With Sharron Richardson
Some memories are big milestones. Others are the little moments that, over time, tell you exactly what a company is really like.
For Sharron Richardson, Vice President, Broker Services and Director, Spirit of EXIT, there are plenty of those moments.
Her EXIT story started rather memorably. When she interviewed for her position, she had recently broken her wrist and arrived wearing a cast complete with an external fixator. Corporate attire and a carefully styled hairdo were, understandably, not quite in the cards. Thankfully, the team looked beyond all that and hired her anyway.
Twenty-four years with the company, it’s clear that decision worked out pretty well.
Having previously worked in the corporate training industry, Sharron was immediately struck by Steve Morris and the message he consistently shared with the entire EXIT nation. His passion was unmistakable, but it was his mission to improve the lives of real estate professionals that really resonated with her.
“I remember thinking I landed in exactly the right place,” she recalls. That feeling only grew over the years.
Sharron has experienced personal loss and some difficult times during her years with EXIT, and she remembers the steadfast support she received from leadership and colleagues. She also saw that same compassion extended to others. It was, she says, one of the things that made the company feel different, more like a family.
Of course, family isn’t family without a little mischief.
There was the time a police officer arrived to see Susan Harrison, former Chief Information Officer, who was expecting one thing and discovered she was actually receiving a very unexpected 50th birthday surprise. Then there was Tipsy, the Elf on the Shelf sent to Sharron by Annette Anthony, Director of Corporate Engagement. Sharron soon discovered that Susan had “kidnapped” Tipsy after spotting a photo of the elf buckled into an airplane seat.
Payback was inevitable.
With the help of several colleagues, Sharron responded by Post-it-noting Susan’s entire office while she was away. A ransom was paid, Tipsy was eventually returned unharmed, and another EXIT memory was made.
There are also the smaller running jokes like the fact that everyone seemed to call Sharron “Susan” and Susan “Sharron.” Eventually, they had name badges made to settle the confusion. Mostly, they just learned to answer to both.
Sharron has been around long enough to work in the original Attwell office, the first Argentia office, and the current Argentia location. Through all those changes, one thing has remained remarkably consistent.
In 2019, while emceeing convention, Sharron spontaneously coined a phrase that perfectly captured what she had experienced firsthand, “EXIT is a family disguised as a real estate company.”
Thirty years in, that might be one of the best descriptions of EXIT there is.
