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Real Estate's 25 Most Influential Thought Leaders:
The 25 Most Influential |
25 most influential
Mo Anderson
Pat Vredevoogd Combs
Virginia Cook
Harold Crye
Allan Dalton
P. Wesley Foster Jr.
Bob Hale
Margaret M. Kelly
Steve Morris
Frances Martinez Myers
Pamela J. O’Connor
Allen M. Okamoto
Steve Ozonian
Ronald J. Peltier
Richard Rector
Kenneth P. Riggs Jr.
Harley Rouda Jr.
Michael Schmelzer
J. Lennox Scott
Joel Singer
Richard A. Smith
Thomas M. Stevens
Clifford Turner
Jim Weichert
Alan Yassky
Plus: 15 others who’ve had an impact
Dana Berliner
Ben S. Bernanke
Blanche Evans
Pete Flint and Sami Inkinen
Brad Inman
Alphonso Jackson
Steven D. Levitt
Angelo R. Mozilo
Hon. Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio)
The Participatory Consumer
Hon. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.)
Robert J. Shiller
Stuart Siegel
U.S. Department of Justice
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Vice chairman, Keller Williams Realty Inc., Austin, Texas
Why: Helped turn Gary Keller’s vision of an employee-centric profit-sharing model into a franchising reality.
A child of the Depression, Oklahoman Mo Anderson is proof that the American dream lives in real estate. Tapped by Chairman Keller to head the company in 1995, she’s shepherded the franchise from 35 to more than 600 offices and been an advocate for women in business. With an emphasis on both the entrepreneurial spirit of its many associate teams and the commitment to life-long learning through its KW University, Anderson has helped guide the company from its Texas roots to a national franchise force. The heart and soul of Keller Williams’ community-based culture, this REALTOR® Magazine 2006 Good Neighbor Award nominee created KW Cares in 2003 to assist company associates and their families in need and raised millions for Hurricane Katrina relief. back to top |
Pat Vredevoogd Combs, ABR ®, CRS ®, GRI, PMN
2007 President, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ®, Chicago
Why: Combines the vision and drive to lead 1.3 million REALTORS® with the everyday knowledge of what it’s like in the trenches.
There’s no better person than Pat Combs to guide the nation’s largest trade association during a period of changing market conditions. A practitioner for more than 30 years, she succeeded when interest rates soared to 18 percent, and she’s still personally selling homes every day as vice president of Coldwell Banker AJS-Schmidt in Grand Rapids, Mich. Combs has used her in-the-trenches knowledge to testify confidently before Congress on industry competition. As president, she wants to make members better aware of and give them greater access to NAR’s many tools and services—from classes at REALTOR® University to tool kits and topical tips at REALTOR.org and REALTOR® Magazine Online (REALTOR.org/rEALTORmag). With some tougher times ahead, she wants every REALTOR® to have the skills and will to excel—just as this former competitive horsewoman does. back to top |
Founder and CEO, Virginia Cook, REALTORS®, Dallas
Why: Demonstrated that with drive and vision, women in real estate can hold an equal place in the power structure.
One of the most powerful women in real estate, this Texas broker exemplifies women in leadership at the highest levels. The first woman president of the Greater Dallas Association and the Texas Association of REALTORS® and a member of NAR’s Board of Directors for 20 years, Virginia Cook takes a back seat to no one. Her well-deserved accolades include NAR’s Distinguished Service Award, the Women’s Council’s Woman of the Year, and the Texas association’s REALTOR® of the Year. Cook spent almost 30 years building Henry S. Miller, REALTORS®, before realizing in 1999 that she deserved her own name on the door. She immediately became a magnet and mentor for top-performing women, who’ve been instrumental in growing Virginia Cook, REALTORS®, into a company of some 400 sales associates in 10 offices with an estimated 2006 sales volume of about $1 billion. back to top |
Chairman, The Realty Alliance, Dallas
Why: Speaks for the concerns of the industry’s largest independent brokers as head of The Realty Alliance.
President and CEO of Mid-South powerhouse brokerage Crye-Leike, Harold Crye also heads one of the industry’s most influential networking and advocacy groups—The Realty Alliance. An affiliation of 67 of the leading independent brokers in the United States and Canada, the Alliance has given larger companies a united voice on key industry issues such as MLS regulation and banks entering real estate. On the home front, Crye has helped expand his almost 30-year-old company to more than 3,500 associates in 105 offices. Crye also serves as vice chairman of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a relocation group that boasts access to more than 2 million homes worldwide. back to top |
President, Move Inc.’s real estate division, Westlake Village, Calif.
