As the popular saying goes, time sure does fly when you’re having fun. The word “fun” has many special meanings in the world of real estate. From helping families achieve the American dream of homeownership to earning top national and local recognition to giving back within our DFW communities, C21JFC without a doubt did not hold back when it came to fun in 2019.
NATIONAL & LOCAL RECOGNITION
This past year proved to be an impressive “Act Two” for CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company after an award-filled 2018. As a company, we topped the Texas rankings as the #1 CENTURY 21® Franchise for closed units and gross closed commissions. We were named #3 CENTURY 21® Franchise in the U.S. (closed units), #5 CENTURY 21® Franchise in the U.S. and #6 in the world for (gross closed commissions) and #4 CENTURY 21® Commercial Division in the U.S. Our hardworking relocation and business development team kept their impressive award streak alive, earning Cartus Broker Network’s Platinum Award for the sixth year in a row as well as the Five Star Award.
Continuing Judge B. Fite’s legacy of heart-driven service, 50 of our top real estate professionals and producers were recognized by major publications in 2019 including the Dallas Morning News’ D Best List, 360 West Magazine and Top REALTORS® by Fort Worth Magazine. CENTURY 21® honored Fort Worth’s Sarah Lyons and Southlake/Colleyville’s Roslyn Gauntt with the inaugural Relentless Agent Awards and treated both to memorable trips to New York City with special profiles and attention on a global platform.
With 500 years of combined real estate brokerage experience, our leadership team joined in on the awards and recognition fun. We were thrilled to be named the #1 Woman-Owned Company in North Texas by the Dallas Business Journal, honoring our industry trailblazer and Executive Vice President Jan Fite-Miller. Last, but certainly not least, our President and CEO Jim Fite received RISMedia’s Real Estate Leadership Award and made D CEO Magazine’s Dallas 500 List for 2019. In addition, Regional Sales Manager Russell Berry was elected the 2020 Secretary-Treasurer of Texas REALTORS®, formerly known as Texas Association of REALTORS® (TAR).
Since our founding in 1937, CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company has built a strong foundation upon exceptional training and a family culture for our agents. 2019 reflected this commitment as the Dallas Business Journal awarded us the #2 Best Place to Work (Large Company category) while the Dallas Morning News named us the #4 Top 100 Place to Work (Large Company category).
In the Spring, we took the time to honor our REPs at our annual Awards Celebration for their 2018 accomplishments, recognizing our people with multi-million producers, anniversaries, Quality Service, Master Levels, Centurions, and Top Company Award winners.
Sarah Lyons – Judge B. Fite Award for top individual volume and AGC
The Gauntt Team – Judge B. Fite Award for top team volume and AGC
Mary Barakat – Dene Fite Quality Service Award
Sarah Padgett Team – Jan Fite Miller Award for Top Team
Christina Kang – Jan Fite Miller Award for Top Individual
Big-name speakers included former Dallas Cowboys safety and three-time Super Bowl Champion Darren Woodson, Realogy® Chief Executive Officer John Payton, CENTURY 21® CEO Mike Miedler and CENTURY 21® Chief Marketing Officer Cara Whitley.
LEADERSHIP & GROWTH
As a company, we aren’t only dedicated to growing our real estate professionals, but future leaders within our organization. Throughout the year many new leadership opportunities presented themselves, and our REPs and staff answered the call to serve in a management capacity.
James Hamm – Chief Financial Officer of CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company
Nelson Arroyo – Commercial Director of CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company
Gerald Crow – Director of Administration of CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company
Shara Hinchey – Lake Country & Southlake/Colleyville Assistant Regional Sales Manager
Kevin Robinson – Grand Prairie & Cedar Hill Assistant Regional Sales Manager
Kris Johnson – Mansfield Assistant Regional Sales Manager
Jon Buck – Mansfield Assistant Regional Sales Manager
Barbara Head – Flower Mound and Las Colinas Regional Sales Manager
Frances Cruz – Frisco and McKinney Regional Sales Manager
Janae Hausman – Frisco and McKinney Assistant Regional Sales Manager
Shane Yarbrough – Frisco and McKinney Assistant Regional Sales Manager
Jacob Benson – Ennis and Waxahachie Regional Sales Manager
Kent Bush – Midlothian Regional Sales Manager
Robert Kennedy – Rockwall Regional Sales Manager
Leadership accomplishments also included Manager of the Year, Tim Gauntt, district sales manager in the Southlake/Colleyville Regional Office and Kristal Amador, chief marketing officer as Director of the Year. The Judge Fite family also grew as we joined forces with CENTURY 21 Hudson Realtors out of Plano.
