Halstead announced its Chairman & CEO Diane M. Ramirez has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) on Tuesday, March 5.
“I’m honored to be elected Chairperson of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World’s Board of Directors. It has been a privilege to work alongside fellow board members, an esteemed group of global industry leaders, over the last two years in my Vice Chair role. In my new position, I look forward to continued collaboration to advance the real estate industry and strengthen the deep international relationships offered through the network,” says Ramirez.
Ramirez has been an active member of the organization for over 20 years, and most recently served as Vice Chairman since 2017. The board provides strategic guidance for LeadingRE, working closely with the company’s executive team to deliver high value programs and services to the network’s 565 market-leading real estate firms in 70 countries.
Photo courtesy of Halstead.
“Diane is a visionary leader whose reputation extends worldwide and who is highly respected in the real estate community. She is committed to the individual and collective success of our members, and we are incredibly fortunate to have her serving in this role,” says LeadingRE President/CEO Paul Boomsma.
The announcement was made during the LeadingRE Annual Conference, which took place February 20-22 at Wynn Las Vegas. At the event, Halstead, which was co-founded by Ramirez, was also awarded LeadingRE’s 2019 Most Innovative Brokerage Firm, accomplished against 565 top privately-held firms within the international network.
Halstead was also recognized with first place for three additional categories, including Company Brand & Property Advertising, Specialty Marketing, and Best Real Estate Search for its newly redesigned website, Halstead.com.
In addition to this new role, Ramirez was recently awarded the Bernard H. Mendik Lifetime Leadership Award from the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), for her exceptional career in the real estate industry. She was also previously honored by REBNY with the Henry Forster award, an annual recognition presented to a real estate professional with an outstanding record of achievement and conduct both within the industry and the community.
Through its Random Acts of Kindness campaign, real estate marketing leader Parkbench.com encourages good deeds in every neighborhood.
By Roger Grody
One of the fastest-growing start-ups in the real estate industry is Parkbench.com, an innovative, neighborhood-based collaborative through which real estate professionals enhance their presence in the community. The platform also hosts businesses, residents and nonprofit organizations, connecting people on multiple levels and strengthening communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The Toronto-based company was founded by entrepreneur Grant Findlay-Shirras and his wife Amanda Newman, a local Realtor. The concept, which establishes an exclusive website for a Realtor in every neighborhood, provides a vehicle through which that real estate professional can build his or her business while creating a more cohesive, tightknit community. After launching his wife’s website in 2013, Findlay-Shirras founded Parkbench.com to accommodate demand from Realtors in every state and province.
Parkbench.com CEO
Grant Findlay-Shirras
“Everybody who lives, works or plays in a neighborhood has something to say, and this platform provides immense value to the community while building a Realtor’s brand,” says the CEO. Findlay-Shirras explains Parkbench.com allows Realtors to elevate their roles to what they once were: pillars of the community who generate referrals by collaborating with local businesses, residents and organizations. It is a technology-driven approach to old-fashioned relationships.
“All Realtors want to provide value to their communities and expand their spheres of influence, but most don’t know how to go about it,” says Findlay-Shirras, who adds, “We believe in the Law of Reciprocity. Those who provide value to their communities will prosper.” Parkbench.com has also become the largest single provider of local news, aggregating local content from around the Internet and updating it daily on its Realtors’ respective websites.
Because Parkbench.com’s mission is to make neighborhoods stronger, both socially and economically, a corporate culture of giving comes naturally. After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas last August, Parkbench.com donated 10 percent of its revenue the following month to the nonprofit Feeding Texas. This past February, the firm implemented a Random Acts of Kindness campaign in honor of National Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 11-17, 2018.
“The entire company is built on this motto: Give value first, and have faith that you will receive something in return,” says Findlay-Shirras, who adds, “And why not give it randomly to see people’s awesome reactions?” The Parkbench.com CEO, who created the Local Leader® Marketing System used by his network of 1,000-plus Realtors, reports that members in cities throughout the U.S. and Canada — including New York, Vancouver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Seattle, Toronto, and Miami — participated in the February campaign.
Among the random acts of kindness extended by Parkbench.com, Realtors were buying coffee for the neighborhood, handing out flowers on Valentine’s Day, reprising the lost art of dispensing compliments to strangers, and cleaning up litter in the community. Local Realtors videotaped and posted their random acts for a companywide competition, with the winning Realtor receiving $1,000 to donate to his or her favorite charity.
Parkbench.com also supports nonprofits beyond the neighborhood level, and selected causes have included fostering entrepreneurship in Kenya, assisting the homeless and funding disaster relief. “The spirit of the company is giving to the community,” reminds Findlay-Shirras of Parkbench.com’s core value. “That’s who we are.”
Photo courtesy of Parkbench.com
Rappaport beat his own sales record with the $120 million off-market deal to Canadian billionaire developer Daryl Katz.
Westside Estate Agency co-founder and CEO Kurt Rappaport has sold his 7-bedroom Malibu mansion to Canadian billionaire Daryl Katz for $120 million. The home was designed by architectural designer Scott Mitchell, whose clients include Larry Ellison and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The off-the-market deal, which closed on Friday, Feb. 9 according to the New York Post, had been rumored to be on the rocks in December, though neither Rappaport nor Katz would comment at the time on the nature of the alleged snafu, as The Real Deal reported.
Rappaport has broken his own record for selling the priciest home in Los Angeles — the previous record-holder was his $85 million sale of David Geffen’s Malibu estate, which he brokered last May.
The sale of his 15,000-square-foot home included everything inside the home, which is reported to include artwork by Damien Hirst, Ed Ruscha and Sterling Ruby. The house was rented out for $750,000 per month, and contains a private screening room, home gym and the longest pool in the state at 168 feet.
Katz is estimated to be worth just over $3 billion and owns the NHL franchise, the Edmonton Oilers. His wealth comes from managing pharmacy chains, including Rexall. However, now his company, Katz Group, has turned to real estate. The Katz Group is leading a more than $2 billion redevelopment project in Edmonton known as the ICE District and built a new arena for the Oilers in the city, according to Forbes.
Photo courtesy of Westside Estate Agency