ERA Kline & May is No. 6 on Fantastic 50 List
Real Estate Firm is One of Fastest-Growing Businesses in Virginia
DAN WRIGHT, Daily News-Record
For the second consecutive year, a Harrisonburg real estate firm is ranked among the fastest-growing companies in Virginia. ERA Kline & May Realty was ranked No. 6 on the 11th annual Fantastic 50, a list of the state's fastest growing businesses. The company's 2005 sales of $130 million was a 51.2 percent increase over the previous year's $86 million in sales, according to owner/broker Keith May.
"The [real estate] market has been great," May said. "But we also benefit from additional staff and agents and increased productivity." May's business has 55 agents, up from 43 last year and a four-year growth rate of 786 percent. To achieve that kind of growth, his agents use technology but rely on face-to-face selling, May explained. The company has a Web site and a number of its agents have their own sites.
"But it comes back to the ability to form strong relationships between agents and clients, where we act as consultants," May said. "[Real estate] is not so much a sales business as a consulting business, in my opinion."
Recognizing Growth
Of the firms on this year's Fantastic 50, all but two were within the northern Virginia-Richmond-Tidewater crescent. One was ERA Kline & May, which has offices in Harrisonburg and Broadway. The other company was Adaptive Technologies Inc., a Blacksburg-based research and development firm, which is No. 13 on the list. Originated by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce in 1996, the Fantastic 50 recognizes privately held, Virginia-based companies with the highest revenue growth over a four-year period.
To be eligible for the 2006 awards, a company must have had revenue of at least $200,000 in 2001 and no greater than $100 million in 2005. The average four-year growth rate of the companies on the 2006 list was 463 percent. That figure is skewed by the growth of the top three companies. SpecTal of Reston, Coldwell Banker Professional of Virginia Beach and Germane Systems of Chantilly all posted four-year growth rates of greater than 1,000 percent.
Nearly half the companies on this year's Fantastic 50 were founded after 1995. ERA Kline & May is one of the oldest companies on the list. Founded in 1970 by Ken Kline, it was originally called Kline Realty. May joined the firm in 1998 and established it as an ERA franchise.
Angel Tree 2005
The Salvation Army in Harrisonburg, VA was able to serve 472 families, which consisted of 863 children this Christmas thanks to the kindness and generosity of the team at ERA Kline & May Realty. The agents got together this year to buy presents for 30 needy children.
Top Agent Attends Invitation-Only CyberStar® Gathering
LaDawn Knicely of ERA Kline & May Realty, Harrisonburg, Virginia was one of only 130 top real estate agents invited to attend The Allen F. Hainge CyberStar® Summit recently in San Antonio, TX. The nationally recognized CyberStar® Summit is an annual invitation-only networking and idea sharing conference open only to outstanding real estate agents from the US, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas and Australia.
A leading member of the CyberStars®, LaDawn has long been a market leader in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County due to her commitment to serving customers and clients and her use of technology to meet the needs of today's consumer. Knicely's emphasis on her website www.LaDawnSellsHomes.com as a top consumer resource and on using technology for effective communication and service has made her a unique success.
The three day event focused on using technology and personal marketing strategies to better serve clients and customers. During the session, Knicely participated in information and discussion sessions on strategies and tools for marketing property, customer service strategies, blogging and pod casting as communication tools, staging property for faster sale, strategies for a changing market, success in international real estate, implementing consumer-oriented Web sites, client appreciation strategies and more.
According to Knicely, attendance at the annual CyberStar® Summit provided many personal and professional benefits:
"I am honored to have been invited to our industry's most exclusive gathering. I learned more about using the latest in today's technology and successful strategies so that I can better serve my clientele and help them achieve a more successful home sale or purchase. I spent three full days sharing marketing and customer service strategies that really work and that result in higher client satisfaction."
"My clients are continually complimenting me on the service, tools and technology I use to meet their needs, and I owe that to my association with the CyberStars® and to the fact that we share among ourselves so freely. In short, I am surrounded by the best agents in real estate for three days at every Summit. I share with them, they share with me, and we all translate our newfound knowledge into increased services for our clients."