COMPANY HAPPENINGS & BRANDING
Our award-winning training team experienced a banner year, offering more continuing education opportunities and advanced instruction in 2019. We hosted CENTURY 21® level training seminars Go List, X-Cellerate, Sphere of Influence and Business Planning; Floyd Wickman’s Master Selling Skills Program; and launched the new Judge’s Pathway to Success real estate training program.
At the start of 2019, we were proud to unveil our brand new, mobile-friendly website century21judgefite.com. Notable features included an advanced property search, individual property pages, agent and staff search, real estate resources, career pages and an online donation portal for the Judge Fite Charitable Foundation.
In April 2019, our annual Passport to Paradise contest took place in an urban jungle: New York City. From Broadway shows to incredible dining to high-end shopping, our 65+ REPs earning the free trip had an amazing experience they will never forget.
Offering our real estate professionals the best and latest real estate technology and resources is a priority for CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company. We were excited to offer a new print marketing vendor which included professional business cards, notecards, property postcards, prospecting mailers, and the consumer-driven lead generation postcards. To assist our agents on the back end of real estate, we rolled out a new intranet system where all resources, communications and client business could be found in one location.
DALLAS COWBOYS PARTNERSHIP
As The Official Real Estate Company of the Dallas Cowboys we significantly increased our advertising, marketing and recreational efforts in 2019. Our marketing team revamped our eye-catching program advertisements and digital banners that were displayed during each Dallas Cowboys home game and at The Star in Frisco.
Through this high-profile partnership, C21JFC real estate professionals possess a unique opportunity to promote their business alongside the Dallas Cowboys with professional co-branded marketing materials.
We wanted to spread the #gofitewin spirit to all of our offices in 2019 and hosted many events and competitions in conjunction with the Dallas Cowboys. We enjoyed a preseason home game from a suite at AT&T Stadium, a Fite Night at the Races with Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Grill Master, and season-long Biggest Fan competition on social media.
GIVING BACK ACROSS DFW
Our biggest philanthropic event of the year, the 21st Annual Boots, BBQ & Casino Silent Auction, was attended by more than 750 people and raised more than $200,000 for our friends at Easterseals North Texas. The popular live auction featured many swoon-worthy items including suite tickets to a Dallas Mavericks game, a luxury trip to Kailua Kona, Hawaii and many other destinations and adventures.
The Dallas Cowboys may not be in the Super Bowl this season, but their season was a success in terms of giving back. For each field goal made throughout the regular season, C21JFC donated $250 to Easterseals North Texas – totaling $7,500.
Since the Judge Fite Charitable Foundation’s launch in 2017, we have provided much-needed financial support and grants for families and local organizations in our communities. On top of offering a donation option on the C21JFC website, and we also unveiled an option to donate through purchases made on AmazonSmile.
CORE SERVICES GROWTH
Providing our real estate professionals and clients exceptional turn-key services in addition to home buying and selling has been a priority for C21JFC since the beginning.
Designated Title expanded office locations in DFW with additional escrow officers providing accurate, personal service for their clients. Available and ready to close anywhere business needs to happen.
For both Judge Fite Insurance and our Connections Network, improving their offerings for clients was a priority in 2019. Judge Fite Insurance rolled out a new customer service portal with 24/7 access. Our Connections Network built upon the success of its website by offering enhanced vendor network opportunities for home-related services.
In 2019, Judge Fite Property Management modified systems to better serve clients with property management photo storage enhancements. World-class support is at the heart of their service to property owners for more than 60 years.
THANK YOU
To all of our clients, real estate professionals and staff, we wouldn’t have experienced 2019’s success without your support. C21JFC has a big decade ahead, and we look forward to helping grow our business, people and communities even more in 2020.