If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

About the Owner of Re/Max Elite and The Re/Max Broker of The Year … ROBB CAMPBELL

“Building a Family of Businesses”

Since Robb Campbell, owner/broker of RE/MAX Elite first arrived in Nashville in 1999, his company, affiliated businesses and the entire market has experienced incredible, even phenomenal growth. He says he recognized a great opportunity when he came to Middle Tennessee, but it can just as easily be said that many other agents, brokers and associates recognized an even greater opportunity to work with someone with endless energy and a real vision of where the industry is going.
Today, Robb is the head of a Middle Tennessee family of businesses including real estate, insurance, mortgage, title, appointment setting and sign and graphics. This comprehensive approach to all aspects of the industry has earned him the respect, and even better, the trust of hundreds of associates, partners and customers.

Robb’s start in business began when he was 12-years-old washing dishes at Campbell’s Restaurant in Smyrna, Georgia. His father had built up the family business over many years and Campbell’s was the place in town where business, political and community leaders would gather for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a cup of coffee. Robb gradually moved from dishes to busing tables, to making sandwiches and up to the grill as head line cook. By 16, he was running the entire business when his father had to be away.
When the restaurant burnt down one evening, the Campbell family came together to weigh the pros and cons of rebuilding the establishment. They decided the family tradition and what it meant to the community should continue and reconstruction soon began. This experience provided an incredible opportunity for a teenage Robb Campbell whose father negotiated with the general contractor on the reconstruction to allow Robb to work on all phases of the job.
That summer was the hardest Robb can recall working, but the experience was priceless. He learned firsthand about construction from framing, to electrical, plumbing, sheetrock and floor tiling. “I learned what it takes to build something. The planning, the supplies, labor and putting the finishing touches on every job.”

Robb found his way into real estate after college while working his way up as a manager for Budget Rent-A-Car, in Atlanta. After advancing to distribution director, he decided it was time for a new challenge and went to work on his real estate license. Many of his associates, friends and even family members were quite surprised when he told them he was planning to leave his salaried position, with an attractive bonus and car allowance, for full-commissioned sales in real estate.

“People who knew me understood that I was very driven and wanted new challenges in my life, but many of them were scratching their heads over my decision,” he recalls. He had saved up six months living expenses by the time he attained his real estate license. His first sales position came about with RE/MAX Town Center as an on-site sales agent. During his interview for the sales position, the broker took a phone call just as some potential buyers walked in to the sales center and without hesitation, Robb jumped up to help them. Helping others comes natural to him.

“When he got off the phone he asked me why I had helped the customers when I didn’t even have a job, yet. I just said I saw some people who needed help and got to work.” His attitude got him the position and the assignment to sell two homes just down street. After selling the second home within the first week, the broker came to Robb to let him know those two homes had been a thorn in his side, sitting vacant with no activity for more then six months. He knew he had found a real salesperson in Robb.

In three years of outside and onsite sales of new construction properties, Robb became one of the top-producing agents in the area. But ever-willing to take on a new challenge, he pulled together all of his savings and took out a second mortgage to buy into partnership of RE/MAX Town Center in Kennesaw, Georgia. The company had 16 agents and decent sales; yet three years after becoming a part owner of the business, Robb had grown the company to more than 150 agents and opened a mortgage company and in-house title company. He had also incorporated into the company’s operations a full-range of commission splits and offered full training which introduced agents with less experience than those who traditionally join RE/MAX. His success led to Robb being invited to conferences around the nation to talk about his comprehensive approach to business.

“We were definitely pushing the envelope as far as bringing together multiple companies under one roof. Many people I spoke with weren’t interested in shaking up their operations by bringing in new companies,” he says. “But others recognized that this is the future of our industry and offering one-stop solutions to our clients adds value and improves efficiencies. We had the RE/MAX brand behind us and the trust of thousands of customers, so I felt we couldn’t miss.”

Robb and his partners were looking to grow their business but competition, along with other factors, made expansion in the Atlanta area less than ideal. They sought out other opportunities and in 1998 settled in Memphis, Tennessee, becoming the largest RE/MAX office in Memphis in just over a year.

Still based out of Atlanta, Robb was looking for a permanent home and a company to grow on his own in Tennessee, and found what he was looking for in Nashville when, in 1999, he purchased the RE/MAX offices of Otey Walker. “I found everything I was looking for, and then some, here in Nashville,” he adds. “I just fell in love with everything Nashville and Middle Tennessee had to offer, from the people, to the beauty and the great business climate.”

