Close to 300 nominations came in over a 2 month period. Out of those, there were close to 200 unique individuals identified on their technical aptitude. I have to say – I was amazed, impressed and excited about this!
Through the initial review of the nominations, it was clear that there were 4 categories that stood out.
The Advocate:
The REALTORS(R) and Staff members go above and beyond their call of duty to reach out and engage people with the information and knowledge they have about technology. All of them do it with no regard to compensation, and for the most part, have reached across ‘brokerage’ boundaries to help and instruct. These are the individuals that are making changes in the industry one person at a time.
The Innovator:
Someone needs to keep the technology running, but at the same time needs to push it to the next level. These are the innovators. They are primarily the people that go unrecognized in the global picture of the Real Estate Industry. Without them, systems would not work, creative ideas go unimplemented and most importantly, the REALTORS(R) and organizations they collaborate with would not stand out. They are the unsung heroes, and the true ‘technologists’ that we all rely upon.
The Pioneer:
People can always follow the leader, and do what everyone else does – but it’s the pioneer that becomes the leader. They take the technology and push its concepts to the next bounds. If it is combining different ideas, or taking that one feature and having the light bulb moment that everyone else latches onto, they are the ones that stand out and rise to the top. They are the ones to watch and the ones to follow.
The Visionary:
These are the people that can see the technology trends and understand how they can be applied to our industry in the next month, year or even decades. Often times they are the ones that are doing things so extremely different, it takes the combined efforts of the Advocates, Innovators and Pioneers to embrace their slice of the technology revolution before the industry as a whole understands it. This is what makes the visionaries stand out – they look outside the defined proven techniques to invent the new standard and ultimately change the perspective and the game.
That’s the teaser — stay tuned to learn who made it into each of those categories! And finally, who the Spotlight will shine on for the 2009 REALTOR(R) Technology Spotlight Award!
