June 01, 2017 | Nathan Michaels

And the winner is...

The 2017 ROAR Awards recognize local REALTORS® in five categories

The real estate industry has a reason to celebrate. On May 27, top local REALTORS® gathered for CREB®'s annual ROAR Awards, an event that's unlike any other in the business.

The ROARs, which stand for Recognizing our Accomplished REALTORS® (ROAR) Awards, recognize those who demonstrate role model-calibre performance and unwavering professionalism in the real estate industry.

Recipients are honoured in five categories, including Commitment to Education, Community Impact, Marketing Excellence, Mentorship Distinction, and The People's Realtor.

Wayne E. Brown from CIR Realty was given the Commitment to Education Award, which recognizes an individual who clearly demonstrates a commitment to sharing new concepts and teaching others.

"It just means the people around me that I've been teaching . . . I think they appreciate it," said Brown, an 11-year Realtor with CIR, when asked what it meant to receive this type of acknowledgment. "(The award) is kind of my little reward for helping them all out."

The next award was Community Impact. It was taken home by Jade Coultman of MaxWell South Star Realty. She has been working in real estate for over five years.

Fitting to the type of award she received, Coultman was away at the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association National Conference, as she is the young adult representative on the association's board of directors. Her brother, Asheton Coultman, shared some of Jade's thoughts in a prepared statement.

"I'd like to thank my family for their love and support and for encouraging me to continue my efforts to share my passion in accessibility for individuals with disability and growing Jade's Camp for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Kids," he said.

This is an award that is very dear to my heart . . . receiving something like this is definitely a big recognition and something I'm very proud of.

Kelley Skar of Redline Real Estate Group Inc. took the top prize for Marketing Excellence. This award is about the creativity and ingenuity that a Realtor uses to maximize their potential.

"It's been paramount to my success, being able to get my name in front of people, my face in front of people, my voice heard, and not to have to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to do it," said the 10-year veteran.

"This is an award that is very dear to my heart . . . receiving something like this is definitely a big recognition and something I'm very proud of."

The Mentorship Distinction Award was given to the nominee best representing the individual who transfers their superb knowledge and working habits to the next generation of Realtors.

Toni Zihove, of Royal LePage Benchmark, was the 2017 ROAR winner in this category. She has been with the Royal LePage brokerage for six years.

"Through those difficult times, I needed mentors in my life. I got mentors through my brokerage, my family, and my amazing girlfriends," said Zihove, as she accepted the award.

"(This award is) just going to give me more courage to keep being more intentional with helping others."

The final ROAR was given to Brett Murrell who was deemed The People's REALTOR®. Murrell is at CIR Realty and has been with them for two years.

The People's REALTOR® goes to an individual who is considered to be the best in the eyes of their clients. As its name implies, this award is the only one where nominations originate from members of the public.

Brett was unable to attend the event, but his colleague Jayson Shmyrko accepted on his behalf.

"Brett is amazing. It's not a surprise that he got nominated and I think it's no surprise he won," said Shmyrko. "He's changing the industry in my opinion."

As part of the celebration, the 2016 REALTOR® of the Year – T.W.H. (Bill) Saunders Memorial Award was also presented to Gary Bain of G.M. Bain Real Estate Services Ltd.
Recipients are outstanding practitioners and highly committed to the community through volunteerism.

"You give your time, you give your money and you give your talent," said Bain when asked about his personal real estate philosophy shortly after winning the award.

Tagged: Calgary Real Estate News | CIR Realty | CREB® | REALTORS | ROAR Awards | Royal LePage Benchmark