A Night To Remember

Written By: P.R. Randy Cooney

Publisher, Arizona Journal of Real Estate & Business

On May 5th as in Cinco De Mayo, many from the Arizona real estate industry came together to honor nominees for the 1st Annual Industry Awards hosted by this Journal. The evening mimicked the excitement of recognized award events, such as the Emmy Awards, with red carpet, trophies, tuxedos, cocktail attire, flashing cameras, gourmet hors-d’oeuvres, unique center pieces, piano music and all of this taking place within a fabulous venue in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale.

Since January 15th, over one hundred nomination applications were submitted to the Arizona Journal of Real Estate & Business from people hoping to honor professionals in our industry. Twelve industry leaders made up the selection committee and had the task of selecting the most deserving 2015 recipients for this first time-award event in residential real estate, commercial real estate and mortgage.

A vivacious, standing-room only crowd of the elite in our industry, including Commissioner Judy Lowe, anxiously awaited the announcement of the eight recipients for this year. What makes this award so honorable is the criteria agreed upon by the selection committee. Although production is an important factor in our industry, it was only used as the initial qualifier for this award. All those recognized, awarded and applauded on this memorable night were chosen primarily based on the following criteria.

• Industry Involvement
• Community outreach
• Customer testimonials & recommendations

As part of the nomination process, each nominee was asked to submit the quote that most influenced their life. Below you will read some stellar quote submissions that may now impact and influence your life.

Submitted by Commercial Broker nominee Barry Gabel:

“Life is like photography. You need the negatives to develop.”
– Unknown

Submitted by Residential Real Estate Agent nominee Joan Kreutz:

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Submitted by Real Estate Broker nominee KC Cyga:

“True leaders love and respect their people more than their position.”
– Unknown

Submitted by Real Estate Agent nominee Walt Danley:

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Submitted by Real Estate Agent nominee Shelley Cagnilia:

“Always wake up early and accomplish a lot before 9:00 AM.”
– Unknown

Submitted by Commercial Managing Principal nominee Bryon Carney:

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
– John Wooden

Submitted by Residential Real Estate Agent nominee Kathy Loeffler:

“Exceed Expectations, Pay attention to details, aim for perfection settle for excellent.”

– Walt Disney’s Mission Statement

Submitted by Residential Real Estate Rookie nominee Erin Hensle:

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.”
– Denis Waitley

The first ever INDUSTRY AWARDS EVENT sponsored by this publication was much appreciated by all who came to celebrate and the buzz continues to resonate. This awards event will certainly become an annual celebration and recognition of those who consistently raise-the-bar in our industry. CONGRATULATIONS to our 2015 recipients. Click Here to see all the award recipients and interviews.

Stay tuned when we re-open the nomination process in the 4th quarter of 2015 for the 2016 Industry Awards. When we announce the date for next year’s event, please post it on your calendar so you too can experience “A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.”

THANK YOU to all who attended the event, Gary Helland Photography, Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Gigi’s Cupcakes and all of our sponsors: Chicago Title, Fairway Independent Mortgage Co., Brown Equity, AJF Engineering and Inspections, Sign Setters, Serco Contracting, Inc. and The Luxury Look. To see all photos from the event please visit www.hellandphoto.com.

Randy is also the President of the Success Institute and a licensed Real Estate Broker. Randy can be reached at 480-946-7576 or by email at randy@asreb.com. To  advertise in Arizona’s largest Real Estate publication, visit our website at wwww.asreb.com/journal for a copy of our media kit.