Morgan Lane into Marin County's premier luxury brand in just three years.
Stan Humphries
Chief Economist, Zillow
Seattle, WA
Humphries leads Zillow's economic and analytic team, and has become the most quoted economist in the real estate industry. He is in charge of calculating all statistics on the housing market, including the Zillow Home Value Index. As a respected expert, he regularly appears on national broadcasts and in the media. He holds a Ph.D. in Government.
Earl Lee
SVP Special projects, HSF Affiliates
Chairman and CEO, Movoto
Broker/Owner, RE/MAX Results
Eden Prairie, MN
In 2014 Collopy acquired Marshall Saunders' half of the company, making him sole owner. Since 2008 he and Saunders doubled the number of agents to 900+ throughout Minneapolis and Wisconsin. With annual sales over $2.4 billion it is now one of the largest RE/MAX franchises in the world. www.SP200.com
97
San Mateo, CA
Stating that they (Movoto) want to be the most trafficked real estate website, and climbing to #7 nationally in 2014, makes Movoto an interesting play to watch. Movoto is now also licensed in 30 states and CEO Shiro brings a depth of growth and business development experience from his time at the Japanese real estate website "SUUMO" and work in China.
John Collopy
96
Irvine, CA
Lee is a longtime executive brought in to assist with the transition after the Berkshire Hathaway acquisition of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates. After two years at the helm of HSF Affiliates as CEO Lee is stepping down in Jan 2015 to take on Special Projects and international expansion of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand.
Takeuchi Shiro
95
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
98
President and CEO, NRT/Sotheby's International Realty
New York, NY
Korte is President and CEO of Sotheby's International Realty Inc., and coordinates 1,800 agents in 43 brokerage offices in trophy locations for parent company NRT LLC.; accounting for about $17 billion in annual sales volume. 2014 saw the landmark acquisition of Martha Turner Properties with an annual sales volume of over $2 billion.
92
Recognizing power in another does not diminish your own.
86
Kathy Korte
President and CEO, Champion Realty
Annapolis, MD
Coile heads the Maryland partner company of HomeServices of America, Inc., which is affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway. He is also Chairman of MRIS, the MLS for the Mid-Atlantic region, a member of the Move, Inc. advisory board, Board member of The Realty Alliance, and co-founder of FairDisplay.org. President and CEO, Intero Real Estate Services
Cupertino, CA
Tognoli has 25 years of industry experience and is one of Intero's founding partners. He is an active participant in all aspects of the company, notably through his leadership in the redesign of Interorealestate.com and the company's agent productivity suite of tools. He was promoted from COO to CEO in 2014 after the acquisition of Intero by BHHS.
Pierre Titley
President, RE/MAX Quebec
Quebec, Canada
After acquiring the regional franchise rights in 1982, Titley rapidly grew RE/MAX throughout the province, now with over 3,500 brokers spread across 136 franchises. Of the many corporate success stories in Quebec, the almost instant success of the RE/MAX banner in the real estate industry is by far one of the most spectacular.
Merle Whitehead
President and CEO, RealtyUSA
Williamsville, NY
A 25+ year industry veteran, he is owner and CEO of one of the largest independent real estate companies in New York State, with 56 offices that generated $3.3 billion in sales last year. He also serves as Director of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, Inc.
Tom Ferry
Founder and CEO, YourCoach.com
Newport Beach, CA
One of the most sought after coaches in the industry with over 1.5 million views on Youtube. Hosted over 400 events in 2014 in just about every nook and cranny in the country. His company has coached and conducted training for more than 250,000 salespeople. Ferry is a New York Times' bestselling author with his book Life! by Design.
Pat Riley
President and COO, Allen Tate Companies
Charlotte, NC
Riley started his career by establishing C. Pat Riley Realtors, which joined Allen Tate Companies in 1992. He has helped lead the company into its #1 position in the Carolinas, and he also serves as a vice chairman of the board of directors of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.
Steve Murray
President, Real Trends
Boulder, CO
Murray is president, co-founder, and editor of REAL Trends and has served in that role since the company's founding in 1987. He hosts the annual Gathering of Eagles conference and publishes REAL Trends 500 and REAL Trends The Thousand with the Wall Street Journal, ranking of the nation's top sales professionals.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
37
Expertise On Demand
We have answers for you Step-by-step solutions for real estate professionals.
T3 Experts helps real estate agents and teams pick the best-fit strategies, technologies and business practices so they can focus more on selling and growing their business. You will receive fast, insightful and objective answers as a member of any of the T3 Experts programs.
Webinars
Podcasts
Video Q&A
Action Plans
Live events based on best practices and research.
Interviews with real estate’s leading professionals.
Timely knowledge delivered on demand.
Step-by-step instruction and advice.
Don’t struggle. Get help from T3 Experts today.
T3Experts.com
Swanepoel T3 Group Trends | Technology | Thought
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
99 100
101
102
103
104
105
106
40
Nancy Seaman
Chairman and CEO, Houlihan Lawrence
Rye Brook, NY
Together with her brothers Stephen and Chris Meyers, Seaman took control of the 125 year-old company in 1990, leading 1,100+ agents to sales of over $4.7 billion last year. The company's 26 offices cover the areas of Westchester, Fairfield, Putnam, and Dutchess counties.