Toys for Tots Wraps Campaign
Local builders and the U.S. Marine Reserve Corps are helping make Christmas a little brighter for children in the area. Hundreds of unwrapped toys were stacked in the lobby of ERA Kline & May Realty on Evelyn Byrd Avenue as a celebration of the annual Toys For Tots campaign on Saturday. The real estate agency hosted a celebration of the collection efforts, complete with cookies and other treats plus a visit from Santa Claus. Toys and games, including a rocking horse, radio-controlled cars, dolls and teddy bears, will be given to children in needy families throughout Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
The Salvation Army and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Social Services District will present the toys to the families this week. The Shenandoah Valley Builders Association helped collect the toys for the Toys For Tots drive, setting up drop-off boxes at six stores in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
Kerry Maloney, coordinator of the campaign, said enough toys were collected to help 425 families. Maloney smiled as she looked at the supply of toys bought by local families. Maloney was pleased with the generosity, especially since so many residents contributed to assist victims of last year's tsunami and the summer's Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast.
"It's excellent to see," said Maloney, a former marine. "It's a very important project we have."
The Marine Reserve Corps has organized the Toys For Tots campaign across the country since 1947. Kim Beydler of Dayton, whose husband Dave is a pilot in the Marines, said it feels good knowing children will have something to play with on Christmas morning.
"It is so important," she said. "The Marine Corps feels this a way of giving back to the local community."
ERA Realty Honored for Fast Growth
ERA Kline & May Realty has been honored as one of the 50 fastest-growing businesses in Virginia. The Harrisonburg-based real estate firm was named to the "Fantastic 50," a program sponsored by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce that recognizes small entrepreneurial companies. With a seven-year growth rate of more than 600 percent, ERA Kline & May was ranked No. 14 on the 2005 Fantastic 50. In 1998, when Ken Kline and Keith may joined the ERA franchise, the company had $12 million in sales. The figure doubled in one year. In 2004, ERA Kline & May posted sales of $86 million.
"It's been a pretty good roll," Kline said. "In 1998, we were around sixth in [Harrisonburg and Rockingham County] market share; in 2004, we were second."
No Stranger to Awards
Agents with ERA Kline & May won rookie of the year awards from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of Realtors (HRAR) for six consecutive years from 1998 through 2003. Two of the company's agents, Karl Waizecker and Kathie See, won ERA's national rookie awards. Four of the agents, including May, won the HRAR's code of ethics award, a point of pride with May.
"Real estate doesn't have a great reputation in terms of agents," May said. But he cited his company's own customer surveys indicating a 96-percent satisfaction rate, along with a high level of referrals and repeat business. Sponsored by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Virginias Business magazine, The Fantastic 50 awards were presented April 28 in Chantilly. Sen. George Allen was the keynote speaker. Allen, as governor, spoke at the inaugural event in 1996.
To be eligible for the Fantastic 50, companies must be privately held, be located in Virginia and have sales between $200,000 and $100 million. Businesses are judge on sales revenue history. "Most of the companies in the Fantastic 50 grow through acquisition of other companies," May said. "We grow through training agents."
In 1998, ERA Kline & May had 12 agents. Today, the company has 43 agents and continues to grow. Combining the residential and commercial sales, the company posted first-quarter revenue of $30.3 million on 152 transactions.
To view the article and others go to www.dnronline.com
Knicely Featured in Current Issue of "Broker Agent News"
LaDawn Knicely with ERA Kline & May Realty in Harrisonburg was featured in the Broker Agent News Magazine, March/April, 2005 Edition. She was hand selected by Allen F. Hainge, founder of the CyberStars®, a world-wide, technologically advanced, worldwide networking group, to which LaDawn is the representative for the Harrisonburg, Rockingham County Area. LaDawn was featured in Allen's article on "How to Get Prospects to Your Website." To view LaDawn's website and the services she offers, go to www.LaDawnSellsHomes.com or contact her at 540.421.6941.
Angel Tree 2004
The Salvation Army in Harrisonburg, VA was able to serve 490 families this Christmas thanks to the kindness and generosity of the team at ERA Kline & May Realty. The agents got together this year to buy presents for 25 needy children.
Local REALTOR® Earns Senior Specialist Designation
Seniors who need advice about their homes and rental properties can turn to LaDawn Knicely, Realtor with ERA Kline & May Realty in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Knicely, who has been in the real estate business since 1997, recently was awarded the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) professional designation by the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council in Murphy's, California.