His new RE/MAX endeavor started with 67 agents, two office and outstanding opportunity. He immediately put into place the training programs he had perfected at his previous companies, and asked Ora Fulton, a longtime RE/MAX agent with more than 25 years experience as a real estate professional, to lead the training for the company. As trainer and mentor, Ora takes newly licensed agents under her wing for six months or so as they learn the businesses and work with other agents on her team based out of the Brentwood office. She says the approach has been extremely successful in helping new agents get established in the industry. She credits Robb’s visionary approach to training and providing unrivaled support to agents for the strong growth RE/MAX Elite experienced since Robb purchased the company.

“Robb is a very positive person with boundless energy and a willingness to try new and innovative ideas. He has created an extremely positive atmosphere where agents want to work and grow their business,” Ora says. The proof of this successful atmosphere is evidenced by the growth the company has experienced since 1999. From 67 agents and two offices, RE/MAX Elite has grown more than 500% to more than 350 agents and 10 offices throughout greater Nashville. RE/MAX Elite offices can now be found in Brentwood, Nashville, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Nolensville, Antioch, Bellevue, Belle Meade, Spring Hill and Smyrna; with new satellite offices expected to join the company throughout this year.

After taking over the business, Robb also looked for opportunities to bring together affiliated businesses as he had done in the past. In surveying prospects for growth he met his future wife Kim, who was a leading agent and mortgage producer also looking for an opportunity to work with a progressive entrepreneur like herself. She is now president of Elite Home Loans and Robb’s closest business partner.

“Kim was just amazing. She had more energy than me, and that’s saying something. She was aggressively looking for ways to give her customers greater service combining real estate and mortgage lending. Our relationship grew from business partners to husband and wife. We have great respect for each other.”

Elite Home Loans was formed in 2004 and has grown into a major provided of mortgage lending for customers of RE/MAX Elite and other real estate companies throughout the area. “Elite Home Loans is an important component of our ability to offer customers comprehensive service. Our clients are able to purchase a home, obtain financing and insurance and close the transaction all in-house.”

Since 1999, Robb has added additional companies including Elite Title, Elite Commercial, Elite Insurance, Elite Home Services, The Appointment Desk, Elite Relocation and Elite Sign and Graphics to meets the needs of buyers, sellers and agents. In fact, the growth of his ancillary services is extending Robb’s business reach well outside the Nashville area. The Appointment Desk, which provides appointment scheduling for agents’ listings is already in the Indianapolis market and will soon be rolled out nationwide. Elite Home Loans is looking to establish offices in markets throughout the Southeast, and Elite Sign and Graphics provides services to a number of industries both locally and throughout the region. Many of the company’s customers are agents and brokers of other real estate companies.

“We are very excited about the growth of RE/MAX Elite and our affiliated companies. It shows there is room in this industry and this economy for people and companies who work hard to fill a need and offer the very highest level of service. Even with all the growth we have seen in the past few years, I think we are just getting started. The sky is the limit.”

His positive attitude toward real estate and growing other businesses has earned Robb a reputation as one of the leading proponents of offering a one-stop solution. Bob Sutton, vice president and regional director for RE/MAX of Kentucky, Tennessee and Southern Ohio, considers Robb to be one of the company’s greatest assets. “Robb is one of the most progressive and aggressive brokers we have in the entire international RE/MAX system. He is a visionary leader of the idea of offering ancillary services. He is also one of the most energetic people I have ever met. I wish we could bottle his enthusiasm and give it to others throughout the company.”

In addition to growing his many companies, Robb has worked hard to bring his family to the Nashville area to join him and Kim in operating the new family business. In 2001 his brother Jayson moved to the area from Atlanta to be the managing broker for the Belle Meade office, and shortly after, his brother Jaymes relocated to serve as the Vice President and General Manager of Elite Sign and Graphics. And in 2005, Robb finally persuaded their mother to move to the area. Though retired, she serves as a support for the entire family. “Having my family not only close but involved in running the businesses is a blessing. I know I can trust them to do what is best for the business and for us as a family in every circumstance. That is maybe the very best thing about being in a family business.”

Each day brings a new opportunity for Robb Campbell. His success in business is a direct reflection of his willingness to take chances and put his faith in new ideas. Every days gives him the chance to look around him at his friends, family and associates and say without hesitation, “it is truly a family of businesses.”

Robb will be interviewed by long time industry leader Brandon Patrick live on Wednesday April 9th at 1:00 Central time. For complete details visit http://busyagentpro.com