Vitals: RE/MAX Results
Years in Business: 34
Size: 41 offices, 1,200 agents
Regions Served: All of Minnesota and multiple locations in Western Wisconsin
2019 Sales Volume: $6.7 billion
2019 Transactions: 22,931
John Collopy, owner of RE/MAX Results, has spent the past three decades helping homebuyers and sellers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but his path to a real estate career started simply because he wanted to sell his own house.
Upon getting his real estate license, he developed a passion for selling houses, and today, his firm is among the top RE/MAX franchises in the country, with nearly 250 employees and approaching 1,200 sales executives. Additionally, Collopy and his team devote a portion of every closing toward the company’s non-profit organization, Results Foundation.
You’ve been involved in real estate for more than three decades. What has kept you interested in this career?
John Collopy: I think it’s important that we all enjoy what we do. I built a tremendous company and work with amazing people. Last year, we helped 25,000 people buy and sell their houses, and a countless number of sales executives have achieved success in the organization. Making a difference and helping that many people…I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world.
What attracts agents to your firm?
JC: Nearly all of our offices are in buildings we’ve built, and we have some of the best locations. We also have some of the best-decorated private offices, training centers and conference rooms that we’re proud to meet in. As we continued to grow, we added some of the best in-house technology. We have a team that fixes people’s technology, handles our marketing and designs material. These are all services that are rarely available to sales executives.
How has tech evolved at the firm through the years, and how do you stay on top of the latest innovations?
JC: The only tech that mattered when I opened was the copier and the phone system. Brenda Tushaus, our COO, started with us 18 years ago as our tech person, and she makes sure we have the systems to be more than competitive with what our sales team needs. One of the things I’ve learned with technology is that you don’t always want to be first with what comes out, because some of it doesn’t stick and won’t work. You have to keep your ear to the ground.
Do you have any growth initiatives on the horizon?
JC: We have grown our company roughly 50/50 between acquisitions and recruiting. We came close to buying a couple of companies last year, but deals don’t always come together. We have one on the line that will take place in the next six months (at press time). We are looking to grow by about 5 percent this year. I think about what we can do to be the best brokerage possible for our sales executives, and that will lead to growth.
Keith Loria is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