Seniors Real Estate Specialists help seniors make wise decisions about selling the family home, buying rental property, managing the capital gains and estate tax implications of owning real estate, obtaining a reverse mortgage, moving to a senior community, and other issues. By earning the SRES designation, Knicely has demonstrated that she has the requisite knowledge, experience and expertise to be a Seniors Real Estate Specialist.
The Senior Advantage Real Estate Council (SAREC) tracks the special issues and needs of senior property owners and provides education to REALTORS® who make seniors an important focus of their business. The SRES designation was introduced in 1997 and is nationally recognized. More information about the council is available by calling 800-500-4564 or at their website, www.seniorsrealestate.com.
Harrisonburg Real Estate Professional Completes University-Level, Specialized Training on Best Business Planning Practices
LaDawn Knicely of ERA Kline & May Realty in Harrisonburg, VA successfully completed an intensive, three-day Business Specialization University course in St. Louis, MO designed to enable a select group of REALTORS® to vastly improve their effectiveness in planning and marketing strategies to provide greater value to both buyers and sellers of real estate, while maintaining balance and fulfillment in their lives.
Knicely learned advanced principles, strategies, systems, and techniques for building a powerful, effective, and efficient real estate business, thoroughly focused on providing superior levels of service to their clients.
The course was presented as part of STAR POWER University, the real estate industry's only university-level series of intensive, comprehensive training programs. The course was taught by STAR POWER'S cadre of STARS, top producers whose annual production typically tops 200 transactions and 35 million dollars and a renowned financial strategist.
LaDawn and fellow Realtors participated in the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament at Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club on September 10, 2004.
LaDawn Knicely Honored at ERA Real Estate Beyond Excellence Conference in Charleston, South Carolina
Harrisonburg, Virginia (Augusta 2, 2004) - ERA Franchise Systems, Inc., one of the world's largest residential real estate franchisors, honored its most successful sales associates at its annual "Beyond Excellence" conference, held from July 18-21, 2004 in Charleston, South Carolina. LaDawn Knicely of ERA Kline & May Realty in Harrisonburg, Virginia was among the top producers recognized for their excellence in real estate. At the conference, educational seminars and best-practices discussions provided an opportunity for sales associates to share strategies for growing their real estate business and providing better customer satisfaction.
"This event allows top-producing ERA® affiliates like LaDawn to come together to lend their support and share techniques. It's just one of the unique programs we offer to affiliates to help them plan their business strategies," said Brenda W. Casserly, ERA Real Estate president and CEO. The Beyond Excellence conference is by invitation only. To qualify for this year's event, ERA sales associates or selling-brokers must have achieved 40 residential units closed in 2003.
Knicely Honored At ERA Real Estate Conference
LaDawn Knicely was honored at the Beyond Excellence Conference, hosted by ERA Franchise Systems Inc. Knicely, of Kline & May Realty in Harrisonburg, was recognized as one of the top producers in the franchise. To qualify for the Beyond Excellence award, an agent must have $3.5 million in sales or 35 transactions in 2002. ERA is one of the world's largest residential real estate franchisors.
**Source: Daily News Record, August 11, 2003**
Area Food Bank Appreciates the Local Help
The warehouse of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network processes enough food for over 550 thousand meals each month. The food donated by ERA Kline & May was weighed upon arrival and the total poundage was 86 pounds. The food will be used by the Food Bank member agencies to provide support for emergency pantries, soup kitchens, faith-based feeing programs, emergency shelters and Food Bank programs such as Kids Cafe and Super Pantry.
Angel Tree 2003
The Salvation Army in Harrisonburg, VA was able to serve 551 families this Christmas thanks to the kindness and generosity of the team at ERA Kline & May Realty. The agents got together this year to buy presents for 25 needy children. Way to go guys!
Knicely Recently Named CyberStar® Representative for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Area.
LaDawn was recently named the CyberStar® representative for the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area by Allen F. Hainge. LaDawn attended the 2004 CyberStar® Summit in New Orleans, LA with her assistant Brittany. LaDawn and Brittany both obtained many new ideas on how to better aid their past, present and future clients!