Lawrence Yun
SVP and Chief Economist, National Association of REALTORS®
Washington, DC
As Chief Economist and SVP for NAR, Yun creates economic forecasts and participates in forecasting panels, including Blue Chip and the Harvard University Industrial Economist Council. He is a regular contributor to financial news outlets. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Kate Rossi
Executive Vice President, NRT Southeast Region
Sarasota, FL
In her current role she oversees the strategic initiatives of over 140 CB Residential Real Estate and CB Residential Brokerage offices throughout the Southwestern U.S. Rossi began her career as a sales associate in 1982 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the Advisory Council Chairperson for the Cartus Broker Network in 2006.
Mark Lesswing
SVP and CTO, National Association of REALTORS®
Chicago, IL
Lesswing oversees the association's information technology initiatives, serving in his current position since 2006. He previously held management positions with large database vendors Sybase and Oracle. He graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Industrial Engineering and began programming robots directly after college.
Brian Buffini
Founder and CEO, Buffini and Company
107
Joan Docktor
108
Andrew Florence
109 110
President and CEO, CBSHOME Real Estate
In 1998, Valenti became President and CEO of CBSHOME when HomeServices acquired and merged HOME Realty and CBS Realty. He is a past President of the Omaha Board of REALTORS® and has been a leader in the Nebraska REALTORS® Association. He earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Richard Lull
Chief Executive Officer, Black Knight Financial Services
Irvine, CA
Lull began his career with Black Knight Financial Services as VP in 2005. With more than 200 MLS customers he and his team deliver innovative and reliable technology and tools to 250,000 real estate professionals. Previously, he spent 30+ years in technology, working for companies like IBM, Fujitsu, Dell, and others.
Teresa King Kinney
Chief Executive Officer, Miami Association of REALTORS®
Miami, FL
King Kinney heads the largest local REALTORS® Association in the nation, with 35,000 members, and is past Chairman of the Board for the Florida Society of Association Executives. The association has the largest local International Council and has official partnerships with more than 125 international organizations throughout the world.
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Star Group
Washington, DC
Florence founded his company in 1987 and has grown it from a start up to a staff of 2,000 world wide. He conceived and co-authored the study resulting in the 2010 launch of the widely regarded CoStar Commercial Repeat-Sale Indices (CCRSI). In 2014, CoStar bought Aparment.com for $585 million.
Michael Saunders
Founder and CEO, Michael Saunders & Co.
Sarasota, FL
A third-generation Sarasotan, Saunders founded her brokerage in 1976 and built her company into one of the largest independent brokerages in Florida with over $2.1 billion in sales this year. In 2003, her son Drayton joined the company, and and today serves as President of the company.
Merrily Hackett
Managing Partner, Sutton Group, West Coast Realty
Burnaby, Canada
Sutton West Coast Realty is the largest brokerage in Canada with 25 offices, approximately 1,700 agents, 14,000 annual transactions, and $9 billion in annual sales volume. Hackett is the Managing Partner.
Carlsbad, CA
Omaha, NE
Devon, PN
Docktor began with the company as a real estate sales associate in 1986 and has steadily risen through its ranks, holding a number of positions along the way. She has been instrumental in the company's growth to over 60 offices and 4,000 sales associates. She was previously a board member of The Realty Alliance and Trend MLS.
Leadership is an action, not a position.
In 1995, Irish-born entrepreneur Buffini established his business in San Diego, California. Since then he has provided training and coaching to hundreds of thousands of agents, improving their business earnings. His system includes a highly effective lead-generation system and a comprehensive coaching system.
Joe Valenti
President, BHHS Fox & Roach
―DONALD MCGANNON
111
112
113
Nancy Nagy
Chief Exeutive Officer, Berkshire Hathaway HS KoenigRubloff
Chicago, IL
Nagy serves as CEO of HomeServices of Illinois, LLC as well as Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices KoenigRubloff. Previously, Nagy served as CEO of Koenig & Strey GMAC before the company was acquired by BHHS and merged with Prudential Rubloff. She formerly served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®.
Chad Ochsner
Broker/Owner, RE/MAX Alliance
Arvada, CO
Ochsner is a second-generation Realtor® who owns one of the largest real estate companies in Colorado, with over $3.6 billion in annual sales. He serves on various boards, including Trulia and Realtor.com, and is a director for the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. Previously, he served on the Member Broker Advisory Board at Zillow, Inc.
Dan Parmer
President and CEO, Harry Norman REALTORS®
Atlanta, GA
As CEO and President, Parmer oversees the continued growth of Atlanta's oldest and largest real estate firm, with over 20 offices that encompass Georgia and North Carolina. Parmer has 25+ years of experience in the Atlanta residential real estate business, previously serving as President and CEO of Jenny Pruitt & Associates.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
41
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
114
115
116
117
118
Kevin Wiles
President, Berkshire Hathaway HS PenFed Realty
Reston, VA
In his 25+ years of industry experience in the Metropolitan DC area, Wiles has owned and operated several local residential real estate companies. Since becoming the founding President and Principal Broker of PenFed Realty in 2006, he has helped grow it from a single office to over 50 branches with 1,300+ agents.