Why: Provides a unique perspective on selling in the Internet Age: Market homes, not yourself.
Perhaps one of the most dynamic leaders in the industry, Allan Dalton spent 20 years upping the selling IQs of associates at almost every major franchise by emphasizing the importance of thinking about the customer’s needs. These days he’s breathing new life into the REALTOR.com team and ensuring that NAR’s official Web site for consumers is the nation’s No. 1 real estate search choice. Not content to sit on the sidelines and espouse theories, this one-time professional basketball player has taken his message on the road with his Real Estate Marketing Expo educational program, turning REALTORS® all over the country on to the Internet consumer and the techniques top producers use to reach them. Dalton has made his slogan, “REALTOR.com, where the world shops for real estate online,” a reality. back to top |
Chairman and CEO, Long & Foster Companies, Fairfax, Va.
Why: Saw early on that bigger meant stronger and more competitive in the highly fragmented residential real estate industry.
Don’t let the Georgia drawl and the soft-spoken dignity fool you. Wes Foster has spent almost 40 years besting the big guys until he’s become one himself. One of the first proponents of consolidation, the company that bears his name is today the largest privately owned company where all offices are operated by the brokerage. He’s reached the mark of 250 sales offices and some 18,000 associates in the Mid-Atlantic region by hiring the best and then marshaling them with the skill of the Army artillery officer he once was. He’s also kept one step ahead of competitors by recognizing the next new thing. He was a pioneer in combining brokerage, mortgage, insurance, and title services into a one-stop shopping experience for consumers. These days Long & Foster is again challenging competitors with a new interactive Web site that includes a digital planner to save home searches and documents. back to top |
President and CEO, Houston Association of REALTORS®, Houston
Why: Revolutionized the association’s role as a source of online information for consumers.
As head of the country’s second-largest local REALTOR® association, Bob Hale’s goal is not just to give his 25,000 REALTOR® members what they want, but also to make sure REALTORS® know what their customers want. He’s positioned the Houston association as a bridge between practitioners and the public by making HAR’s Web site the city’s go-to spot for REALTOR® listings. Another highlight is the association’s new quality service certificate program, which enables members to voluntarily allow Houston home sellers and buyers to rate their salesperson’s service. From staff retreats to strategic planning sessions and member, vendor, and industry events across the country, Hale has his eyes on what’s going on in the industry and has the ability to apply his savvy to his association. To be sure, the 18-year association veteran’s Texas-sized initiatives are often innovative and always focus on putting the REALTOR® first. back to top |
CEO, RE/MAX International Inc., Denver
Why: Aptly demonstrates that there’s no glass ceiling in this business.
Head of one of the world’s largest franchise organizations with more than 120,000 associates in 63 countries, Margaret Kelly is among the most visible women in real estate. A nearly 20-year RE/MAX veteran, Kelly began her career with the company as a financial analyst; she was named CEO in 2005. Under her leadership, RE/MAX continues to demonstrate that what sets it apart is much more than its 100 percent commission structure. The launch of a nationwide broker IDX Web site and a satellite network to provide streaming video training to managers and associates keeps the company above the crowd and garners honors such as the 2005 Most Innovative Brokerage from Inman News. A breast cancer survivor, Kelly also heads RE/MAX’s nationwide cosponsorship of the Komen Race for the Cure Survivor Recognition program; she was named a Yoplait Champion in 2003 for her extraordinary efforts to fight cancer. back to top |
CEO and founder Exit Realty Corp. International, Mississauga, Ont.
Why: Introduced a residual business model that let associates earn a percentage on the sales of their recruits.
Taking a page from the insurance sales industry, where he’d worked, Steve Morris built a franchise by giving each sales associate a share in the success of the entire enterprise. Exit offers sales associates 10 percent residual bonuses from the corporation on the transactions of other associates they bring to the company and mentor. This unusual compensation offering has enabled Morris to grow the franchise to 1,007 offices and more than 30,000 sales associates in less than a decade. Exit’s training is also getting rave reviews with its emphasis on mentoring and coaching as well as classes. After a stint with The Permanent, Canada’s third-largest real estate company at the time, Morris joined RE/MAX in 1984 and within a year was named Top Manager in North America by the franchise. During his tenure, he was also named Broker/Owner of the Year for multiple offices. A dozen years later, Morris launched a model that gave associates a shot at more than 100 percent earnings through residuals. back to top |
Chair, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, Washington, D.C.
