Page 9 - REA Intro

LOCAL INDUSTRY NEWS & OPINIONS
TALK OF THE TOWN
As one of the most well-read sections in the magazine, Talk of the Town shares press releases from local real estate companies and associations. Read about recent awards, promotions, new hires and mergers.
OUT ON THE TOWN
Highlights local events, fundraisers, luncheons & CE seminars.
TIPS FROM THE TOP
Sharing insights from top real estate professionals in a local market.
■ 2013-14 Required Module: Risk Management - Today’s complex real estate transactions involve challenges and expose licensees to a variety of high risk areas. This course explores agency issues, disclosure requirements, negotiation issues, cancellation concerns, contracts and contingencies and will provide guidance on reducing risk liability exposure. 7.5 CEs. This class also meets the one-hour Agency CE required by the DOC for individual agents every other year.
■ The MAAR meeting Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 9:45-11 a.m. will offer insight into the new and improved Infosparks. The presenter will be David Arbit - MAAR & 10K research manager. Plan to arrive a little early to network with other MAAR members and enjoy a light breakfast sponsored by Steve Furlong – Mortgages Unlimited- Furlong Team.
■ The MAAR meeting Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at 9:45-11 a.m. will be a legislative update presented by Julia Parenteau-MAAR public affairs director. Plan to arrive early for a light breakfast sponsored by Shelley Johnson of Home Warranty of America and to network with other MAAR members. Agents and brokers - remember to bring your business cards for a chance to win a fabulous prize!
■ SPAAR has made some improvements to member service recently. In March, SPAAR converted to a new membership system that allows for features like online profiles, real-time changes for member information, automatic email notifications and more. The new system has improved the efficiency of association services and allowed them to offer additional conveniences to their members. SPAAR is also making an effort to enhance community involvement. To support that effort, the association is holding a number of events that benefit the SPAAR Charitable Foundation and Toys for Joy, an organization that ensures children in Anoka County have toys during the holidays. On June 17, Toys for Joy will have a booth at the Summer Food Fest in Blaine. Part of the proceeds will go toward the Toys for Joy organization. The SPAAR Charitable Foundation will hold a golf tournament Monday, August 18. All proceeds will benefit the foundation. Make sure to check their website www.spaar.com often to see more of the exciting things members are doing for their businesses and in their communities.
■ The Builders Association of the Twin Cities is adding a new, ticketed home tour this summer to its portfolio of Parade of Homes properties, the Artisan Home Tour. The event will open 25 artisan- quality homes to the public for its inaugural run, June 7-15, 2014. All the homes on the tour are built by members of BATC and the home plans were reviewed by an architectural review panel to ensure architectural integrity and high-quality finish level. Tickets will be available online for $25 or at the door for $30 to see all 25 homes, or $5 for an individual home. Half of the net proceeds of all ticket sales are donated to BATC’s charitable arm, the BATC Foundation, which builds and remodels homes for families in need. ArtisanHomeTour.
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org is online now. A guidebook will also be published and distributed by direct mail to high-income households and included with the summer issue of Artful Living Magazine. Guidebooks may also be picked up at participating homes. ■ RE/MAX North Central has hit a grand-slam partnership with the Minnesota Twins and will sponsor the RE/MAX Home Run for Kids donation program. For each Twins home run scored at Target Field during the 2014 major league baseball season, RE/MAX North Central will make a $100 donation to the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital beneficiary, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. At the end of the baseball season, all funds raised will be donated to Gillette to support research and training, the purchase of equipment, uncompensated care payments and more.
■ Al Tachovsky, real estate agent with RE/MAX Advantage Plus and recipient of the 2013 RE/MAX Community Citizenship Award, is gearing up for The MS Birdie Bash. A few years ago Tachovsky reconnected with a high school friend who is struggling with the effects of MS; he started this annual golf event to raise awareness and money to help fight Multiple Sclerosis and assist individuals who have MS with funds for equipment, medicines, therapy and doctor visits. The MS Birdie Bash is a golf tournament, dinner, and auction and will take place in Shakopee, Minnesota at the Stonebrooke Golf Club June 23, 2014.
■ RE/MAX Synergy and the RE/MAX Muske Company Community Support Foundation are raising funds for their communities where they live and serve. They will host a 9-hole scramble golf tournament and dinner June 20, 2014 at the Tanners Brook Golf Course in Forest Lake, Minnesota. All proceeds from the tournament will be donated to local programs and events that benefit communities in the Forest Lake area.
■ The Coldwell Banker Burnet Foundation collected 5,050 pillows to benefit its foundation partner, Bridging, who is able to give one pillow to each person as opposed to one per bed. The pillows collected will give Bridging a 22-week supply to serve its families. The Coldwell Banker Burnet Eden Prairie and Hudson offices collected
the most pillows. Coldwell Banker Burnet offices have collected more than 12,817 pillows since 2012.