Syd Leibovitch
Founder and CEO, Rodeo Realty
Beverly Hills, CA
Leibovitch heads one of the top residential real estate firms in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with 1,100+ agents and over $3.6 billion in annual sales. He began selling real estate at 23 and forged a brokerage out of his garage in 1986. His company's celebrity and other listings are regularly featured in the LA Times and E! News.
Rei Mesa
President and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HS Florida Realty
Sunrise, FL
With 30+ years of industry experience, Mesa leads a team of over 1,400 agents in 39 locations throughout Florida. He currently serves as a Director for the National Association of REALTORS® and on the Advisory Board for Realtor.com. At Florida REALTORS® he serves on the Executive Committee, Real Estate Services Group.
Bradley J. DeVries
Regional President & CEO, Huff Realty
Louisville, KY
DeVries heads this full service firm, covering the diverse markets of Northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati, and Southeastern Indiana, through its more than 680 associates. He has been with the company since 1999. Previously, he served in the Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War. He earned a bachelor's from Centre College.
Dianna Kokoszka
CEO of MAPS, Keller Williams Realty International
Austin, TX
Bringing her 30 years of industry experience to bear, she heads a team of more than 100 MAPS coaches that provide programs to help clients build on Keller Williams' business models. She leads and helped build the largest training center within a national real estate franchise.
Power isn’t control at all — power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own.
120
Lanny Baker
121
Katherine Johnson
122
Todd Hetherington
123
Dan Forsman
124
John Featherston
125
Jeff Culbertson
42
Ed Krafchow
Chairman, BH&G Mason-McDuffie Real Estate
Pleasanton, CA
Krafchow leads a team of 1,100+ agents in 30 offices and has grown the company from $1 to $3 billion in sales this year. Krafchow has been closely involved with the development of WebTop Intranet, his company's technology platform for generating leads and creating efficient business processes. RISMedia awarded him the Leadership Award in 2012.
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
San Francisco, CA
Baker joined Zip Realty as CFO in 2008 and became CEO in 2010, building the company to 1,700+ agents that produced almost $3 billion in sales. In 2014 the company was acquired by and is now a subsidiary of Realogy and Baker remains on as CEO. Technology was key driver of the transaction and his role in Realogy, although unclear, seems promising. General Counsel, National Association of REALTORS®
Chicago, IL
Johnson joined NAR in 2007 and, prior to becoming general counsel in 2014, she focused on software and data licensing, trademark protection, contract drafting and review, data security and privacy, and brokerage risk management. Johnson is currently pursuing a master's degree for Information Technology and Privacy Law. Chief Executive Officer, Century 21 New Millennium
Alexandria, VA
Based out of Alexandria, Virginia, Hetherington heads a firm whose 800+ agents generated over $2.4 billion in sales last year. His company's reach spans Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, providing on-site mortgage, title services, property management, and access to a network of relocation services. President and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Georgia Properties
Atlanta , GA
Under Forsman's leadership, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties has become the market leader in the Metro Atlanta area. Forsman previously held positions as CFO, EVP, and COO before he became President of Prudential Georgia Realty in 1999, selling the company to BHHS in 2013. Founder and Publisher, RISMedia
Norwalk, CT
In 1980 Featherston founded RISMedia, and has grown his company into one of the two leading real estate media organizations. He publishes the Real Estate Magazine, hosts the CEO Exchange, the Power Broker Forum, the Power Broker Dinner, and the RISMedia Top 5 in Real Estate Network. Executive Vice President, NRT Southwest and Sacramento Region
Irvine, CA
Culbertson is a 33-year industry veteran and is currently responsible for the NRT offices throughout Arizona and California. Concurrently, he serves as President at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Orange County, Desert Resorts, and San Diego.
126
Paul Breunich
127
Candace Adams
—BETH REVIS, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
119
President and CEO, zipRealty
President and Owner, William Pitt/Julia B Fee Sotheby's Realty
Stamford, CT
As head of the largest Sotheby's International Realty affiliate in the world, Breunich led the company through its most prolific growth cycle, and produced over $3.3 billion in sales this year. From 19881997 he held the firm's CFO position, at which point he took over its ownership. President and CEO, BHHS New England Properties
Wallingford, CT
Under her guidance the company has grown to 1,600 sales executives and 52 locations throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island, generating annual sales of over $6 billion. Formerly known as Prudential Connecticut Realty, the company was acquired by HSA and changed its name to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties in 2013.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
43
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
128
Travis Kessler
Chief Executive Officer, Texas Association of REALTORS®
Austin, TX
Kessler became the President/CEO of the Texas Association of REALTORS in February 2010. Previously, he was the CEO for the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® for twelve years and the CEO for the Greater Fort Worth Association of REALTORS® for ten years. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
136
®
129
130
Craig Cheatham
Chief Executive Officer, Realty Alliance
Dallas, TX
Cheatham has recently gained notoriety in his current role as CEO and spokesperson for the Reality Alliance, where he represents 66 of the largest brokerages in the country. He was formerly the CEO of ARELLO, and holds a bachelor's degree from Harding University and an MBA from Samford University.