Why: Leads the fight to grow the number of Hispanics real estate practitioners and expand minority home ownership.
As the first woman to head NAHREP, Frances Martinez Myers spearheads the association’s efforts as both an educational resource and government advocate for the country’s almost 30 million Hispanics. Named one of the top 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States in 2005 by Hispanic Business, this 30-year industry veteran sits on the board of directors for the NAR, Freddie Mac’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council, and the National Housing Advisory Council of Fannie Mae. Myers is also senior vice president with Fox & Roach/Trident LP, the holding company for several entities, including Prudential Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, the fifth-largest real estate company in the United States by transaction sides, according to REALTOR® Magazine’s 2006 Top 100 Companies list. In her role, she’s responsibile for the company’s relocation, REO, and affinity marketing services. back to top |
President and CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Chicago
Why: Brought broker-to-broker referrals from the personal to the professional.
As the first woman to head a major real estate network (formerly RELO), Pam O’Connor helped independent brokerage companies get their pieces of the relocation pie. Along the way, she set a high standard for herself and her organization. Thanks to her 20 years of aggressive promotion and astute business sense, the relocation organizations that have merged over 40 years to become Leading Real Estate Companies of the World now serve more than 650 brokerages with 5,500 real estate offices and 160,000 associates in 27 countries. With more sales than any real estate franchise in the 2006 Real Trends Top 500 Companies, Leading Real Estate Companies under O’Connor has become a major player in real estate at both the luxury and the midrange price points. O’Connor has garnered applause from corporations and brokerages alike for the high-touch, high-value profile she’s built for relocation services. back to top |
Chairman, Asian Real Estate Association of America, San Diego
Why: Took the lead to increase home ownership and industry employment for Asian and Pacific Americans.
As the head of the oldest and largest Japanese-American-owned real estate company in the Bay Area, T. Okamoto & Co., and a practitioner for more than 40 years, Allen Okamoto has always been willing, as he said during his installation as AREAA president, to emulate Captain Kirk from “Star Trek” and “boldly go where no man has gone before.” He was the first Asian president of the 100-year-old San Francisco Association of REALTORS® in 1990 before he took over the leadership of the three-year-old AREAA, which has 5,000 members, in 2005. Under Okamoto’s leadership, the group is striving to increase industry job opportunities for what it estimates are the more than 100,000 U.S. real estate professionals of Asian descent and to increase the home ownership rate among the country’s second-fastest-growing ethnic population, which lags 10 percentage points behind that of white Americans. back to top |
Chairman and CEO, Realty Information Systems Inc., Irvine, Calif.
Why: Embraced technology in real estate early on and leverages it to help innovate the business.
Nobody sees real estate’s big picture clearer than Steve Ozonian, and few have presided over as many industry platforms. Credited with turnarounds at both Prudential Real Estate and REALTOR.com, he’s pushed to marry technology and sales since the early days of e-mail. Whether it was building a real estate broker network for Bank of America or launching national mortgage and title operations for RE/MAX International, Ozonian’s done it all. A tireless advocate for both empowered consumers and the value of real estate professionals, he’s now working his magic at Help-U-Sell’s fee-for-service model as both leader and equity investor. He also continues as chair of Global Mobility Solutions, a holding company for several relocation providers. back to top |
President and CEO, HomeServices of America Inc., Minneapolis
Why: Followed a vision for a different sort of branding and made it a major success.
Since 1999, quiet visionary Ron Peltier has turned his back on conventional branding wisdom and melded a glittering string of highly individual real estate companies into the second-largest real estate brokerage and largest provider of settlement services in the United States. With his 20-year roots in the highly successful Minneapolis brokerage Edina Realty, Peltier understood the power of a local presence. So he’s kept all the goodwill of such big names as Harry S. Norman, REALTORS®; Champion Realty; and Prudential Carolinas Realty while offering the competitive advantages of a full-service national operation. The result is 19 brand names with 400 offices in 20 states and more than 197,500 transactions closed in 2005. A founder and director of The Realty Alliance, Peltier also serves on the boards of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and NAR. back to top |
President and CEO Realty Executives International Inc., Phoenix
Why: Stepped into some big shoes and expanded his residential franchise into a truly international company.
