Congratulations to these 25 finalists of our Real Estate Trendsetters awards
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April Stephens Realtor®
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Barry Pulver Global Real Estate Team Leader
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Britnie Turner Founder, CEO
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Carlos German & Team Real Estate Expert Advisors
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Charles Williams CEO, Founder
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Chris Suarez Co-Founder, PLACE
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Cliff Freeman Lead of The Cliff Freeman Group
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Denise Panza Senior Mortgage Banker
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Eric Bryant Director of Operations, North America
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Gerardo Ascencio Broker
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Jake Dixon Founder, CEO
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Jeanne Kelly Founder, Kelly Group Coaching, Inc.
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Jenn Kikel-Lynn Principal Broker, Owner, Chief Heart Officer
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Jenny Vergos Realtor
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Jeremy Larson CEO
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Kenny Truong Founder/Visionary, FAST REAL ESTATE
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Kim Jarrouj REALTOR, Salesperson
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Krista Mashore CEO, Owner
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Lauren Megan McLane Team Leader
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Lisa Paige Thomas President, BIC of LPT Group with EXP Commercial
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Neily Soto Real Estate Agent
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Nora Aguirre Real Estate Agent
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Scott Perkins Senior Vice President
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Tina Caul Owner
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Tracy Henning Founder, CEO, Realtor
April Stephens
Realtor®
What is a trendsetter in business?
When you become a business trendsetter, you become a market leader. The trendsetter often lays something out for the market and gives them a reason to follow and patronize their product or service. This document will confirm that April Stephens is precisely someone willing to take a calculated risk to impact the market in positive ways. In her case, the real estate and ancillary markets are where she dominates. Because of the strong real estate market over the past few years, others have allowed that market strength to enable them to rest on their laurels, thinking “it will come because the market is strong.” That is not April’s style. She is forward-thinking and a leader. She has proven that over and over, from her time in the military to starting her own company to starting multiple companies.
April Stephens has demonstrated leadership, both within and outside of the workplace. As a female entrepreneur, she has shown her leadership by becoming involved in the community politically. She was appointed to the Johnston County Commissioners in May of 2022 and is up for re-election in the fall. This speaks of her grassroots efforts to engage where development and, therefore, real estate decisions are made at the earliest stages of a project. It offers a voice for her constituents as well as her clients.
Contributions to the profession
April contributes to her profession daily with her outstanding client service, dedication to quality, and the mentoring and training she provides to the real estate community. In addition to her political appointment, she has expanded her brand offerings to her team and clients to help them become more successful. April is a general brokerage agent and formed a New Home Division, giving her squad expanded opportunities to thrive. She has started the REal School, teaching real estate agents the REAL things they need to know to excel at their profession. She has created another facet of her company, the Real Estate Advisors, an EXP company with a team of realtors and coaches. Launching soon is a Title company and a Mortgage company, all under The April Stephens Team umbrella of companies. She is constantly seeking a solution for navigating the real estate landscape and saw an opportunity to help the process by providing those ancillary services to her clients. Her strong drive and aspirations have led her to develop a plan to make these aspirations a reality.
Creation and implementation of a unique technology initiative
April has invested heavily in technology to provide the resources for her team of 18 agents to thrive. In 2022, she rebuilt her website with the most current technology and SEO capability to drive traffic and leads to her site for distribution to her team. Her web leads went from less than 10 per month to 30 per month, with increases each month. She also implemented a proprietary product ProspectsRevealed that encourages on-page engagement to turn skimmers into leads. This embracement of technology resulted in the highest monthly sales in the company’s history in May of 2022. That was followed by a 42% increase in sales in June 2022. She also utilizes many other KvCore products (Making it Rain, Nosy Neighbor, etc.) to ensure that her team has a bountiful number of leads to harvest.
Public or community service
April is a member of the Raleigh-Wake HBA, the Johnston County HBA, the Fayetteville HBA, the Clayton, Garner, Benson, Erwin, Fayetteville, and Triangle East Chambers of Commerce, and is a Johnston County Commissioner.
Barry Pulver
Global Real Estate Team Leader
Barry moved to America in 2010 with no property background. Fast forward to 2022 after being the first agent at eXp to expand the company internationally, he is currently the #1 global team leader with the company with the main vision of changing the real estate industry for the better.
Offering fellow real estate agents and their families a unique, modern and exciting way to have a more rewarding and sustainable career… and life, whilst spending most of his time with his young family and trying to lead by example!