Clay Fouts
President and Owner, West USA Realty
Phoenix, AZ
137
138
Fouts founded his company in 1986, and in just 4 years he turned it into the largest real estate firm in Arizona. He now leads 1,400+ agents that produced over $2.1 billion last year. Fouts has 40 years of real estate experience. Previously, he had a career in financial planning, opening his own firm in Phoenix, licensed with the SEC and NASD.
131
132
133
134 135
44
Ebby Halliday
Broker/Owner, Ebby Halliday REALTORS®
Dallas, TX
Halliday has earned her reputation in Dallas through over 60 years of service within the industry. She has grown her company into one of the largest, privately owned residential real estate firms in the country. At the age of 97, she was named honorary chair of NAR's 100th Anniversary Gala Black Tie Dinner.
Grier Allen
Founder and CEO, BoomTown
Charleston, SC
Grier heads one of the fastest growing real estate software as a service (SaaS) companies according to Inc. magazine; founded in 2006. As CEO, Allen has over 10 years of experience in software development and real estate and holds a degree in Computer Science. Previously, he worked for SLANT Media, creating web marketing campaigns.
William Watson
Chairman of the Board, Watson Realty Corp
Jacksonville, FL
President & CEO, EWM Realtors®
Alhambra, CA
Chairman and Co-Founder, Auction.com
Irvine, CA
Friedman is the co-founder of Auction.com, LLC, founded in 1990, and serves as its Chairman of the Board. He has 20+ years of industry experience and is the author of "The Auction Revolution." Auction.com annually sells over $7.4 billion of commercial and residential real estate, and in 2014 got a $50 million investment from Google.
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
New Orleans, LA
Merrick heads the largest ERA affiliate in the world, with companies that include Latter & Blum, CJ Brown, Noles-Frye, and Van Eaton & Romero. The company is comprised of a residential division, relocation division, commercial division, property management, insurance, and financing services with annual sales exceeding $2 billion.
Chris Meyers
Managing Principal, Houlihan Lawrence
Rye Brook, NY
Meyers, with his brother, Stephen and sister Nancy Seaman, acquired Houlihan Lawrence in 1990. As managing principal he heads the daily operations of this 25 office, 1,200 agent-company, helping to grow it into the largest independently owned real estate brokerages in the Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties of New York.
Dan Duffy
Chief Executive Officer, United Real Estate
Kansas City, MO
Duffy has successfully secured capital to create a new paradigm cafe lounge real estate shop. They are expanding and will end the year with 25 offices and 1,100 agents, having sold 4,200 properties. Remember, they also still have a rural company called United Country that has 465 offices and 2,800 agents.
―ROSALYNN CARTER
139 140
141
Shuffield and his business partner, Al Harper, purchased EWM (Esslinger Wooten Maxwell Realtors®) in 1984 and grew it to 10 offices and 650+ sales associates. The company was sold to BHHS in 2003, but Shuffield has continued as President/CEO of this $2 billion powerhouse in south Florida.
Robert Friedman
Chairman and CEO, Latter & Blum ERA
A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.
Watson serves as Chairman of Watson Realty Corp. with over 40 sales offices, 22 Property Management Offices, and Watson Commercial Realty. He has served in many leadership positions with local and state associations including President of the Florida Association of Realtors. He is a Graduate of Stetson University with a major in real estate.
Ron Shuffield
Robert Merrick
142
Matt Crumbaugh
President and CEO, Allison James Estates and Homes
Punta Gorda, FL
Since bringing his management skills and entrepreneurial background to AJI in 2009, Crumbaugh has helped expand this Internet-based Real Estate Brokerage into one of the new paradigm companies to watch. The company has 700+ agents in 15 states that achieved over over $1.4 billion in annual sales.
Bryan Fair
Principal, Keller Williams Realty Pinnacle Partners
Lawrenceville, GA
Fair is the operating principal for 12 KW market centers that comprise over 1,400 agents and represent $2 billion in annual sales. In 2004 he earned the KWRI Entrepreneur of the Year Award. His wife Marci and their team started Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners "Kares 4 Kids" a charity that will give to over 2000 children in need this year.
Joe Reis
Chief Executive Officer, Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Services
Minneapolis, MN
CBBHS is comprised of 25 offices and nearly 2,000 sales associates operating throughout the Twin Cities. Reis serves as EVP of the NRT's operations in the Central Region including Minnesota/ Western Wisconsin, Chicago/Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Columbus, and St. Louis, as well as offices within areas of Indiana and Michigan.
Lorne Wallace
Founder and CEO, Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies
Cambridge, ON
Wallace is the Founder and CEO of this Canada-based provider of enterprise and accounting solutions for real estate brokerages. Lone Wolf services approximaely 10,000 real estate offices and 250,000 agents. Wallace is a University of Toronto graduate and a Chartered Accountant who has specialized in real estate brokerage accounting since 1989.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
45
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
143
144
145 146
Jim Harrison
President and CEO, MLSListings Inc
Sunnyvale, CA
Harrison leads one of the largest MLSs in Northern California. In 2014 he changed the structure and ownership of the company and is now focused on being an innovator in MLS on a national level. In his 25+ year career, he formerly served as President and CEO for RE InfoLink as well as on the NAR MLS Policy Committee for nine years.
