(Above) RISMedia’s 24th Annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
More than 600 brokerage executives and industry leaders came together for RISMedia’s 24th Annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner at the REALTORS® Conference & Expo this weekend, in celebration of the elite Power Brokers ranked in RISMedia’s 2019 Power Broker Report.
During the exclusive event, held at the Fairmont San Francisco, attendees heard from Daymond John, founder and CEO of FUBU and star of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” as well as Jim Imhoff, chairman of First Weber, and John P. Horning, executive vice president of Shorewest, REALTORS®, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) 2019 and 2020 Liaisons for Large Firms & Industry Relations, respectively.
(Above) Daymond John, Founder and CEO of FUBU and Star of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” and John Featherston, President and CEO of RISMedia (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
(Above, L to R) 2020 NAR Liaison for Large Firms & Industry Relations John P. Horning, Executive Vice President, Shorewest, REALTORS®; Featherston; and 2019 NAR Liaison Jim Imhoff, Chairman, First Weber (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
“I’d like to thank everyone who has been supportive of RISMedia and what our mission is in the industry, which is to support all the things you do to make homeownership a reality for many millions of people across the country,” said John Featherston, president and CEO of RISMedia, to kick off the evening.
“I want to thank you all for your support this year,” said Imhoff, welcoming the crowd on behalf of NAR. “Four years ago, we started a new program called the Corporate Ally program. This year, we hit $2.7 million in contributions, but that had a lot to do with you—the large brokers we targeted—so thank you for the support you’ve given me.”
“Thank you to RISMedia and the Power Brokers for this dinner tonight. I hope to continue fostering the relationship between brokers and NAR, and sharing the resources that NAR has for brokers and teams,” added Horning.
Additionally during the event, Featherston presented RE/MAX Elite’s Carl Carter, Jr. with a donation to the Beverly Carter Foundation, established in honor of Carter’s mother, slain REALTOR® Beverly Carter, and dedicated to REALTOR® safety. Inspired by Carter’s story and RISMedia’s donation, following the presentation, Realty ONE Group made an on-the-spot donation of $11,111 to the organization, as well.
“I have to start by acknowledging that I’m nowhere near the greatness of any of you sitting in these seats or my mom. It just goes to show the kindness within our industry and how we love each other and how we rally,” said Carter. “I’m so grateful for everyone, I’m so blessed and I’m so thankful for this moment to honor my mom. Together we can find creative solutions to make our industry safer.”
(Above, L to R) Featherston and Carl Carter, Jr., The Beverly Carter Foundation (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
RISMedia also presented five awards during the event. American Home Shield was awarded RISMedia’s Community Champion Award, recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in their commitments toward volunteerism, charitable efforts and public advocacy, and who embody the spirit of service, giving back, and improving the quality of life in the communities they serve. The award is sponsored by Realty ONE Group, and was presented by Cory Jo Vasquez, chief marketing officer for Realty ONE Group.
“On behalf of all of our associates at American Home Shield, we are honored to receive this award. We really believe in bringing the good and being involved in the community and we’ve kept this at our core. A sincere thank you to RISMedia and to Realty ONE Group. We are so very honored and we are humbled for this important and incredible award,” said Lisa Rice, divisional vice president of Real Estate Sales at American Home Shield, who accepted the award on behalf of the company.
(Above, L to R) Featherston; Lisa Rice, Divisional Vice President, Real Estate Sales, American Home Shield; Cory Jo Vasquez, Chief Marketing Officer, Realty ONE Group (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
Jason Mitchell, president of The Jason Mitchell Group, was awarded RISMedia’s National Homeownership Award, recognizing a member of the real estate community who continuously demonstrates extraordinary contributions toward increasing homeownership and building better communities. The award is sponsored by Quicken Loans, and was presented by Munt Alhussain, director, External Affairs for Quicken Loans.
“This is just amazing, and I really want to thank Quicken Loans for everything you’ve done for me as a human and for my company. I was doing very well until the recession hit and I got hit really hard. When I had to bring my career back, Quicken Loans gave me an opportunity and it’s been amazing,” said Mitchell. “I try to live my life by making sure that I put other people first. I really believe that if you do that, great things will happen. Thank you, everybody.”