Currently with a team in 6 continents and growing, the biggest focus of his mission is to link arms with the best agents around the world and to show that not only is it beneficial to be a pioneer, but it’s also much more fun to work together.
Britnie Turner
Founder, CEO
Britnie lived in her car for a period of time after moving to Nashville, TN to pursue a career in Real Estate. While learning the business she worked for free and served others just to learn the business. Flash forward 10 years, Britnie has won several national and international awards for speed of growth, innovation and trajectory; including being named Forbes 6th Fastest Growing Woman Owned and Woman Led company in the world. Britnie is resetting the standard of what is possible for women and young people across the globe.
In 2009, Britnie founded Aerial Development Group, a Nashville, TN-based residential and commercial development company that revitalizes urban neighborhoods through renovation and infill. Employing a social enterprise business model, Aerial Development Group works to elevate people and places. Through its work Aerial is focused on mindfully revitalizing the urban core and also donates a percentage of its profits to support non-profit organizations in its local community and sponsors an orphan in Kenya for every home that is sold in the name of the home buyer.
Aerial Development Group is resetting the standard for how development takes place and works to prove the business case for addressing social needs through its projects. They collaborate with neighbors and community leaders to make their Nashville neighborhoods healthier, safer, and stronger as well as bring to life projects that allow people to connect with their best self and nature. They improve and revitalize those neighborhoods with innovative projects such as the First Health and Wellness Community in Nashville, they incorporate tree planting programs, trash cleanups, sustainable features, new sidewalks, and connections to parks and greenways to give residents and the surrounding community access to a healthier life.
Britnie learned that business can be used as a transformative vehicle to change lives through the built environment. That insight led her to change the business model from simply building houses to strategically transforming neighborhoods into places people want to live in and empowering the residents already living there. Today, Aerial Development Group, a for-profit socially conscious company, is honing this model in urban areas of Nashville so they can apply it in other countries in the future to bring about social change.
Britnie’s newest Aerial company, and latest Real Estate project, is The Aerial BVI, an impact-focused private island resort located in the British Virgin Islands.
“On first investing in the island, prior to Hurricane Irma and the pandemic, Turner set about creating a place that would elevate people into walking fully in their purpose.
Now having brought the island back to life following the hurricanes that swept through, and spent the more recent months of travel restrictions getting the resort ready for its first arrivals, Turner expresses her original vision for the property through every aspect of the guest experience.
The resort sets out to achieve its aim of helping people bring about impactful change through its culinary ethos, creative wellness offering and activities designed to connect you to nature, as well as through hosting immersive Elevate Summits.
Intention is behind every aspect of the resort’s creation, from elements of the nature-inspired interior design to aspects of the experience aimed at helping you operate at your best and efforts in sustainability and giving back.” – Source: Forbes
Carlos German & Team
Real Estate Expert Advisors
Award-winning and nationally recognized real state brand, with a commitment to excellence and making a difference.
Carlos German & Team is a group of Real estate professionals focused on growth, contribution, leadership, and whole-life success, serving buyers and sellers of properties in Orlando, Central Florida, specializing in Residential and Vacation homes near Disney World.
At Carlos German & Team, “We are committed to staying ahead of the industry, being innovative, and setting trends in the market, by expanding our offerings to meet the needs of our agents and clients. Our purpose is to be the vehicle to a better lifestyle and a catalyst of economic growth for each community we serve by providing the best possible experience in real estate services and expertise to help people achieve their real estate dreams.” Carlos German
This Real Estate Team is comprised of a close group of expert advisors led by the firm’s CEO and Founder, Carlos German. With more than $100 Million + in total yearly sales and helping over two hundred families annually buy or sell a home, Carlos German And Team has sold many of the area’s largest home sales, including numerous record-breaking transactions.
They are a team of knowledgeable professionals constantly striving to stay ahead of the curve and provide the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources to their clients.
With unrivaled experience and market knowledge Carlos German & Team is the preeminent Real estate Team in Orlando, Central Florida and the Disney area. While doing tremendous business throughout.
For over 18 years, they’ve been one of the most respected names in the business. Their award-winning team of agents has helped countless families find their dream home. And their innovative approach to marketing and technology ensures that their clients always have the latest information at their fingertips.
These amazing men and women collaborate as a family, are always hungry for growth, and are servant leaders who empower each other by quickly crediting each other for their successes. They believe that no one person can take all the credit; it takes a team effort to be successful in real estate and in life.
