THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 22, 1997 TAG: 9702210689
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN MILES, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: 46 lines
The Tidewater Association of Realtors will be honoring their ``Leaders in Excellence'' tonight at their annual gala, to be held at the Norfolk Marriott.
``With this year's gala falling directly on George Washington's birthday, `Leaders in Excellence' was chosen in recognition of the hard work and dedication of the many people in our industry,'' says Teddy Reed, co-chairperson of the Circle of Excellence Advisory Committee and a Realtor at William E. Wood & Associates Kempsville office.
There are 2,700 licensed realtors in the TAR. Tonight 343 award recipients will be honored for their work. They will receive the ``Circle of Excellence Awards.''
``It's so exciting,'' says Reed. ``Everyone looks forward to the chance to be with people we haven't seen in a while,'' she says. And, of course, walking across the stage to receive the award, like an Oscar presentation, is a big part of the excitement.
Tonight, the entry level award, the Bronze award, will be given to 164 people. Eighty-two people will receive the Silver award. And the top sales award, the Gold award, will go to 97 recipients.
The gold winner with the highest sales figure will be surprised to nail the coveted Top Salesperson award. Other surprise awards are Salesperson of the Year and Broker of the Year. For the third year in a row, a property manager will be cited with the Property Manager of the Year award; 24 managers will be recognized in all.
TAR president JoAnn Belote will also be congratulated. She is director of relocation services at Coldwell Banker Gifford Realty in Norfolk.
After a cocktail reception, Jerry Katzmann, co-chairperson with Reed, will call the party to order. The awards will be presented on the 4th floor. Afterward, the group will descend to the Norfolk Ballroom for the formal dinner. Music will be provided by Slapwater, a local band.
Longevity awards will also be distributed to people who've attained the distinguished club membership for at least 10 years. The Platinum award for 10 years will be given to 13 people. The Diamond award for 15 years will be given to nine people. The Emerald award for 20 years will be given to three people.
Reed heard the following comment recently at William E. Wood's 25th anniversary celebration: ``We're in the business of helping people build neighborhoods and communities.''
``I thought that was well stated,'' she says.