First Quar ter 2011 • vol. 8 no. 1outfront8 Keller Williams Realty

Ron Birmingham remembers the exact date more than two years ago – June 23, 2008 – when he sat down one evening at his computer with a list of real estate Websites that he wanted to review, solely for the purpose of gathering ideas to enhance his own site. He was an agent with Exit Realty at the time and had no intention of leaving, but when he got to the KW.com site, he was intrigued, and started to dig deeper. He was drawn to the emphasis on education, culture and the team concept, and he says he liked the idea of being with a company that put agents first. The advantages of profit share also resonated with him.

The next day, he sent an email request for more information to John Furber, Canada’s regional director,

and then got in touch with Kevin Fudge, his colleague at Exit Realty and said, “We have to have a look at this,” Fudge recalls. 1,435 kilometers or 890 miles from the nearest Keller Williams market center in Ottawa, there was little awareness of Keller Williams in the Halifax, Nova Scotia, market at the time.

Two years later, to the day, on June 23, 2010, the Keller Williams Realty Halifax Market Center franchise agreement was approved, and on July 16, it opened its doors. Having laid the groundwork for a highly successful launch, the Halifax market center profit shared its very first month and has continued to do so every month since.

firm foundationThe process of assembling a real estate dream team capable of turning heads and serving as magnets for the market’s top talent began with Furber’s encouragement and a trip for Birmingham and Fudge to Austin, Texas, in September

dream Team transforms Halifax market

Halifax power players from left: Jerry Murphy, Ron Birmingham, Annette Murphy and Kevin FudgePhoto by James Marshall

New energy, new frontiers in Nova Scotia By Lisa Wahlgren

First Quar ter 2011 • vol. 8 no. 1Keller Williams Realty outfront 9

of 2008 to attend Franchise Systems Orientation (FSO). It was there that they learned the models and processes of launching a KW franchise and met Mo Anderson, vice chairman of Keller Williams Realty, who helped them to realize that everything they had read about the Keller Williams culture was for real.

An unexpected benefit of that trip: meeting up with Margie Hooper, associate with the Ottawa market center, who was also in attendance. “Both Margie and Jeff Hooper, operating principal of the Ottawa and Toronto North market centers, have proven to be a tremendous resource for us,” Birmingham says.

star searchFollowing FSO, the next step was to seek out the best in the business, and topping the list was Jerry and Annette Murphy, who Birmingham describes as “true icons in the market.” Agents with the local RE/MAX office, both were consistent Platinum Award recipients, Lifetime Achievement Award winners, and inductees into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame.

As Jerry recalls, “Ron and Kevin came to our office one day asking for 10 minutes of our time, and we ended up talking for an hour. Not feeling ready to make a move at that point, we said, ‘it sounds interesting’ and put it on the back burner.

“One year and several conversations later, we were ready for something new and something more. We accompanied Kevin and Ron on a trip to Austin and found the warmth

and culture to be something very special. We realized the possibility to raise the bar for real estate in Halifax and said, ‘let’s do it.,’” Jerry says.

Topping the talent list for team leader candidates was Valerie Folk, regional manager from Royal LePage. “We never imagined she’d be available,” Jerry says, but she found the Keller Williams opportunity sounded “totally refreshing.” In particular, Folk says she was attracted to the idea of the Associate Leadership Council, and the fact that the “culture and belief system were addressed continuously.”

Once the core group was in place, the launch of the Halifax market center started to take shape with Jerry Murphy as the operating principal, Ron Birmingham as associate broker, Valerie Folk as the team leader and Linda Megeney as the MCA. Launching with 25 agents, the Halifax market center had grown to more than 60 agents by the end of 2010 and is heading toward a goal of being No. 1 in the Halifax market with 100 agents by the one-year anniversary of its launch date.

“We’re already a force to be reckoned with,” Jerry says.Fudge notes that the key factor in the market center’s

success is the agents, supported by a great staff and leadership team, which he says, “couldn’t be any better.” He recalls that as the market center was preparing to launch, Furber urged the leadership team to “get ready for the most exciting year in real estate that Halifax has ever seen.” That’s proving to be the case. kw

To get an idea of the caliber of people who have joined forces with the new Halifax

market center, Ron Birmingham is a good place to start. Last spring, even though he

wasn’t a cyclist, he decided to step outside of his comfort zone and signed on with

the Give to Live Relay for Life - Cycle for Life, in a 4,419 kilometer bicycle relay

from Vancouver to Austin, Texas, to raise money for cancer research.

Cancer had touched the lives of every one of the 34 cyclists and 2 volunteers

participating in the relay – six of whom were cancer survivors. For Birmingham,

participation in the race was an opportunity to show solidarity and support for

some of his relatives who were battling cancer. Along with all of the participants,

he was able to have the names of those he was honoring or supporting appear

on the back of his jersey.

As the only member of the real estate industry who participated in the ride, Birmingham says he received lots of

support from members of his market center, as well as other market centers throughout Canada.

Taking off from Vancouver on October 11, the cyclists wound through the western United States and ended up in

Austin on October 22 – a date that coordinated with Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong challenge.

Collectively, the 36 participants raised more than $300,000 that was split among the Canadian Cancer Society,

Ovarian Cancer Canada, The LiveStrong Foundation, and Craig's Cause for Pancreatic Cancer.

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