Mark Woodruff
Managing Partner, BH&G Gary Greene REALTORS®
Houston, TX
In 2000, Woodruff became a principal in Prudential Gary Greene, REALTORS®. With partners Marilyn Eiland and Bill McIlwain, they consolidated assets and formed BH&G Gary Greene, creating a force of 20 offices throughout the Houston area that is responsible for over $2.2 billion in annual sales. He is also a member of the Zillow Broker Advisory Board.
Deems Dickinson
President, Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty
Scottsdale, AZ
With 30 years of industry experience, Dickinson led his company's 900+ agents to nearly $3 billion in sales last year. His commitment to high ethics and professionalism includes serving as Chairperson of the Professional Standards Committee for the Arizona Association of Realtors®.
Scott Webber
President, Fuller Sotheby's International Realty
150
151
152
153
154
The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority. ― KENNETH H. BLANCHARD
147 148
Mark Stark
President and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HS Nevada
Las Vegas, NV
155
Stark heads this independently owned and operated company, operating as Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Nevada. With 20 offices and over 1,400 agents involved in over 10,000 transactions annually, they are largest residential real estate company in Nevada.
Merri Jo Cowen
Chief Executive Officer, My Florida Regional MLS
Orlando, FL
She oversees one of the 10 largest MLSs in the country, servicing 13 Realtor Associations and 33,000 members in the Central Florida region. Among Cowen's business moves was the introduction of Down Payment Resource, an Internet tool that, through third-party resources, digitally marks listed properties that have down payment resource assistance.
156
®
149
46
Curt Beardsley
VP of Industry Development, Zillow
Seattle, WA
Beardsley leads Zillow's MLS and association-focused industry relations, strategy, and outreach. He has over 20 years working in technology and communications focused on the real estate industry; with Move, Inc., serving as EVP for Realtor.com and co-founding True North Technology that was successfully sold to GTE Enterprise Solutions Group.
www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
Partners, WAV Group
Arroyo Grande, CA
Lundt, with his wife and business partner, Wilson, own the WAV Group, where they help companies operationalize technology change. Lundt is also founder and CEO of the online real estate publication RETechnology.com, which offers product reviews of real estate software by partnering with MLS companies.
Denver, CO
Webber is a third-generation industry veteran with 35+ years of experience. He spent 20 years with Coldwell Banker where he built and was president of a 26-office residential and commercial company. Today he has holdings in various Sotheby's companies with the combined businesses closing over $3 billion a year in luxury real estate sales.
Victor Lundt & Marilyn Wilson
157
Judy Green
President and CEO, Premier Sotheby's International Realty
Naples, FL
Through rapid acquisitions, including acquiring 28 companies, she has grown PSIR to become one of the largest Sotheby's International Affiliates in the world with a sales volume of $2.8 billion in more than 3,660 closed sales,. Her previous experience includes COO of ERA and the Chief Administrative Officer of NRT LLC.
Mike Knapp
President and CEO, HomeServices of Iowa
Des Moines, IA
With a 40+ year career in real estate, this industry veteran started his career with Iowa Realty as a sales associate and now serves as its Chairman, President, and CEO. Over the years he has been active in all aspects of the Realtor® legislative process, helping to shape the industry's past and future.
Michael Pappas
Chief Executive Officer, The Keyes Company
Miami, FL
Pappas is the fourth-generation family member to run this 88 year-old, family-owned company. He joined the company as a Sales Associate in 1980, and as its leader he now heads over 2,000 agents with annual sales in excess of $2.7 billion. He is also on the Advisory Boards of Trulia and Realtor.com, among others.
Douglas Rebert
Managing Director, Berkshire Hathaway HS HomeSale
Lancaster, PA
Originally Prudential Homesale, in 2014 the brokerage changed to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices HomeSale Realty. Rebert continues to serve as Managing Director of its 28 offices and 1,100+ agents throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland, closing over $2.5 billion in annual sales.
Walt Witek
SVP Political Affairs, National Association of REALTORS®
Washington, DC
In his role as SVP, Witek is responsible for all aspects of the Community and Political Affairs Division, including NAR's RPAC Fundraising, the REALTOR® Action Center, Campaign Services, and Issues Mobilization programs. He has an MA from Georgetown University and has worked on many successful political campaigns.
Diane Ramirez
Chief Executive Officer, Halstead Property
New York, NY
In her 35+ years of experience,Ramirez helped found Halstead Property and has grown it throughout to more than 1,000 agents New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and into to one of the largest in New York behind powerhouses Corcoran and Douglas Elliman. Her success led the Governor to appoint her to the NY Department of State Real Estate Board.
Janet Branton
SVP Commercial and Global, National Association of REALTORS®
Chicago, IL
Branton has 27 years of association management experience and has served with NAR for 14 years. She heads their global leadership programs, including partnerships with over 80 real estate organizations in 60+ countries. Previously, she served as VP for Business Specialties and Executive Director for the Real Estate Buyers' Agent Council.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
47
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
158
James O'Bryon
159
James Imhoff
160
161
162
Co-owner, President/CEO, RE/MAX Gold
Fair Oaks, CA
O'Bryon heads the third largest RE/MAX franchise in the world and the #1 RE/MAX franchise in the California market. With almost 10,000 transactions, the 750 agents in the company will generate sales in excess of $3 billion in 2014. Chairman/CEO, First Weber Group
Madison, WI
He serves as Chairman / CEO of the largest real estate firm in Wisconsin, with 60 offices , 1,400 agents and over $3 billion in annual sales. Since his start in 1971, he has served as President of the Wisconsin Realtors® Association. Governor Thompson appointed him to the Real Estate Board of the WI Department of Regulation and Licensing.
