1. dream Team transforms
Halifax market New energy, new frontiers
in Nova Scotia By Lisa Wahlgren
Ron Birmingham remembers the exact date more than and then got in touch with Kevin Fudge, his colleague
two years ago – June 23, 2008 – when he sat down at Exit Realty and said, “We have to have a look at this,”
one evening at his computer with a list of real estate Fudge recalls. 1,435 kilometers or 890 miles from the
Websites that he wanted to review, solely for the purpose nearest Keller Williams market center in Ottawa, there was
of gathering ideas to enhance his own site. He was an little awareness of Keller Williams in the Halifax, Nova
agent with Exit Realty at the time and had no intention Scotia, market at the time.
of leaving, but when he got to the KW.com site, he was Two years later, to the day, on June 23, 2010, the
intrigued, and started to dig deeper. He was drawn to the Keller Williams Realty Halifax Market Center franchise
emphasis on education, culture and the team concept, and agreement was approved, and on July 16, it opened its
he says he liked the idea of being with a company that put doors. Having laid the groundwork for a highly successful
agents first. The advantages of profit share also resonated launch, the Halifax market center profit shared its very first
with him. month and has continued to do so every month since.
The next day, he sent an email request for more
information to John Furber, Canada’s regional director, firm foundation
The process of assembling a real estate dream team capable
of turning heads and serving as magnets for the market’s
Halifax power players from left: Jerry Murphy,
Ron Birmingham, Annette Murphy and Kevin Fudge top talent began with Furber’s encouragement and a trip
Photo by James Marshall for Birmingham and Fudge to Austin, Texas, in September
8 outfront First Quar ter 2011 • vol. 8 no. 1 Keller Williams Realty

2. To get an idea of the caliber of people who have joined forces with the new Halifax
RIdE OF HIS LIFE
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.
of 2008 to attend Franchise Systems Orientation (FSO). and culture to be something very special. We realized
It was there that they learned the models and processes the possibility to raise the bar for real estate in Halifax
of launching a KW franchise and met Mo Anderson, vice and said, ‘let’s do it.,’” Jerry says.
chairman of Keller Williams Realty, who helped them Topping the talent list for team leader candidates
to realize that everything they had read about the Keller was Valerie Folk, regional manager from Royal LePage.
Williams culture was for real. “We never imagined she’d be available,” Jerry says, but she
An unexpected benefit of that trip: meeting up found the Keller Williams opportunity sounded “totally
with Margie Hooper, associate with the Ottawa market refreshing.” In particular, Folk says she was attracted to
center, who was also in attendance. “Both Margie and the idea of the Associate Leadership Council, and the
Jeff Hooper, operating principal of the Ottawa and fact that the “culture and belief system were addressed
Toronto North market centers, have proven to be a continuously.”
tremendous resource for us,” Birmingham says. Once the core group was in place, the launch of the
Halifax market center started to take shape with Jerry
star search Murphy as the operating principal, Ron Birmingham as
Following FSO, the next step was to seek out the best in associate broker, Valerie Folk as the team leader and Linda
the business, and topping the list was Jerry and Annette Megeney as the MCA. Launching with 25 agents, the
Murphy, who Birmingham describes as “true icons in Halifax market center had grown to more than 60 agents
the market.” Agents with the local RE/MAX office, both by the end of 2010 and is heading toward a goal of being
were consistent Platinum Award recipients, Lifetime No. 1 in the Halifax market with 100 agents by the one-
Achievement Award winners, and inductees into the year anniversary of its launch date.
RE/MAX Hall of Fame. “We’re already a force to be reckoned with,” Jerry says.
As Jerry recalls, “Ron and Kevin came to our office one Fudge notes that the key factor in the market center’s
day asking for 10 minutes of our time, and we ended up success is the agents, supported by a great staff and
talking for an hour. Not feeling ready to make a move at leadership team, which he says, “couldn’t be any better.”
that point, we said, ‘it sounds interesting’ and put it on He recalls that as the market center was preparing to
the back burner. launch, Furber urged the leadership team to “get ready
“One year and several conversations later, we were ready for the most exciting year in real estate that Halifax has
for something new and something more. We accompanied ever seen.”
Kevin and Ron on a trip to Austin and found the warmth That’s proving to be the case. kw
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