August/September Business View Magazine

66 67 KELLERWILLIAMS REALTY COASTAL AREA PARTNERS tion that takes place every May. The annual event is a coordinated effort to give back to local communities and honors Mo Anderson, former CEO of Keller Williams International – an amazing woman who started the cul- tural movement at KW in 1983. This year, KW Coastal Area Partners adopted a local senior citizens home as their project. “The project was an act of love to not only enhance a beautiful historical railroad property, but to bring a day of joy and entertainment to its residents. “We did Bingo and Karaoke with the seniors,” says Brickhouse. “Being a non-profit organization, they don’t have the funds for extra mainte- nance. So, we re-landscaped their gardens, painted the front sign, and power-washed.We had about 100 agents helping out, all wearing red, and the people were over-the-moon excit- ed that we came.” Keller Williams encourages agents to find or fund their own charity. At KW Coastal Area Partners, many agents champion popular caus- es. One agent gives 10 percent of every sale to feed the hungry, others partner with the Rape Crisis Center and Safe Shelter for battered women, and the Coastal Pet Rescue to name a few. Even Keller Williams conferences are all about giving. These huge networking oppor- tunities involve top agents for KW International giving out their recipes for success; people who come to KW from other companies are amazed by the amount of sharing between agents. Relationships are vital to the growth and sup- port of any business. Brickhouse gives a shout-out to four “Strategic Alliance Partners” who have formed valuable relationships with KW Coastal Area Partners. McManamy Jackson PC, “Our go-to closing attorneys. They are extremely supportive of our agents and go the extra mile.” Michael Caputo at Bank South Mortgage “ Michael makes sure our agents are up to date on how the econ- omy effects them from a lending perspective.” The office also works closely with Home Warranty Partners: 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty and Old Republic Home Protection. “We are blessed to have great working relationships with many area businesses.” Technology in real estate is advancing quickly and Keller Williams is following suit. This year, they are implementing a cloud-based system, and they’ve just released an artificial intelligence app called “Kelle” that will become a virtual assistant for agents. “We also rolled out a referral network,” says Brickhouse. “An agent can go on the site, pick an area on a map, add search parameters, and find agents anywhere to refer business back and forth. The next part to that is a Contact Manage- ment System called KW Command. The platform