Peter F Hunt
Chairman/CEO, Hunt Real Estate ERA
Buffalo, NY
Under Hunt's leadership, the company has expanded to over 1,000 agents involved in more than 9,000 annual transactions. He was pivotal in the company's merger with HUNT Commercial and the acquisition of Judy Columbus Real Estate. The company now comprises over 35 residential offices in upstate New York and Arizona.
Gregg Larson
Founder and CEO, Clareity Consulting & Clareity Security
164
165
48
167
168
Russ Newcomer
Partners, 1000watt Consulting
San Francisco, CA
Executive Vice President, RE/MAX Equity Group
Portland, OR
A native Oregonian, Newcomer has served the Portland-Metro area for over 30 years. He has built the company into one of the largest RE/MAX franchises in the U.S. with annual sales of approx. $2.5 billion. He has served as a state director for the Oregon Association of REALTORS® and the Washington County Association of REALTORS®.
Don Walston
Founder & Executive Chairman, Coldwell Banker Howard Perry & Walston
Raleigh, NC
Walston heads over 600 agents in offices throughout the Triangle area of North Carolina, generating over $1.8 billion in sales last year. The company strives to be the most "wired" real estate company in NC, arming agents with cutting-edge technology. He also helped establish the HPW Foundation in order to give back to the community.
Matthew Barba
Co-founder and CEO, Placester
Boston, MA
Through his company, Barba partners with leading publishers in order to provide agents with the best digital ad products. The company is backed by leading investors, including Romulus Capital and Techstars. Previously, he was an agent at Modern Real Estate in Allston, and graduated from Boston University with a degree in Finance. www.SP200.com
Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Association of REALTORS®
Toronto, Canada
As CEO of OREA, he represents over 53,000 real estate professionals and 41 real estate boards. He is Past Chair of the Association Executives Council of CREA and has completed a term on the CREA Board of Directors. Additionally, Barisa is the Chair of the Canadian Society of Association Executives Board of Directors.
Ann Bailey
President and Owner, Pranix
San Clemente, CA
Bailey has been instrumental in resolving major challenges within the industry, including leading the CIVIX patent lawsuit settlement, migrating RESO to its current successful leadership position, and implementing MLS and association mergers. She wrote the Best Practices for CMLS and facilitates and leads the COVE group.
Charlie Bengel
Chief Executive Officer, RE/MAX Allegiance
Alexandria, VA
Before taking office as CEO in 2008, Bengel held virtually every sales and operations position at RE/ MAX Allegiance. Today he heads almost 500 agents and has grown the company into almost 6,000 annual transactions, making it one of the largest RE/MAX franchise in the U.S.
Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.
Larson is the founder and CEO of Clareity Consulting and Clareity Security. He has 30 years of experience in real estate information and technology, is the host of Clareity's Annual MLS Executive Workshop, and an influential driver in the Model Content License Agreement and the Fair Display Policy for real estate listings.
Brian Boero & Marc Davison
Ed Barisa
Scottsdale, AZ
The senior partners at 1000Watt Consulting they are helping real estate companies re-imagine their brand and marketing strategies. Boero is a former President of Inman News and holds a BA from the University of Oregon, and an MA from UC Davis. Davidson is an accomplished musician and has worked on Madison Ave with Young & Rubicam.
163
166
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
—BRIAN TRACY
169
170
Kevin Levent
President and CEO, BH&G Real Estate Metro Brokers
Atlanta, GA
Levent joined Metro Brokers in 1985 as a sales agent and rose to his current role as CEO in 1996, helping to grow the company to over 3,000 agents. Before joining BH&G Metro Brokers became the largest GMAC franchise in the country in 2001. Levent currently sits on the Advisory Board of First Multiple Listing Service.
Bill Kessler
Chief Executive Officer, Century 21 Affiliated
Madison, WI
As founder and CEO of the company, he heads its 52 locations throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and Michigan. He has grown the company to more than 1,000 sales professionals and continues to provide excellent service to these communities' diverse market needs selling more properties than any other CENTURY 21 franchise in the U.S.
171
Thomas Phillips
172
Chris Heller
Cbief Executive Officer, TREND MLS
Philadelphia, PA
Phillips heads an MLS database that houses over 5 million public records and facilitates the sale of over 80,000 properties annually. Over 28,000 real estate professionals in the Greater Philadelphia region rely on TREND MLS. He is the former CEO of the Burlington-Camden Association of Realtors, and is a graduate of the University of Illinois. President, Keller Williams Worldwide
San Diego, CA
Heller is a rising star within the KW family and currently serves as the global president of Keller William Realty's Worldwide division and has been responsible for huge international growth the past two years. Previously he owned and built KW in Southern California into one of KW's most profitable regions in the country.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
49
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
173 174
175
Sandra Sanders
President, RE/MAX Estate Properties
Palos Verdes Estate, CA
Sanders heads up a large REMAX franchise consisting of 13 residential real estate offices from San Pedro to Beverly Hills. With over 30 years of industry experience, Sanders founded her company in 1984 and in 2011 received the RISMedia National Home Ownership Award.
