ERA American Real Estate captured several top honors at ERA National’s FUEL conference held from Feb. 27 to March 2, showcasing the local brokerage’s strength in marketing excellence and industry leadership.

• The international event, which features certification, learning, awards and networking, saw ERA American’s VIBE Team and individual agents earn notable recognition.

For the second consecutive year, the VIBE Team won first place for the 2024 National Company Marketing Excellence Award. The team, focusing on Visibility, Engagement, Identity and Branding, was recognized for effectively leveraging ERA’s brand tools in their marketing strategies.

The team includes Catherine Gauthier, Rachelle Wyatt, Jonelle Lewis and Deborah Holbrook, who have combined their individual expertise to deliver marketing support on a scale that sets them apart within the brand.

• “Every day, we endeavor to be the best in our community, so receiving ERA national recognition for our company’s performance in Marketing is an incredible honor,” said Rachelle Wyatt, VIBE Specialist. “As a company committed to a collaborative culture focused on service excellence, we are deeply proud of the collective efforts of our entire VIBE team.”

The team’s multi-channel approach includes direct mail with trackable QR codes, digital advertising and email marketing campaigns. Their recent focus on recruiting experienced agents has yielded measurable results.

“Last year, we took home this award by showing how we combined brand resources with our own franchise programs to elevate our agents,” Gauthier said. “This year, we’ve built on that success and turned our attention toward recruiting top agents from other brokerages. Our marketing processes, designed to serve and support our current agents, also became the platform to attract other experienced agents who might be missing out on the opportunities and resources we offer at ERA American Real Estate.”

ERA American agents Marsha Babe and Mack Bowman also were recognized at the conference, with Babe nominated for the ERA Marketing Excellence Award for agents.

Babe, who has been with ERA American Real Estate for 24 years, balances what ERA CEO Tony Lombardo calls “fearless creativity” in her community-based marketing approach.

• Babe’s focus extends beyond transactions to building lifetime client relationships. Her marketing strategies include using ERA tools like Moxie Works for presentations, Core Facts for farming, and Boost for enhancing open house attendance.

She also leads many philanthropic efforts at ERA American and for the Association of Realtors, helping those who are underserved.

“The reason why I like this culture is the family that you feel when you’re part of, when you embed yourself into ERA,” Babe said. “That’s why I have never left. Because I feel like they’re just an extension of my family.”

Beyond the local brokerage’s honors, ERA Sarver Real Estate owner Ranelle Birmingham was inducted into the ERA Hall of Fame – Class of 2024. Birmingham, who has been with ERA for 45 years, played a pivotal role in mentoring ERA American’s Linde Bowman early in her career.

Though based 500 miles away in Leesville, Louisiana, Birmingham’s influence extends far beyond her local office. She took Bowman under her wing when Bowman was a young mother with two children, new to the community and Louisiana real estate law.

• “She immediately made me feel at home. She gave me the confidence to know that she was going to take someone who didn’t know the community, who knew no one personally and did not understand Louisiana state law that she was going to help me and promised to build my career in real estate there,” Bowman said. “She did everything she said she was going to do. She opened her heart, her home, her family, and her community to me.”

Birmingham, who joined ERA at age 22, now joins ERA American Real Estate Founder Gloria Frazier and fellow agents Pat Williams and Kathy Wilhelm in the Hall of Fame.

Her influence extends beyond real estate into community service. She has served as president of the Board of Realtors, president of the Mayor’s Women Commission twice, and president of the Chamber of Commerce. She was also one of the founders of Fort Polk Progress.

The strong performance at the FUEL conference highlights ERA American Real Estate’s commitment to excellence and position as a leader in the industry.