Inspiration
I made a mistake. My mistake was I joined Keller Williams in 2003 but did not attend our annual convention, Family Reunion until 2010. Even that year I missed the best part of it because I had to stay in the hotel and negotiate a short sale.
The whole event is awesome. You get to meet agents from all over the world, hear and learn from folks that are at the top of their field and they are happy to share. We know if we succeed together we go a lot farther than if we try to do it alone. Maybe that’s why we are No. 1 in agent count and approaching No. 1 in all categories.
We are an interdependent company of agents who enjoy profit share and mastermind time to make all of us better. These things make us different from other companies but the best part of Family Reunion is the Inspirational Brunch hosted by Mo Anderson, vice chairman of the board for Keller Williams Realty International.
Here are 3 stories from the brunch at our Family Reunion 2016 in New Orleans so you can see how we are different. I have never been part of a company with the culture and beliefs that Keller Williams has and it’s not just lip service.
We don’t just say it.
We mean it. We live it.
Some say it’s because we ‘drink the Kool Aid’ but once you’re here you realize it not Kool Aid. It’s for real!
Story No. 1
“If you’re a fan of high school basketball, you’re not alone. But if you’re a fan of the Gainesville Tornadoes in Gainesville, Texas then you are alone.” That is how the story started out.
Follow this link for details and pictures as CBS would not let me share it directly.
The video was shown at our event and then we met the two high school students, Ben Martinson and Hudson Bradley. We also met the coach of the prison team, Walt Scott. As we listened to Mo interview them we got the sense they really cared about the prison team and we wanted to help them graduate from that place. These are some good kids that did some bad things. At the end, Mo handed the coach a check for $10,000 to help pay for equipment, travel and to buy things the kids needed. Food, clothing, money for when they ‘graduate’. It was a great opener.
Story No. 2
Red Oak Ministries. We were asked not to record or post pictures from this segment. I will share the info on the website and some of my impressions but know this was a very moving segment.
Red Oak helps free sex slaves. There are 27 million slaves in the world today.
We were introduced to the woman who started Red Oak and she shared her story about freeing other women trapped in the sex industry by helping get them home. She also shared about wanting to create a place to help those who were there because it was ‘home’ but who were also trapped in that life. She needed to raise an additional $30,000 to complete the place for women to begin to build businesses and create a better life. At the end of this story, Mo handed her a check for $35,000 and told her to ‘get to work’. There was not a dry eye in the house. One life at a time, we can make it a better world.
Story No. 3
Faith Russell was a story all to herself. Check out her video.
The rest of the story is about them wanting to adopt an orphan from Haiti. They have been saving money and needed to raise $45,000 total. They had $15,000. This was a dream that Faith and her brother Griffin have had since 2010 when the earth quakes rocked that island nation.
At the end of their segment Mo handed them a check for $30,000. We were all speechless.
One last thing I have NEVER seen at a conference other than Keller Williams Family Reunion. The staff that took care of us for those few days were lined up outside the hall where the brunch was held and they were applauding us. Thanking us for being there. Cheering for us and saying thank you as we left the building. It is a humbling feeling and makes us want to be better people.
I love this company and what we get to do. The boxes you see in the crowd were there to receive donations for Red Oak Ministries and I saw hundreds of dollars being thrown into those boxes as we left. Giving beyond measure and giving because we have been given so much.
I am leading the Culture Committee this year and we are making plans now to help local children. To help feed, clothe and educate the ones who need help the most. I am glad to be a part of this and you’ll hear more as we get closer to Red Day in May.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