Kathy Condon
President and CEO, MLS Property Information Network
Shrewsbury, MA
Condon is President and CEO of one of the largest MLSs in the country, and currently serves on the Realtor.com Executive Advisory Council, RPR Advisory Group, and Supra's Advisory Group. She is the 2014 President-Elect of the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS). The Girl Scouts of America named her "Woman of the Year" in 2007.
Kal Raman
Chief Executive Officer, Solutionstar
Seattle, WA
As the CEO of Solutionstar, Raman has set his sights on outdoing real estate portals Zillow, Trulia, and realtor.com. Solutionstar is a subsidiary of mortgage servicer Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, which recently acquired Real Estate Digital, a company that provides technology services to more than 500 multiple listing services.
180 181
182
Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.
176 177
178
179
50
Glenn Sanford
Founder and CEO, eXp Realty
Ginger Downs
Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Association of REALTORS®
Chicago, IL
In her current role since 2005, Downs is one of the most influential Association Executives in the country. Previously EVP of the Seattle-King County Association of REALTORS® for more than a decade. She sits on the Real Estate Advisory Boards of DePaul University and Roosevelt University and the Board of Regents for the newly formed REALTOR® University.
Michael Wurzer
President and CEO, FBS
Fargo, ND
Wurzer serves as CEO of FBS and is the creator of the Flexmls system used by over 140+ multiple listing services. He is actively involved with real estate transaction standards and is also a past chair for Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO). Previously he was an attorney practicing corporate law in Los Angeles.
Thomas Anderson
President, Washington Fine Properties
Washington, DC
Anderson has over 30 years of industry experience, with 23 of those years in NY City helping to build Sotheby's from its founding stages. He co-founded Washington Fine Properties in 1999. In 2011 and 2012 Washington Fine Properties was awarded the "Highest Sales Volume Per Agent" and the "Highest Average Sales Price Per Transaction" by REALTrends. www.SP200.com
184
Bellingham, WA
As founder and CEO of eXp Realty, Sanford leads the first national cloud-based brokerage company in the real estate industry. The company has no offices with the exception of the states where it is legally required. With 500 agents in 31 states, eXp Realty is still relatively small but growing rapidly.
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
President and CEO, Rapattoni
Simi Valley, CA
Rapattoni pioneered computerized business applications that now serve more than 100 MLSs with approximately 200,000 users nationally. With over 40 years of industry experience he has earned a reputation as an industry leader in MLS systems, software, and online authentication services.
Peter Niederman
Greenwood Village, CO
Chief Executive Officer, Kentwood Real Estate
As CEO of Kentwood Real Estate, Niederman heads this Colorado-based innovator in marketing strategies and internet technology. Prior to purchasing Kentwood with Bill Moore in 2007, he served as VP of Sales for Richmond American Homes, and Regional VP of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.
183
—VINCE LOMBARDI
Andy Rapattoni
185
186
187
Constance Freedman
Managing Director, Second Century Ventures Fund
Chicago, IL
Freedman manages the strategic investment arm of NAR and is the founder and Managing Director of REach, it's technology accelerator program. She sits on all of SCV's portfolio companies' boards, including DocuSign, Updater, and Xceligent. She earned a BS from Boston University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Pat Shea
President, Lyon Real Estate
Sacramento, CA
With 20+ years of real estate sales and leadership experience Shea now heads up Lyon Real Estate and has helped grow the company significantly in the Greater Sacramento Area, to almost 1,000 agents conducting over $2.5 billion in annual sales. He holds a BSBA from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Glenn Shimkus
Vice President, DocuSign
Naperville, IL
Shimkus is the VP of Product Management at DocuSign and is responsible for the management, development, and marketing of the company's eSignature in the real estate industry. He is the founder of Cartavi, which Docusign acquired in 2013, and he now also oversees as the re-branded Transaction Room.
Brian Larson
President, Larson/Skinner
Minneapolis, MN
As an attorney, Larson has represented many organizations in many important lawsuits. As business consultant, he focuses on collaboration between MLS's, including data sharing, formation of new regional MLS's, and the MLS Domains Association. The company has a new partner, Mitchell Skinner, that we expect will be playing a larger role in the future.
Gerald Howard
Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Home Builders
Washington, DC
With more than 25 years of lobbying and association experience in Washington, D.C., Howard is NAHB's Chief Executive Officer. He started as tax counsel in 1988 and has served in a variety of roles, including Chief Lobbyist as well as SVP of NAHB's Government Affairs Division. He previously practiced real estate law in South Carolina.
Kipp Cooper
Chief Executive Officer, Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS®
Huntsville, AL
Cooper is also CEO of North Alabama MLS. He has played a key role in reshaping the way MLSs look at syndication by developing a model that provides a win-win for the listing agent, the MLS, and the national portals. He joined HAAR/NALMLS in 2012 and is a rising young leader in the industry.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
51
2015 Swanepoel POWER 200
TOP 200 Leaders
188
James Dwiggins
189
Michael Fischer
191
Mike Ferry
Madison, NJ
Chief Executive Officer, Real Estate Digital
Aliso Viejo, CA
Formerly the President of LPS Real Estate Group, Gaskill has headed Real Estate Digital since 2011. He has 25+ years of experience in all aspects of real estate, including his current responsibilities of providing integrated technology and services to the industry. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Information Systems. Founder and President, The Mike Ferry Organization
Las Vegas, NV
Mike Ferry is the founder of The Mike Ferry Organization, and has built it into a multi-million dollar company with tens of thousands of clients. After a distinguished career spanning 40 years he is still one of the leading real estate coaches in the country. He started his career with Nightingale-Conant as their National Training Director.
