Pam O’Connor, founding CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World
Lasting Impact: Built a national organization of independent brokerage firms beyond referrals to encompass marketing, education and other services enabling such firms to remain competitive in the industry.
At the dawn of the 1980s, independent brokerage firms ruled most markets. National franchise organizations had yet to impact the market. At that time, O’Connor then was leading one of five major networks of independent brokerage firms (AllPoints, ICR, Relo, Nationwide and Translo) which each had more than 300 member firms.
By the early 1990s, after acquisitions by Merrill Lynch and Coldwell Banker, growth of national franchises and the growth of relocation management firm’s own networks, it was apparent that the declining number of independents needed to band together.
O’Connor was in the middle of the mergers that created one major national network of such firms. More importantly, she led the organization to re-brand away from a ‘referral focus” to add other services that independent brokerage firms needed to compete with the growing national real estate franchise systems.
In addition, she was able to meld strong leading independents into one network even where there were more than one in each market, an incredible feat on its own.
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World continues to grow and thrive and retain its status as the full service home for independent brokerage firms.