By Tami Bonnell, CEO, EXIT Realty Corp. International
Our highest award at EXIT Realty is symbolized by a man chiseling himself from a block of stone; a self-made man creating his own reality. We chose this symbol because everyone is a work in progress. Even our top achievers can achieve more. They are limitless.
Everyone wants to be a part of something better, even people at the height of their career. They want the opportunity to learn, grow, make a difference, and leave a legacy. These are the people we’re attracting to EXIT Realty even during a global pandemic. Or, perhaps, especially during a global pandemic. For many, 2020 was a year of reflection; a time when they took a long, hard look at what they wanted out of life, aligned their values with their actions and made a change for the better.
Rick DeLuca, award-winning real estate professional and renowned international trainer and speaker is one of several regional owners attracted to EXIT’s holistic, people-first business philosophy. “EXIT Realty’s unique business model focused on ‘helping you grow’ aligns with my core values. I truly believe the experience I’ve gained all these years has prepared me for the most exciting journey of my career,” he said. When I was finalizing the negotiations with Rick for the sale of EXIT’s subfranchisor rights to California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Hawaii, he turned to me and said, “Tam, I want this to be my legacy”.
Also in 2020, hospitality industry veteran, Mike Wohl, assumed the reins in Massachusetts, commenting, ““I am thrilled to be joining the EXIT team of Regional Owners from across North America in providing opportunities for people to control their own destiny and reach their full potential.”
Most recently, Melissa Shea became EXIT’s newest regional owner in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Melissa’s number one goal is to teach people how to achieve financial freedom through owning real estate. Starting from scratch, she built a personal investment portfolio of more than 120 properties and speaks nationally on real estate investing. She is the mother of eight children, three of whom have special needs. Leaving a legacy for her children is paramount and she realized that although they may not be able to manage her portfolio, with her work at EXIT Realty, she could create an opportunity for them to benefit from residual income. Joining EXIT was a choice to make sure her own family was taken care of and to realize her dream of teaching others how to achieve true family wealth.
EXIT Realty Virginia changed hands among EXIT veterans. Tom and Nancy Shaver retired after building the region to include some of the top brokerages in the company, passing the baton to a team of some of EXIT’s leading Broker/Owners. During a transition meeting with their franchisees, Nancy told them she loved them and believed that she and Tom were leaving them in the right hands with Bernadette Cole, Koy Banks and Randy Barrows to take the region to the next level. Tom and Nancy continue to enhance their retirement residuals with EXIT.
At EXIT Realty Corp. International, our executive team has been with the company on average for more than 16 years with a combined 480 years of real estate experience. Our head office staff has served the company on average for more than 14 years. We are a company founded and built on human potential working hard to humanize the real estate industry. Our culture combined with the longevity of our leadership gives our people the freedom to take risks and grow into something that they didn’t know they could be or do before.
I love my job as CEO, selling regions, and building the brand. But my favorite part is seeing something in someone they didn’t see in themselves and being able to turn their head, maybe even just three degrees, to show them who they can become. All of a sudden they experience an AHA! moment of, “Wow! This is exactly what I should be doing! This is my mission!” I love being tied to EXIT’s mission to show people that it’s better for them to have residual income. It’s better for them to have mentors. It’s better for them to have skin in the game so they actually feel like they’re adding value to their work. Truth be told, we could use all those things in any line of work, not just real estate. The opportunity to become all you could be involves picking up the chisel and creating your own reality.