192
Thomas J Embrescia
193
Marty Frame
52
Chief Operating Officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate
Fischer was promoted to COO in 2013 and is involved with all decisions in the CB franchise network of 3,300 offices in 50 countries. He guides the expansion of the Coldwell Banker online platform and retains oversight of the brand's global marketing efforts. Fischer previously worked as director of marketing communications at Nissan North America.
Jay Gaskill
195
San Francisco, CA
After 8 years providing over 200 Realty World Northern California and Nevada franchise offices new technologies, Dwiggins jumped out in 2014 to start NextHome, a new franchise dedicated to serving the brokers with 20 or fewer agents in their brokerage. He is former COO of Red Tablet and founder of the California Chapter of YPN.
190
194
Chief Executive Officer, NextHome
Chairman and CEO, Second Generation
Cleveland, OH
Embrescia entered into the DNS/TLD licensing space and acquired the .JOBS license working with SHRM. In 2014 he acquired .MED with the Cleveland Clinic and .REALTOR in association with NAR. In the last two months of 2014 over 90,000 agents signed up for their name .REALTOR domain making it one of the fastest growing top level domains. President, REALTORS® Property Resource
Publisher and CEO, Housing Wire
Plano, TX
Jackson is publisher and CEO at HousingWire, one of the most influential industry news sources covering the U.S. housing economy, including residential mortgage lending, servicing, investments, and real estate operations. He has published more than 3,500 articles and was one of the first to cover the mortgage crisis in 2006.
Denee Evans
CEO, Council Multiple Listing Services
197
198
199
200
Cary Sylvester
VP Digital Innovation, Keller Williams Realty International
Austin, TX
Sylvester is probably the most powerful and influential IT person working for a national franchiser. As VP of Digital Innovation and Communications for KW, Sylvester leads the technology team's strategic planning, external relations and worldwide initiatives and is also extensively involved in activities such as Project Upstream.
Benn & Lani Rosales
Founders and Editors, The American Genius / Realuoso
Austin, TX
A husband and wife power duo that co-founded the online news service, The American Genius. Since 2007 they have grown it to more than 100 columnists. Their latest initiative, Realuoso, is the most exciting news service to be started in the residential real estate brokerage industry in more than a decade.
Matthew Ferrara
President, The Learning Network
Henderson, NV
Ferrara is a philosopher, photographer, writer, and speaker helping sales organizations around the world. He travels more than 200,000 miles a year speaking at hundreds of events. His blog contains more than 400 of his best practices and stories from top management, salespeople, and customer experiences.
Greg Robertson
Co-founder, W&R Studios
Huntington Beach, CA
Over 120,000 real estate agents use Robertson's flagship product, Cloud CMA. He is also the publisher of the popular real estate blog, Vendor Alley, and an Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Council of MLS. In 1992 he and his business partner Dan Woolley started their first real estate company, IRIS, which they sold to HomeSeeker.
Morgan Carey
Founder and CEO, Webmasters
Nanaimo, Canada
Carey heads up Real Estate Webmasters, a company that builds web products and creates online and conventional marketing campaigns for real estate agents. Noteworthy is his 2014 appearance on "Dragons' Den" (Canada's equivalent of Shark Tank), where he had the largest ask in the history of the show, securing $2 million in funding.
Los Angeles, CA
Frame is the president of RPR, in which capacity he is responsible for the company's product strategies and business operations. Prior to RPR, he was the general manager of Cyberhomes.com for Fidelity National Financial and Lender Processing Services, and the Chief Technology Officer of Realtor.com for Move, Inc.
Paul Jackson
196
Las Vegas , NV
Available Online. Download the Full List. See Rankings by Category.
Power200 SWAN EP OEL
SP200.com
Evans is the first and newly appointed CEO of the Council Multiple Listing Services (CMLS), the premier forum and resource for MLS providers. In her position, CMLS is expected to play a significant role in the various initiatives and discussion currently underway in this space. She previously served as the Executive Director of EnergyFit Nevada. www.SP200.com
©2014 RealSure, Inc.
© 2014 RealSure, Inc.
www.SP200.com
53
Swanepoel
The Leadership Think-Tank
The most powerful CEO roundtable in real estate.
Swanepoel T3 Group Trends | Technology | Thought
T3Summit.com
Swanepoel T3 Group Trends | Technology | Thought
Swanepoel
The 2015 T3 Summit assembles 285 CEOs and Thought Leaders sharing their insights, experiences and visions. “There has never been a Forum as strong and focused on strategic matters under discussion by people who actually can affect the direction and choices that move the industry as the T3 Summit”, says John Mosey, CEO NorthStar MLS. No Trade Exhibitors | No Pay-To Play | No Media
April 8-10 2015
T3Summit.com