Charles Williams
CEO, Founder
Charles Williams is the founder of Percy, the real estate industry’s first buyer marketplace to collect, analyze and expose demand for a home. Percy leverages design and data science to create powerful insights about homebuyers in real-time so real estate brokerages can empower agents to win more listings, become more profitable, and command greater control over their inventory.
Percy was founded on the realization that more than half of the real estate market were made up of buyers, and up until that point, no one had been able to help agents and brokers influence that audience.
As a third-generation real estate professional, Charles understands the need for greater insight into the lifecycle of homebuyers and sellers. Real estate agents can impact their clients in ways far beyond the “one-and-done” home purchase. Agents should have customers for life and with Percy, they can achieve that. Agents can capture more leads, win more listings and close more sides by using Percy to identify consumers that are ready to buy or sell.
Chris Suarez
Co-Founder, PLACE
Chris Suarez is the co-founder of PLACE, a real estate technology and business services platform that partners with the top 20% of agents and teams. PLACE boosts profitability, consumer value proposition, and provides tools to help teams grow their unique local brand – all without having to leave the brokerage where they are currently affiliated. In 2021, PLACE Partners closed 9,011 transaction sides and generated $3.863 billion in sales volume.
Prior to PLACE, Chris founded and served as the CEO of Xperience Real Estate, Keller Williams’ third largest expansion organization. Chris has been recognized as an Inman Innovator, RISMedia Real Estate Newsmaker, and maintains a presence on the Real Trends “”The Thousand”” list.
Chris also owns and operates four Keller Williams franchise offices in the United States and has experience expanding brokerages to Costa Rica. He is passionate about coaching and owns Xperience Growth Coaching, all while balancing his status as a thought leader in the real estate industry with regular speaking engagements across the globe.
Cliff Freeman
Lead of The Cliff Freeman Group
Since 1987, Cliff Freeman has been a highly sought-after real estate coach and trainer, having coached more than 1,000 top real estate experts. His most recent success includes The Cliff Freeman Group, with more than 80 real estate professionals and an annual run-rate of nearly $500 million in property sales. In addition to being a top producer and expert, Freeman has developed a reputation for attracting agents—his total revenue share group of more than 12,000 agents represents nearly 15% of the 80,000-plus agents at eXp Realty. He currently ranks 5th in the entire company in revenue share.
Denise Panza
Senior Mortgage Banker
Who likes to connect with someone that’s extremely knowledgeable and passionate about what they do, is dedicated to helping others, caring, appreciative, and has an inviting and spunky, personality? I sure do! That’s what make me so enthusiastic to nominate Senior Mortgage Banker, Denise Panza. Denise has been in the industry for 27 years, is licensed in 14 states and her mission is making homebuyer’s dreams come true.
Denise‘s dad was a mortgage banker, one of her brothers is builder and the other is an architect so it’s as though this industry is in her blood. She speaks real estate “fluently” so to say. Present her with a question about it and she‘s eager to give you the most accurate answer.
When I think of a trendsetter in real estate it‘s Denise that takes the cake! That‘s exactly what she does! She is able to take a topic like real estate and pave the way for others to gain interest in it. Her one of a kind approach to creating videos and posts on LinkedIn has made her the favorite mortgage gal of many! That‘s evident by the stream of comments that applaud her! She tackles some of the toughest questions in such a simplistic way that you are both interested in and learn from. To add to that, she‘s hilarious and down to earth which makes connecting with her so easy. It‘s wonderful to listen to her talk about the real estate and she always helps other loan officers by offering advice and sharing her unique marketing tools! Her dedication and commitment to the real estate industry is phenomenal and her desire to see other’s succeed is extraordinary. She truly exemplifies leadership and professionalism.
To know Denise is to love her! Her audience on social media can attest to that as well as her colleagues, clients, family and friends. I really can’t say enough about how remarkable she is. Her creativity and desire to assist others is so honorable. When it comes to top-shelf character and charisma, Denise is the #1 real estate trendsetter.
Eric Bryant
Director of Operations, North America
Eric “Coach” Bryant is the Director of Operations at Openn North America Inc. This year, 2022, Openn set out to bring a new way for real estate professionals to provide consumers with transparent offer management and acceptance to the real estate market in North America. The company, Openn Offers, was created by the property technology company Openn Negotiation Limited. This ground-breaking offer management software empowers buyers and sellers throughout the property transaction while simultaneously providing agents an efficient solution to managing multiple offers. The result is reinforced consumer confidence during one of the most significant purchases of their lives. Coach’s understanding of business development and his experience across the real estate ecosystem has been crucial in getting the Openn platform adopted by MLSs in the U.S. and Canada.