■ Coldwell Banker Burnet’s Minneapolis Lakes office was recently recognized as the number one office, out of 3,000 Coldwell Banker offices, in North America for selling more than 3,000 units. CBB’s Minneapolis Lakes office is led by Matt Baker, senior vice president. The office has more than 250 independent sales associates and serves Minneapolis and the neighboring suburbs. It is also a national leader in sales volume with $1 billion in sales in 2013.
■ John Schuster, independent sales associate affiliated with Coldwell Banker Burnet’s Minneapolis Lakes office, was recently recognized for his outstanding performance in 2013. He was ranked number one in sales for 2013 out of 1,700 sales associates and also ranked as the company’s top listing agent.
■ Edina Realty Home Services hires Randy Bacchus as its new builder resource group director. This new position supports the growing new construction business by assisting agents, sales managers, builders and developers who market and sell new construction. Bacchus has been a licensed REALTOR® since 1992. He also owned Bacchus Homes, a building and remodeling company for 14 years before turning his attention back to real estate full time. Bacchus has a bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas in marketing management and speech communications.
■ KW Classic Northwest, one of the most successful and industry-leading real estate trainings is coming to the Twin Cities June 2. This first step to the training is free with a complimentary lunch. It is a great opportunity to learn more about the training for an agent from any brokerage. This is not KW-specific. The average agent that attends this seven-week course will secure 13 transactions during the course. Developed by MAPS coaching and KW/MAPS Coaching; just named the #2 training company in the world! Please contact: carih@ kw.com for more info. Giving away five full trainings to the first five licensed agents that reach out. A $799 value.
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JUDSON WELBORN
Sponsored by
MARK COSTLEY
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By Bob Friedman
GRAYSON HALE
NOAH H. HUFFSTETLER III
ARLES TAYLOR
W hile other law firms are beginning to recognize the cost savings of consolidating back-office operations in lower-cost locations, we have always maintained one support services location and not duplicated services such as information technology and accounting in each office. As a result, Nelson Mullins has a significantly lower cost infrastructure than our competitors. All of our back-office operations are situated in Columbia, South Carolina, which results in lower overhead costs for our attorneys across our 14 offices from Boston to Jacksonville and thus better
pricing for our clients.
– Noah H. Huffstetler III, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
As a mid-sized Raleigh-based law firm offering highly specialized practices in a broad range of practice areas, Manning Fulton has avoided the bloated infrastructure that oftentimes plagues
larger firms with multiple offices. Focused, client-driven growth, continual expense/ overhead monitoring and responsible and efficient staffing of transactions and cases ensures that Manning Fulton is able to employ the latest technologies, provide extremely competitive rates and offer a multitude of value added services – each of which enhance our efficiencies and improve the overall client experience. While the new legal marketplace demands such initiatives, these principles – all centered on service to our clients – have been a touchstone at Manning Fulton for the past 60 years.
– Judson Welborn, ManningFulton.
Our biggest commitment to keeping the cost of services down is the use of systems in managing our workflow. In our practice areas, the process of completing the work is full of opportunities for the project to get bogged down. We pride ourselves on providing a very customized service, and
yet work hard to maintain discipline with respect to systems for communicating with the client, tracking the work internally, collecting information from the client and third parties, establishing deadlines and appointments earlier in the process and confirming those deadlines and appointments on a routine basis. Work that falls off track gets delayed, creates inefficiencies and either results in direct or indirect cost to the client. We believe the investment in software, training and staff to make this work results in a significant net savings.
–Mark Costley, Walker Lambe
Our firm relies on a highly-trained staff of legal assistants with experience in both U.S. and foreign patent practice to leverage resources and save money for our clients. For example, we form work teams with attorneys and legal assistants to monitor client matters. Each member of the team
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Vol. 2 No. 4 Attorney at Law Magazine® North Carolina Triangle | 15
is fully aware of the status of a particular project. Thus, our legal assistants can follow up with clients concerning the status of a project and to obtain information for the project, as a courtesy and at no charge to our clients.
– Arles Taylor, Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor and Hunt
Judicious spending that facilitates creation of value for clients is a cornerstone on which Morningstar was founded. We use cloud-based technology, thereby reducing IT costs while allowing work to be performed anywhere, anytime. We ensure facilities costs are reasonable by viewing the office as a tool for delivering client service and fostering collaboration rather than a status symbol, passing the savings on to the client. Why should a law firm’s office be more lavish than its clients’ offices? Finally, our staff is highly trained with multifaceted skill sets thereby reducing headcount.
– Grayson Hale, Morningstar Law Group