Big Island: Accolades, Awards and Hawaii Life Brokers

At Hawaii Life, it’s known that we don’t make a big deal out of business production, we don’t give out big gold statuette awards, and we don’t take ads out in the paper congratulating our top Brokers and agents. It’s not that we’re ungrateful, but we don’t see Doctors and Lawyers out there giving awards to the surgeon who booked the most ER hours last year, or an ad in the paper congratulating the “Top Lawyer by billable income,” so why do we do it in Real Estate?

That being said, Big Island Hawaii Life Brokers and Agents have been quietly gathering awards and achieving great things these past few months, so I wanted to take a moment and acknowledge all their hard work and congratulate the individuals below on a job well done!! #happyBIC.

Margaret Reynolds, R(B): West Hawaii Association of REALTORS® 2012 Broker of the Year

As Hawaii Life’s Broker-in-Charge on the Big Island, Margaret is not simply “busy” overseeing an enormous volume of sales and 40 professional Brokers and Agents, she also gives her time to the local REALTOR® association, and has for years. As 2011 RPAC Co-Chair, Margaret was responsible for fundraising and unsurprisingly, WHAR met their goal for the first time in years.

Margaret has been involved in Leadership on every committee and as a BOD Director, including Professional Standards. Perhaps most telling is her name at the top of the Associations’ list for “people who will run down to help us when asked.” All this involvement and I cannot find one person – not even her competition – that will say a bad word about Margaret. ‘Nuff said.

Karen Bail, R(B): Hawaii Business Magazine’s Top 100 Realtors for 2011

Karen might be used to awards for her sales production, after all, she’s been a Top Producer since practically the day she started selling real estate 20+ years ago, but this one is special. It’s not every Broker that wins a spot in the Top 100 Statewide, and Karen more than deserves the honor.

At Sotheby’s – where Karen and I first worked together when I was a newbie – Karen was not just Top Producer for years on end, she was an inspiration. It’s not just her production – it’s her attitude. Karen exemplifies a professional Broker who not only knows her craft inside and out – but who knows how to laugh, poke fun at herself, take far-flung vacations, and still land on top! Karen lives her best Hawaii Life every day, and her accomplishments prove attitude does contribute to success.

Brooke Derby, R(S): West Hawaii Association of REALTORS® 2012 Community Service Award

Brooke may live on an organic farm in the small community of Hawi on the northern tip of the Big Island, but that doesn’t stop her from being involved all over the state. The amount of time she gives to various community organizations – and the miles she drives – is astounding. Close to home, Brooke serves as Secretary of the North Kohala Community Resource Center’s Kohala Country Fair – one of the largest yearly events organized on the Big Island – and she was instrumental in raising funds to build a community skateboard park.

Further afield, Brooke serves as Board Member of the North Hawaii Community Hospital Community Advisory Board (CAB) in Waimea, on the WHAR PR Committee, and is about to be appointed to a special island-wide committee that I can’t yet reveal. Statewide, Brooke serves as the 2013 co-chair for the Hawaii Association of REALTORS® Young Professional’s Network, and will be Chair in 2014. Community Service, indeed.

Erik Hinshaw, R(B), Sharon Brown, R(B) and Michele McKinley, R(B): Hawaii State Brokers

It means a lot to get your Broker’s license in Hawaii – and these three Hawaii Life agents know they accomplished much more than just a (B) instead of a (S) behind their names. It’s not just the hours of instruction, days of studying, endless practice tests and questioning of one’s own test taking abilities – nor is it the joy and relief when you realize the proctor actually said you passed the ridiculously difficult exam.

Being a Broker means when you finally reach home and your first thought is, “I can’t wait to burn my flash cards” the thought that quickly follows is, “maybe I shouldn’t do that, I might need that information in the future.” There is actual growth involved in gaining a Broker’s license, and these three know that it’s a professional tool that if kept sharp and used correctly, will serve them well in the years to come.

Not everyone gets their Broker’s license – in fact, very few do. In the past 5.5 years, Hawaii has awarded about 1,500 Broker’s licenses, which roughly translates to 4% of the REALTOR® population in the State. How does it feel to be part of the 4%, newly organically-grown Hawaii Life Brokers, Erik, Sharon, and Michele? (We couldn’t be more proud!)