Coach’s North American market understanding will further facilitate the company’s U.S. expansion and accelerate the US pilot program forward. Openn’s recent partnership with BridgeMLS to access the Northern California and Bay Area markets is just one example of how his contribution to Openn's successful go-to-market strategy is evolving.
Using the Openn Offers platform, bridgeMLS real estate agents can allow buyers to submit an offer, terms, and personal details for review by the seller and their agent. This starting price then progresses to the next stage, where they can see how many other buyers are involved. This creates transparency for all interested participants in the transaction.
The California expansion brings Openn’s concurrent pilots in North America to five. In early April, the company announced developments in Canada and the USA, where OPN signed a pilot with The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and Triangle MLS in North Carolina.
Coach is an industry veteran with decades of experience in real estate technology. His knowledge of the industry landscape, movers-and-shakers, and on-trend issues is virtually unmatched in this space. His leadership qualities and positive outlook make him a standout in
the property technology sector. One of his greatest assets is his combination of technical knowledge, and his patience to convey that knowledge to less technical people. This is key when introducing groundbreaking technology to the real estate world. Coach is vital to Openn building an incredible U.S. proptech team that matches the foundation of the company’s platform and what it offers consumers: Transparency, Equality, and Efficiency.
Recently, in an article with RISMedia about Openn’s relationship with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World ® , Coach said, “Through six-plus years of development, execution and innovation in the Australian market, we have proven that both the real estate professional and consumer benefit greatly from enhanced transparency. We are thrilled with this opportunity to align with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World ® and its network of outstanding
brokerages to introduce Openn to a worldwide marketplace.”
Gerardo Ascencio
Broker
Gerardo “Jerry” Ascencio is chairman of the NAHREP Foundation, dba Hispanic Wealth Project, and broker-owner of San Fernando Realty. A 30-year veteran of real estate, he is also the 2012 President of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®). A sought-out public speaker, motivator and trainer, Mr. Ascencio is widely recognized as one of the most charismatic speakers in the real estate industry today. A native of Michoacán, Mexico, Mr. Ascencio’s own immigrant experience has made him an impassioned advocate for homeownership and economic empowerment for all Americans.
Jake Dixon
Founder, CEO
Jake is a real estate trendsetter because the mission of The Locker Room requires him and the company to go in the opposite direction of everyone else. The real estate coaching industry is very competitive with a majority of coaches focusing on teams and middle-high producing agents. Jake and The Locker Room focus on the under-served that represent 90+% of N.A.R. and that is those currently selling 24 or fewer homes per year, especially brand new agents and agents within their first 2 years of the business. With an 87% failure rate, The Locker Room has taken a stance and refuses to let affordability or accessibility be the reason every agent doesn’t have access to world-class training and resources. The Locker Room’s mission is to move the needle in the opposite direction by reducing the attrition rate in our industry by creating productive and resourceful real estate agents.
Jeanne Kelly
Founder, Kelly Group Coaching, Inc.
While the real estate industry is on the rise and growing with new daily digital implementations, putting agents in high demand, it’s arguably just as crucial to have the high-touch guidance of credit experts to support this expansion.
Most people don’t realize how much their credit affects opportunities in receiving top-tier mortgages, favorable refinancing rates, and successful loan negotiations. In fact, it’s healthy credit that puts a potential buyer into the running of homeownership in the first place.
While there’s a plethora of information out there at the whim of a Google search bar, what I’ve noticed over 20 years in the credit world is this puts many into analysis paralysis, not knowing where to start or what to do in the game of credit. That’s where I come in!
I’m Jeanne Kelly, founder of the Kelly Group, 2x author, motivational speaker and credit coach. Through my books and digital resources, I’ve helped thousands transform their credit health and reshape their financial status by providing accessible information, digestible content, and high-level accountability. From my own humble beginnings of being a divorced single mom in my mid-20s trying to purchase a home for me and my daughter, I noticed quickly what I was never taught – credit is a big part of the equation!
It’s been my mission ever since to help others receive the credit education they deserve so they can live life by design, not dictated by their poor credit choices (because hey, life happens!). I started my credit company in the basement of my rented townhome and have since scaled it to a global empire, appearing on media giants including The Today Show, CNN, The Breakfast Club, iHeart Radio, Huffington Post, The New York Times, Thrive Global, Credit.com, and more.
