Area real estate firm a contender for national company of the year | Business

ERA Real Estate, a leading global real estate franchisor, has named ERA First Advantage Realty, Inc. of Newburgh, Ind., a finalist for its national company of the year for 2012. The Gene Francis Memorial Award, given annually by ERA Real Estate to its "Top All-Around Company," this year will be presented at the ERA 2013 International Business Conference, held March 21-24 in Austin, Texas.

"ERA First Advantage leaders Janice and Marc Miller epitomize the role of brand ambassador for their unwavering commitment to promoting ERA’s core values while consistently achieving a strong record of growth," said Charlie Young, president and CEO of ERA Real Estate. "A dedicated focus on the professional development of ERA First Advantage sales associates coupled with company-wide adoption of ERA tools and programs has served to distinguish the firm as the clear market leader and brokerage of choice for real estate professionals in the Newburgh market."

The award, named after ERA Real Estate co-founder Gene Francis, is the highest honor given to an ERA company, and reflects the qualities most respected throughout the global ERA system and the real estate industry. Known for his forward-thinking business acumen as well as his philanthropic spirit, Francis established a defining culture of service to which all ERA companies aspire.

According to the company, ERA First Advantage Realty, Inc. with four offices and nearly 150 sales associates, “earned finalist nominations in 2008, 2011 and this year by maintaining high personal and ethical standards, demonstrating a strong business sense and modeling a commitment to ERA Real Estate and its community – all while driving measurable growth in transactions, sales volume, per person productivity and sales rate”.

"The unique ERA culture and value proposition has been instrumental in complementing our local market expertise for nearly 20 years and all of us at ERA First Advantage Realty, Inc. are deeply honored to earn this nomination," said Janice Miller.

The Gene Francis Memorial Award finalists for this year included:

Janice and Marc Miller, owners of ERA First Advantage in Newburgh, Ind., who consistently develop the careers of top sales associates through effective integration of consumer facing ERA products and ahead-of-the-curve technology training.

Bruce Taylor, Cheryl Taylor, Mike BLANK, Nelson Zide, and Dave BLANK, co-owners of ERA Key Realty Services in Whitinsville, Mass.,, who generated significant momentum from five acquisitions over the last three years to outperform competitors in their market in closed transactions by a more than three to one margin.

Rick Reardon, broker/owner of ERA Reardon Realty in Jackson, Miss. who has leveraged two key acquisitions to create the service area's largest real estate company and increase sales units by nearly 40 percent.

Gus Grizzard, owner of ERA Tom Grizzard in Leesburg, Fla. who earned an unprecedented nomination three years in a row for continuing to effect growth for his firm, increasing transactions by 13 percent and sales volume by nearly 40 percent in a relatively flat market.