Heir to the industry-shifting 100 percent commission concept fostered by his father Dale, Richard Rector hasn’t taken anything for granted. Under his leadership, Realty Executives has become a truly global brand with more than 800 offices in 10 countries. The company has added more than 250 offices in the United States and internationally in the last two years and increased its number of salespeople by 34 percent in the past three years. Rector’s emphasis on supporting his executives so that they can support their customers has helped make the company’s sales associates among the most successful and loyal in the business. back to top |
President and CEO, Real Estate Research Corp., Chicago
Why: Brought research out of the ivory tower and married statistical rigor with practical advice.
When the stock market tanked in 2001, investors scarcely thought twice about pulling out of equities and parking a good amount of their capital in commercial real estate. One reason for their confidence is the increasing quality of research on commercial real estate markets, a trend driven in large part by the work of Ken Riggs. Since taking the helm of the company in the early 1990s, Riggs has systematically built on the company’s main research product, the highly regarded quarterly RERC Real Estate Report. A recent introduction is the inclusion of risk-based factors such as market conditions into his forecasts for cap rates and investment yields. He brings that same convergence of practice and theory to his role as chair of NAR’s Commercial Real Estate Research Subcommittee, to the delight of commercial practitioners. back to top |
CEO and managing partner, Real Living Inc., Columbus, Ohio
Why: Embraces innovation to better connect brokers, sales associates, and the public.
With the formation of Real Living from three leading Midwest brokerages in 2002, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner Harley Rouda showed he wasn’t content with the status quo. Recent additions to a Web site that’s already won the Web Marketing Association’s 2006 Real Estate Standard of Excellence WebAward are realPing, which lets online customers talk to practitioners with just the click of a button, and Zillow.com valuations. Combining new ideas and old-fashioned entrepreneurship, Real Living has grown to be the fourth-largest residential real estate company for transaction sides in the most recent REALTOR® Magazine Top 100 Companies list with more than $6.2 billion in annual sales in 2005, 4,000 associates and employees, and more than 140 offices. back to top |
Broker-owner, Tryax Realty Inc., Great Neck, N.Y.
Why: Shows national politicos that real estate practitioners understand the issues and know how to win the advocacy game.
When NAR’s 2002 President Martin Edwards Jr. needed a steady hand to guide the association’s high-profile effort to address the country’s exploding property insurance crisis, he turned to Michael Schmelzer—something NAR presidents and government affairs staff have been doing for years. Schmelzer, a 1999 NAR Distinguished Service Award recipient, is that rare person who brings the practicality of a veteran businessperson, the savvy of a political operative, and the gravitas of a senior statesman to the tough problems inside the Beltway. Today, Schmelzer is overseeing efforts to take NAR’s political clout to the next level by raising additional contributions to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee and increasing the funding that NAR’s public issue advocacy program will use to reach targeted public audiences in support of issues such as small-business health plan legislation. back to top |
Chairman and CEO, John L. Scott Real Estate, Seattle
Why: Embraces technology not only as a means to build businesses but as a tool to enable personal goals.
A man who thinks outside the box, J. Lennox Scott, was one of the first to adopt almost every advance practitioners now take for granted. From virtual tours to IDX solutions to agent coaching and one-stop-shop business models, Scott got there first. He continues to raise the bar for brokerages around the country by posting comparable sold data on his site and incorporating Microsoft’s Virtual Earth mapping. Yet this third-generation broker is also a champion of achieving work-life balance without sacrificing income, a strategy he fleshes out in his 2002 book Next Generation Real Estate. Through the John L. Scott Foundation, the company supports more than 19 children’s hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. Scott headed the effort that raised more than $8 million for children’s health care in 2005. back to top |
Executive vice president, California Association of REALTORS®, Los Angeles
Why: Embraces the entrepreneurial spirit of his members and builds the tools and resources they need to achieve success.