I’d be honored if Success Magazine was next in helping to get this important message into the hands of more people! As I know my personalized approach to credit will support your readers in exceptional ways to land that dream home they’ve been seeking.
Jenn Kikel-Lynn
Principal Broker, Owner, Chief Heart Officer
Jenn Kikel-Lynn is making her mark as a Trendsetter not only in the real estate industry but also in her community by combining her decades of expertise in both real estate & philanthropy. She’s the Owner & Principal Broker of a philanthropy based brokerage called K Real Estate “The Give Back Brokerage” and partners with over 60 charities, including her own for suicide awareness named after her deceased parents.
Jenn is a full-time Realtor managing a team of eleven real estate professionals and four office personnel, an active volunteer with multiple charitable organizations, a board member with the local Chamber of Commerce, sole Owner of both a real estate brokerage and property management company, Founder of two charities, and also speaker.
Jenn’s heart and passion for making an impact shows in everything that she does and is proven through multiple state & industry awards such as the: Salt Lake Board of Realtors Good Neighbor Award, Salt Lake Board of Realtors Top 500 Award 5x, Utah Business Magazine 30 Women to Watch Award and the Diamond Vanguard Community Builder Award, as well as, being a local speaker on the topic of blending your passions and business.
Real Estate professionals are traditionally very give back minded, however, Jenn is unique with her background of over a decade of running & starting multiple nonprofits and understands not only that industry but also real estate. Jenn started both of her businesses, as well as her nonprofit within the same year. She has continually grown all three businesses year after year and has given back to those around her educating them on how to do the same by giving local high school students internship opportunities, local businesses partnership opportunities and also implementing networking opportunities both online and in person to all of her charity partners.
Jenn empowers others to be successful in whatever path their personal story takes them. Those who work with Jenn know that she contributes her time to both areas from a place of deep rooted passion for helping others and not for the recognition. Jenn’s favorite quote is fitting for who she is as a Trendsetter- “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give” by Winston Churchill.
Jenny Vergos
Realtor
Jenny Vergos is with Marx-Bensdorf, Realtors in Memphis, Tennessee. She’s a native Memphian, and after 30 years selling outdoor advertising (aka real estate on a stick), Jenny embarked in her final career in real estate in October of 2020. She was honored to be inducted in the Multi-Million Dollar Club after only her first year in real estate where she doubled the amount of sales needed to become a member and is already 25% ahead of that number in her second year as an agent. Her mother was a charter member of the original Million Dollar Sales Club and was an early and inspirational Trendsetter for women in the business in the 70s and 80s. Outside of real estate, Jenny is the mother of a blended family of five kids and serves on the Board of Directors of West Cancer Foundation, while being active in the Junior League of Memphis Sustainer Club and the Le Bonheur Club, which supports Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Jenny is on the Benevolent Committee of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) and recently graduated from MAAR Leadership.
Jeremy Larson
CEO
“I have doubled my business annually by surrounding myself around other successful agents/team leaders.”
Sales volume:
2018 9M
2019 30M
2020 100M
2021 200M”
Kenny Truong
Founder/Visionary, FAST REAL ESTATE
In a constantly shifting world, there’s nothing worse than becoming stagnant. This can be said for any individual regardless of the industry but holds especially true for those who strive to innovate in real estate – one of the most volatile industries in existence.
Kenny Truong, Founder and Visionary behind FAST REAL ESTATE, recently named #1 Sales Volume Team in eXp Realty and by nationwide real estate authority RealTrends, took that concept and used it to build something never before seen in the real estate community.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Before founding the rule-breaking California mega team FAST REAL ESTATE, Kenny Truong was first and foremost a high-profile SF Bay Area Realtor. Kenny built a name for himself by consistently ranking in the top 1% of agents in California’s East Bay Market, home of coveted zip codes in Oakland, Berkeley, and Walnut Creek.
Through his unique ability to devise winning data-based marketing strategies that deliver the highest return in the shortest amount of time, Kenny gained the reputation of being the Bay Area seller’s go-to agent. Kenny’s time-tested ability to marry marketing with speed made a splash within the real estate community, and he became known throughout the East Bay as #FASTAGENT.
Kenny was catching the attention of industry leaders outside of the Bay Area for more than just his sales strategies. In 2015, INMAN NEWS named Kenny Most Innovative Agent/Broker of the Year due to his creative guerilla marketing strategies that subverted stale industry norms.
