Above, from left, John Featherston, Tina Lapp, Heather Stenson and Brian Joyner
During its 28th Annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner held at the Renaissance Boston Seaport Hotel Friday night, RISMedia announced its 2024 Real Estate Rookie of the Year winner, Heather Stenson, a REALTORⓇ with Connect Realty in The Woodlands, Texas.
Designed to honor new-agent success and professionalism, RISMedia’s Real Estate Rookie of the Year Award is sponsored by industry education leader, Colibri Real Estate. Tina Lapp, head of Customer Experience, Instruction & Operations for Colibri, and Brian Joyner, vice president of sales, presented the award to Stenson.
“Tonight is a celebration of success and adaptability,” said Lapp as she paid tribute to the five regional Rookie of the Year winners, four of whom were in attendance. “We’re here to recognize a group of new agents who saw opportunity in challenges, prepared to succeed, and are celebrated tonight for their amazing first-year results.”
“The finalists here tonight demonstrate just how much driven new talent can accomplish in their first year of practicing real estate,” added Joyner. “It’s no secret to anyone in this room that a career in real estate is a wild ride, which makes success even more worth celebrating.”
Lapp reported that Stenson, who transitioned into real estate from a career in teaching, achieved 37 transactions totaling over $7.3 million during her first year in the business. “Her commitment to continuous learning, mastery of modern marketing technologies, and genuine passion for helping others navigate their real estate journey has earned her an outstanding reputation among clients and peers,” she added.
“This is so incredible,” said Stenson upon accepting the award. “It’s been so awesome to sit with not just my broker and my family, but all the people that I was nominated with. Getting to know them, their market and their industry—it’s just been so amazing. I am so thankful. If you were to ask me a year ago today if I’d be standing here, I’d say there’d be absolutely no way. I just know all my prayers were answered—that I was making the right choice to join this business.”
Stenson was among the five regional Real Estate Rookie of the Year winners for 2024:
– Cole McNew. Coldwell Banker Haynes Real Estate, Midwest winner
– Liam Coonahan, REAL of Pennsylvania, Northeast winner
– Heather Stenson, Connect Realty, South winner
– Jessica Bauer, Keller Williams Collective, Southeast winner
– Victor Gutierrez, CENTURY 21 Lotus, West winner
Annual Gala Pays Tribute to Brokerage Achievement
Held during the National Association of REALTORSⓇ(NAR) NXT Conference & Expo, the invitation-only Power Broker Reception & Dinner honors the Top 500 brokers in RISMedia’s 2024 Power Broker Report. RISMedia Founder & CEO John Featherston welcomed the crowd of more than 250.
“As we all look to close out what has been a very difficult and stressful year, let’s all set our sights on taking advantage of the opportunities in front of us, and focus on building relationships that will help us move forward in 2025,” said Featherston in his opening remarks.
NAR Broker Relations Liaison, David Legaz, broker of Keller Williams Landmark Realty, and incoming NAR Broker Liaison for 2025, Anthony Lamacchia, broker/owner/CEO of Lamacchia Realty, welcomed the crowd on behalf of the association, and added a light-hearted look at industry change with an adaptation of the classic Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First” skit called “NAR Lawsuit Confusion.”
The pair followed the routine with a hopeful message for the industry as it looks toward 2025.
“NAR leaders are diligently focused on the financial good health of the organization,” Legaz said. “Our numbers are strong in 2024…I’m proud to say that dues will not increase in 2025.”
“I think we’re going to see big, big improvements with a number of things in 2025,” Lamacchia said. “We all have big voices out there, whether we like to admit that or not, but let’s make sure to remind the public of the difference between a REALTOR® and someone who’s not a REALTOR®, and what REALTORS® do.”
In honor of the accomplishments of all those gathered, Real Estate Webmasters CEO Morgan Carey then welcomed guests with a special toast.
“We faced so much adversity with respect to the lawsuits,” said Carey. “Along with all of that adversity, we’ve had uncertainty. But, through all of this, we’ve gotten past it and we have won. The leaders in this room, the leaders in this industry helped us get through that. And we are stronger than ever.”
Industry Leaders Honored With National Awards
During the Power Broker event, two industry leaders were also awarded for their extraordinary leadership and contributions to the industry.
RISMedia’s On the Shoulders of Giants award, sponsored by RE/MAX, is designed to recognize an individual whose efforts, works, deeds and character exemplify achievements in and for the real estate industry. This year’s award was presented by RE/MAX Holdings CEO, Erik Carlson to former RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos.
“Adam has simply changed countless lives throughout our industry, and outside it,” said Carlson. “He’s a role model, leader, lifelong learner. He strives for continuous improvement every day.”
Upon accepting the award, Contos emphasized the role of leadership at this moment in the industry’s history. “This room is about leadership, and I can’t stress how it’s needed now more than it ever has been in this space,” he said. “Consumers need it, agents need it, all of our brokerages and our colleagues need it. We’re all in this for the same reason, and that’s to make the industry better.”
RISMedia’s Real Estate Leadership Award, sponsored by Buffini & Company, was presented by the company’s Chief Growth Officer Darin Dawson. The prestigious award is designed to honor an industry visionary who embraces innovation and exercises resilience to blaze new paths to success for real estate professionals and consumers alike. This year’s recipient was John L. Scott Chairman & CEO Lennox Scott.
“Under Lennox’s leadership, John L. Scott has grown to over 3,000 agents and a hundred offices throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Dawson. “John L. Scott has a core value to deliver transactional excellence, but their higher purpose is living life as a contribution.”
Accepting the award for Scott was the firm’s vice president of Oregon and Southwest, Washington, Scott Halligan.
“Lennox believes that success has been and continues to be a partnership,” said Halligan. “An act of collaboration and sharing both ideas and conversations, not only with each of you in this room but within the real estate industry. He exemplifies each day living life as a contribution.”
Power Brokers Strategize for the Future
Earlier that day, RISMedia held its 28th annual Power Broker Forum, titled, “Ready for the Future: The Broker Playbook for a Stand-Out 2025” during NAR NXT at the Boston Convention Center.
Industry leaders on the panel dissected the most important trends, uncovered key opportunities and shared their strategies for overcoming challenges that lie ahead. The Forum, attended by more that 750, was co-moderated by RISMedia Founder & CEO John Featherston and Lamacchia Realty Broker/Owner/CEO Anthony Lamacchia. Panelists included: Dava Davin, founder and CEO, Portside Real Estate Group; Dan Duffy, CEO, United Real Estate; Wendy Forsythe, CMO, eXp Realty; Al Becker, president and COO, Jack Conway & Company.
Stay tuned to RISMedia.com for more detailed coverage of our 28th Annual Power Broker Forum, Reception & Dinner and our 2024 Real Estate Rookie of the Year winner.
Follow and tag @RISMediaUpdates on social media and use the hashtag #PowerBroker2024 for photos of the 2024 RISMedia Power Broker Reception & Dinner!
Power Broker Reception & Dinner Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Buffini & Company
Colibri Real Estate
Real Estate Webmasters
RE/MAX, LLC
Master Sponsors
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Host Sponsors
American Home Shield
Cinch Home Services
Cloze
CoreLogic
docusign
FBS
HouseAmp
Lamacchia Realty
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World
RPR®