California’s famous pioneer spirit is alive and thriving in Joel Singer. This association executive champions groundbreaking programs in technology, diversity, education, and public relations that are envied and emulated by REALTOR® associations across the country. One recent example is RELAY™, a joint venture between CAR and NAR that is making the long-discussed paperless transaction a reality. With his background as an economist and researcher, Singer believes his 210,000 members should make business and policy decisions based on facts. This principle is the foundation of CAR’s extensive survey program. Singer’s contributions, ranging from consistently accurate housing market forecasts to avant-garde technology tools, have made CAR the center of services for his members. back to top |
Vice chairman and president, Realogy Corp., Parsippany, N.J.
Why: Heads the largest and most powerful residential real estate organization in the country.
The name may be new, but under the strong leadership of Richard Smith, the former Cendant real estate division and its four premier national franchise brands are on the path toward a second decade of growth. Just how much power does Smith wield? With the combined forces of Coldwell Banker, Century 21, ERA, and Sotheby’s International Realty, as well as the country’s largest real estate brokerage, NRT Inc., Realogy-affiliated offices sell one out of every four homes in America. Add in a title company, mortgage, and relocation, and the company will net 2005 revenues of $7.1 billion. Now that Smith’s got his own ticker symbol (H) on the New York Stock Exchange and the market’s still strong, this may just be the beginning. back to top |
2006 President, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, Chicago
Why: Marshaled the resources of the largest U.S. trade group to make a difference amid the devastation of the Gulf Coast.
Shortly after the chaos from hurricanes Katrina and Rita had subsided, NAR President Tom Stevens delivered a message of striking clarity: NAR was keeping its commitment to New Orleans to hold the 2006 REALTORS® Conference & Expo there. What’s more, the association would pull out all the stops to achieve a record attendance that would pour a projected $40 million into the local economy. Cutting through chaos with clarity has defined Stevens’ presidency since its early days. When a federal regulator OK’d what looked like speculative real estate development by banks, Stevens called for and got congressional hearings on the decision. Clearly, the NRT Inc. senior vice president from Vienna, Va., knows what he wants and doesn’t hesitate to go get it. back to top |
President, National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Lantham, Md.
Why: Envisions an industry where minority brokers and associates play equal roles and works to make democracy in housing a reality.
As 2005–2007 president of NAREB, broker Clifford Turner stands for a world in which equal housing opportunity is more than a slogan. Since 1947, the real estate practitioners, lenders, developers, appraisers, and educators who call themselves Realtists have championed affordable housing and the needs of underserved communities in urban America. Through its recently launched “Rebuild America Initiative,” the country’s oldest minority trade group has renewed its commitment to increasing African-American home ownership. A 35-year-plus real estate veteran, Turner’s professional involvement in the affordable housing sector includes development and management of the Shawnee Garden Apartments, which won a 1999 Best Practices Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He’s the principle broker of Turner Realty and management in Louisville, Ky. back to top |
Founder and president, Weichert, REALTORS®, Morris Plains, N.J.
Why: Beat the naysayers and launched a nationwide franchise, showing independents a new way to keep growing.
With the successful launch of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates in 2002, the franchising arm of Mid-Atlantic powerhouse Weichert, REALTORS®, Jim Weichert proved that independents can go head to head with the big national franchises. Since then, Weichert has added 265 franchised offices in 25 states and received a nod from Entrepreneur magazine as one of the Top 10 New Franchises of 2005. These days, the company he opened in 1969 is a major player with more than 18,300 sales associates and 450 company-owned and franchised offices, making it one of the largest providers of real estate services. The innovative Weichert Gold Service Amenity program and the franchise’s strong emphasis on salesperson education are just two examples of Jim Weichert’s core belief that consumers buy the people, not the product or service. back to top |
Board member, Move Inc., Westlake Village, Calif.
Why: Supplies a practitioner’s perspective and helps shape REALTOR.com’s offerings to the industry.
As NAR’s representative on the board of Move Inc. (the parent company ofREALTOR.com), Alan Yassky speaks for the concerns of both the association and the 1.3 million REALTOR® members who rely on the site to reach its more than 6.5 million monthly visitors. With its transition in 2006, the former Homestore now supports every aspect of the real estate buying and selling experience through sites including Senior Housing Net, RENTNET, and Welcome Wagon—as well as its flagship, REALTOR.com. A 2003 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, Yassky, co-owner of Rockland Realty in Nanuet, N.Y., has been on NAR’s Board of Directors since 1984 and served as NAR’s treasurer from 1997 to 2000. back to top
View 15 others who've had an impact |
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