As the popularity of social media apps began to surge, Kenny was one of the first real estate agents to use Instagram Stories to engage with his community in a surprisingly disarming way. When Kenny had a new marketing idea, he used his phone to film each page of the pitch deck and share it with his community via Stories. If a particularly interesting set of industry stats were released, Kenny would film a chillingly honest analysis and post it for his community to read. If he received exclusive access to sales-boosting strategies, Kenny would film that, too. Instead of keeping his best ideas close to his chest for fear of mimicry, he chose to share his recipes for success in hopes of creating dialogue and inspiring action. Through his radical transparency and a refreshing abundance mindset, Kenny quickly grew his social media following and began speaking at real estate conventions nationwide.
Fast forward to late 2019. It’s the quarter before what would be one of the most defining periods in US economic history, and Kenny is gearing up to birth his most ground-breaking idea yet – FAST REAL ESTATE.
FAST REAL ESTATE, brokered by eXp Realty, is a first-of-its-kind real estate team that actively embraces ideals that most brokerages fight tooth and nail to resist. A mindset focused on collaboration instead of competition, a come-as-you-are policy, true agent, and leadership diversity – Kenny wove these concepts into the very fibers of FAST REAL ESTATE. Within his real estate team, the narrative around what a high-producing real estate agent looks and talks like has been rewritten. The notion that real estate environments must be cutthroat to inspire agents to excel has been completely destroyed. Kenny truly understands that you must be the change you want to see.
#KeepItMovinCoaching was the first step. Led by Director of Sales and Coaching, Elias Astuto, #KIMCoaching has become a movement. With an average Zoom attendance of 150+ agents across California, #KIMCoaching offers more than your typical real estate call that regurgitates market stats. Kenny ensures the focus of the weekly sessions is a mindset, exploring trajectory-changing topics like the root cause of self-limiting doubts, planting seeds for generational wealth, and more. With special guests like Jen Gottlieb, Neel Dhingra, and Mihn Nguyen, #KIMCoaching continues to draw the attention of top industry names nationwide.
True to his roots in innovative real estate marketing, Kenny wanted to offer a services suite that elevated agents’ brands, yet still allowed them to retain their individual sense of identity – a concept that flipped the traditional relationship between brokerage and agent on its head. Authentic storytelling became central to that mission. To support this goal, Kenny implemented an in-house photography and video team whose sole purpose is to create visual opportunities for agents to authentically connect with their communities over cultural moments like African American History Month and Women’s History Month.
Kenny extended this same fresh mindset to FAST REAL ESTATE’s event ecosystem. Instead of highlighting your typical 1% top producers, Kenny passed the mic to underrepresented groups in real estate, creating unifying events like Black Women in Real Estate and PRIDE Panel to inspire and support a new generation of top real estate agents.
Imagine going from inception to eXp Realty’s #1 Sales Volume Team in the world in just two short years. Under Kenny’s leadership, FAST REAL ESTATE did just that. Ensuring innovation was the cornerstone behind every new leadership directive, attracting inspired top talent to help realign the real estate industry towards the future, and creating a strong leadership team that embodied these ideals were key to opening this door.
Kenny’s real estate story has had an incredible start, and top real estate leaders nationwide are waiting to see what he does next.
Kim Jarrouj
REALTOR, Salesperson
I am a full-time REALTOR ® helping people buy & sell residential & commercial real estate in WV. I am a wife & mom to 4 children. I am grateful to do some thing I love every single day & help those that want to accomplish the dream of home ownership. I have been rookie of the year, a member of the million dollar club from 2010 through the present, a member of Berkshire Hathaway’s Leading Edge Society, 2 time ICON Agent with eXp Realty & top producing individual agent for eXp Realty 2021. I was ranked a Top 25 Agent in Charleston, WV by fastexpert.com and ranked in the Top 40 Agents Using Social Media in WV 2 years in a row by propertyspark.com. I am a mentor with eXp Realty & help agents get started in real estate & those transitioning to eXp Realty. I use live video to show my listings, help small businesses within my community, educate future buyers and sellers, assist current homeowners with household tips, help fellow REALTORS ® by sharing videos to uplift them & educate them as far as marketing strategies, negotiating tactics & teaching courses to help them be better on social media. I donated to & co chaired the Mcgala for the Ronald McDonald house for almost 10yrs helping to raise millions for the charity & serving on the charity’s board. I was able to revitalize the event after a 3 yr hiatus before I volunteered. Most of my marketing dollars are spent helping local schools, universities & worthy causes in my community. For example, I donate branded waters to local concession stands so they can profit from them. I made care packages for local businesses during Covid to uplift them. All gifts were purchased or donated by local businesses & the gifts were locally made & meant to feature small businesses to support in WV. I sponsored bringing Marshall University, WVU & University of Charleston soccer coaches(2 National Championship coaches & 1 runner up) for a panel discussion which helped the athletic department for the University of Charleston. I serve on our local Kanawha Valley Board of REALTORS ® forms committee & have fantastic working relationships with REALTORS ®, lenders, appraisers, home & termite inspectors, title/closing companies & so much more! I also co-own with my husband, the Olive Tree Cafe & Catering, a 6.5yr old successful restaurant in South Charleston, WV(visit FB page). I have agents reach out all the time with messages that they love my marketing, asking advice on marketing themselves, their listings, or to help them lead generate. My words to live by are Maya Angelou’s “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” Please read my reviews on Zillow, Google or my website. Thank you for your consideration.