(Above, L to R) Featherston; Jason Mitchell, President, The Jason Mitchell Group; and Munt Alhussain, Director, External Affairs, Quicken Loans (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
Chuck Ochsner, broker/owner of RE/MAX Alliance and RE/MAX Equity Group, was awarded RISMedia’s ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ Award, recognizing those individuals whose efforts, works, deeds and character exemplify superior achievements in and for the real estate industry, yet whose efforts often go unnoticed. The award is sponsored by RE/MAX and was presented by Adam Contos, CEO of RE/MAX Holdings.
“Wow. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to accept this award on behalf of my friend, Chuck. He is very humbled and honored to accept this award. I would like to thank RISMedia and RE/MAX for this outstanding recognition. He’s not only my broker/owner, but also my dear friend. Thank you,” said Karen Levine, broker associate, RE/MAX Alliance, who accepted the award on Ochsner’s behalf.
(Above, L to R) Featherston; Adam Contos, CEO, RE/MAX Holdings; Karen Levine, Broker Associate, RE/MAX Alliance (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
Jim Fite, president and CEO of CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company, was awarded RISMedia’s Real Estate Leadership Award, recognizing an industry visionary who embraces innovation and exercises resilience to blaze new paths to success for real estate professionals and consumers alike. The award is sponsored by Buffini & Company, and was presented by Dermot Buffini, CEO of Buffini & Company.
“Thank you to John Featherston and RISMedia. And thank you to my friends Brian and Dermot Buffini,” said Fite. “RISMedia has taught all of us a great deal throughout our careers and they continuously bring the best out of us and publish it for us so we learn from each other. So, John, I want to thank you for that. It really makes a difference in our careers and lives. And thank you to the Power Brokers. The fact is we are members of an industry that trusts and shares with each other, and we are better as a result of everybody in this room. Thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight with you and for the incredible award that I will take home with great pleasure.”
(Above, L to R) Featherston; Jim Fite, President and CEO, CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company; and Dermot Buffini, CEO, Buffini & Company (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
Dan Elsea, president, Brokerage Services, and Stuart Elsea, president, Financial Services for the Real Estate One Family of Companies, were awarded RISMedia’s Tech Titan Award, recognizing brokerage leaders who have demonstrated an exceptional ability to adapt and integrate new and innovative tools and services within their organization to improve and enhance the overall consumer experience. The award is sponsored by Homes.com, and was presented by David Mele, president of Homes.com.
“Thank you to RISMedia, Dave Mele and Homes.com. It really is a great honor. It means a lot. The baseline, not just for our business, but for any commerce, is that we can always have someone in a garage coming up with a new idea that’s faster, more innovative and more interesting than the last. And I’ve learned great ideas from all of you, so keep them coming,” said Dan Elsea.
(Above, L to R) David Mele, President, Homes.com; Dan Elsea, President, Brokerage Services, Real Estate One Family of Companies; and Featherston (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)
In addition to Platinum Sponsors Buffini & Company, Homes.com, Quicken Loans®, Realty ONE Group and RE/MAX, RISMedia’s Annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner was presented by: Master Sponsors American Home Shield, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, ERA Real Estate, HSA Home Warranty, the National Association of REALTORS®, and Real Estate Webmasters; Host Sponsors Inside Real Estate, The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®, Real Estate Express, realtor.com®, and Realtors Property Resource®; and Event Sponsors ActivePipe, Adwerx, Buyside, CINC (Commissions Inc), Cinch Home Services, CoreLogic, David Knox Productions, Deluxe Branded Marketing, Earnnest, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, Local Logic, Lone Wolf Technologies, MoxiWorks, REACH, PlanOmatic, Propertybase, Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting, Workman Success Systems, and Zillow Group.
For continuing coverage of the REALTORS® Conference & Expo, including RISMedia’s Power Broker Forum, please visit RISMedia.com.