Krista Mashore
CEO, Owner
Krista Mashore has been in the top 1 % of realtors nationwide for 20 years, selling over 2,300 homes. She is also in the top 1% of coaches nationwide, coaching thousands of realtors to master digital marketing in order to 4X and 10X their current business. She has helped hundreds of students become millionaires in their real estate business.
Krista is the author of four best selling books focusing on digital marketing in real estate and was named Yahoo Finance’s number 1 digital marketer to watch in 2021! She can also be found among the top 125 most impactful leaders in 2022 alongside Tony Robbins according to SUCCESS Magazine. She has been featured in Forbes, Inman News, The Wall Street Journal, NBC, Fox, and many more! Krista recently went from zero to 40 million dollars in just under four years.
Krista has a masters degree in curriculum and instruction. Always being a teacher at heart, she loves serving people and has turned her attention to sharing the secrets of her successes by coaching agents and professionals across the nation. Through her coaching, teaching, speaking and training, Krista is revolutionizing the way agents and professionals market themselves online. She offers an innovative step-by-step approach on how agents and entrepreneurs can gain a massive digital footprint.
Lauren Megan McLane
Team Leader
I have been in the East Bay Real Estate Industry for over a decade. In addition to helping hundreds of buyers and seller over the years, I also run a team of dynamic female agents. We have been recognized as a top 1% team in our competitive market. I pride myself on my industry relations and giving back to the local real estate community through participating in association and philanthropy events.
I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to share my knowledge with other agents through numerous speaking engagements, have been recognized as a local social media influencer and most recently have dedicated myself to mentoring agents through eXp. I would love the honor of being considered as a Real Estate Trendsetter.
Lisa Paige Thomas
President, BIC of LPT Group with EXP Commercial
I represented “both sides” and/or represented both the buyer and the seller in a $6 Million dollar sale … ..andhaving a broker represent both sides in a sale that size virtually NEVER happens, so that in and of itself was quite an accomplishment. Also…. I am a female commercial broker who has been in this business for 30 years. When I started there were very few female commercial brokers and there was no training available such as there is today… That, combined with trying to break into a field that has historically been a “good old boys” club industry also makes this an additional extraordinary accomplishment. For any women out there who are interested in learning commercial real estate… I think it is important to feature this story so that they can see that it can be possible. (Wildly possible). I spoke to my initial client for that sale… (the owner of the building)… and asked him what he would say about his experience with me from the transaction… and he said that being a real estate broker we are supposed to abide by a code of “ethics”… and that part of being “ethical” is putting forth an “honest effort” such that your client can have confidence in what you’re doing on their behalf… even when they’re not with you and therefore trusting that you’re doing the things that need to be done on their behalf … He also offered that an additional aspect of that code of ethics is that the work you’re doing is being done with care, diligence and competency”… and he wished to share that that’s how he felt about my efforts on his behalf in that sale. With the additional layer in representing both sides of the transaction requiring that each statement I made had to be entirely accurate and factual… all combined his comments were a HUGE compliment, and one I’d love to have shared as an inspirational message to women and/or anyone interested in entering our industry and/or learning commercial real estate.
Neily Soto
Real Estate Agent
Neily Soto joined the real estate industry 17 years ago to help the Hispanic community achieve their dream of homeownership. Shortly after September 11, she was laid off from managing a hydroelectric plant in Methuen, MA and decided she wanted to connect more with her community. Ms. Soto focused on making connections with local officials and helped develop the down-payment assistance programs currently in use to help low- to moderate-income families buy their first home. Ms. Soto was the Founding Chapter President for NAHREP Boston and currently sits on the board for the largest CAP agencies in Massachusetts.
Nora Aguirre
Real Estate Agent
Nora Aguirre is an associate with Century 21 Americana. She has been in the real estate profession for 16 years, rapidly growing her business to become one of the top agents in the country. As a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, she is passionate about educating buyers about real estate and helping them find their next forever home. Ms. Aguirre has grown her business to more than 200 transactions per year resulting in an average of $1.5 million in gross commissions.
Scott Perkins
Senior Vice President
Savvy commercial real estate investors, tenants and developers hoping to find success in the wildly competitive northern New Jersey industrial real estate market know there is only one call to make.
Since joining the Teterboro, N.J.-based full-service commercial real estate services firm, NAI James E. Hanson, in 1995, Scott Perkins, SIOR, CCIM, has established himself at the forefront of one of the nation’s most active commercial real estate markets.
Operating out of NAI James E. Hanson’s Teterboro, N.J. office on a team with Chris Todd, SIOR and William Ericksen, Perkins’ unique ability to help clients navigate the tight market is driven by a keen understanding of hyperlocal market conditions and a deep roster of contacts forged over decades in the industry. Where larger brokers might utilize regional market data put together in research offices hundreds of miles away to help clients, Perkins takes pride in his on-the-ground presence and nuanced understanding of local submarkets. For Perkins, the northern New Jersey industrial market is more than a line of data on a spreadsheet but quite literally his own backyard.
In a market where pricing can change within hours, Perkins’ real-time analysis and guidance based on constantly changing on-the-ground conditions gives each of his clients a leg up on their competition. This approach ensures sellers can secure above fair market value, buyers can navigate record-high pricing in a deeply competitive marketplace and tenants can find spaces ideally suited to their needs.
Tina Caul
Owner
Tina has single handedly changed the Raleigh NC real estate community by creating an atmosphere of collaboration. When she started she was a transplant from Michigan with no connections to NC whatsoever…she has quickly built one of the largest and most successful teams in the area and has galvanized a community of like minded agents to create the Freedom Builders mastermind which has changed so many lives of agents throughout the country. She is a TEDx speaker, coach, mentor, role model, amazing wife and superb mom…she is a real life superwoman!
Tracy Henning
Founder, CEO, Realtor
It is a privilege to submit this nomination and recognize Tracy Henning as an outstanding Real Estate agent and entrepreneur.
Amongst many things, Tracy is first and foremost an amazing mother, wife, daughter, sibling, aunt, friend, colleague, and boss. She wears multiple hats as a Real Estate agent and entrepreneur and we are thrilled to have her considered as one of SUCCESS’ Real Estate Trendsetters.
Tracy started her Real Estate adventure in 1994 (pre-internet days!!), and quickly hit the ground running as one of the youngest realtors in her area.
She quickly became an expert and an industry mentor and educator while receiving various accomplishment awards as she grew her Real Estate business and has consistently been a top producing agent during her career.
As the youngest female to ever be nominated into the role of President at her REA, her enthusiasm, leadership and industry encouragement led her to maintain a Director position for 10 years. She was a pioneer at the time and constantly introduced new ways for agents to market themselves and for the Board to improve their processes and supports.
One of the biggest challenges Tracy saw during her Real Estate Board tenure was seeing how agents and brokers were struggling with adopting new technologies and practices to market themselves.
Tracy has always been an innovator and quickly fell in love with the power of social media and using online platforms to communicate and expand her network. People quickly started to take notice and were asking her “How are you doing that?”, “Is that easy to do?”, “How can I do that?” … so much so that she decided to start PorchLyte – her Social Media company that solely provides support to agents and their brokers.
As a seasoned Real Estate agent, with over 28 years experience, she developed an online community to provide social media support and resources for agents and brokers, so they didn’t have to stress over creating content and ideas themselves.
PorchLyte is a labor of love for Tracy and her team; of which shows through the quality and creativity of its assets, but even more so through the close community of clients and friends that have been created since its inception.
If not out with clients looking at houses, you could find her feverously creating new assets for her PorchLyte community, putting together a variety of different trainings, running creative meetings and motivating her team, hosting a monthly TV segment on Real Estate ins n’ outs, driving through Starbucks for her Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte, playing or baking with her beautiful daughter, heading out on the boat for the weekend with her family, taking a run or supporting many local charities and organizations.
She is the REAL DEAL and her community, and the Real Estate industry are fortunate to have her as an industry champion and example of excellence.