HAR salutes ‘20 Under 40 Rising Stars’
The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR.com) has honored the winners of its 10th annual Young Professionals Network (YPN) 20 Under 40 Rising
Stars in Real Estate Awards. The 20 winners were feted at a ceremony at the Bayou City Event Center on Oct. 4.
Each had been selected from a highly competitive field of entries and was honored for excellence in sales, leadership and community service.
The honorees, all HAR members, represent what the selection committee deemed an overall well-rounded Realtor. Leigh Brown, a real estate industry thought leader, was keynote speaker at the gala.
She and HAR chair Shannon Cobb Evans handed out the awards to the winners. The following is an alphabetical list of the 2019 winners and their bios:
• Monica Callis — RE/MAX Exclusive Monica received her license in August 2015, but it wasn’t until she moved to Houston a week before Harvey that she started practicing real estate full time. This “Texas Aggie” fell in love with helping families find homes that lost everything. Some never thought they could own a home, which made Monica realize that changing lives through real estate was her purpose. She loves the quote: “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” This 2018 Rookie of the Year is adjusting the sail very well in the real estate world.
• Ruth Carruthers — Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene
Honest. Savvy. Strong financial acumen. Detail-oriented. Die-hard Longhorn. Wife and mother of two. Behind the awards and recognition; beyond the recommendations and the results, is a highly skilled, knowledgeable professional who puts clients’ financial and real estate interests at the forefront. This paired with her ability to help her clients transition with patience, ease and trust is what has led her to double her production year-over-year to total more than $25 million year to date. Giving back is important to Ruth. She is actively involved in the Houston Rodeo, Junior League and Small Steps Nurturing Center.
• Matthew Guzman — RE/MAX Universal
“Matt” Guzman, owner of RE/MAX Universal, has used his 11 years of experience in the financial service industry to run a successful and growing real estate business. He is a leader, has vision and really works for his clients’ best interest. He is not in this industry for a lavish lifestyle. Matt is in it because he deeply cares for people, but behind his success, he is supported by his wife and two sons. An entrepreneur at heart, Matt is dedicated to serving his customers and building longterm relationships. He is self-motivated, goal-oriented and focused on quality.
• Klaus Hernandez — Klaus Homes LLC
Klaus is co-owner of Klaus Homes LLC, a 20-year-old real estate company rooted in the Latino market and where he learned the ropes in real estate from his mother. He works with buyers, sellers and investors to provide excellent service by learning new information and using new technologies to better serve his clients. His commitment to the industry is involvement in the HAR Management Advisory Board, Texas Gulf Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board, and Rodeo Committee.
• Bincy Jacob — Keller Williams Memorial
Bincy has served others during her entire professional life. More than 17 years ago, Bincy started her career serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in NYC, Seattle and Houston, in roles from counselor to executive director. As a Realtor, she continues to serve on a personal level, including counseling victims of violence, interpreting in crisis situations, fundraising in tragedies, registering new voters, and serving on nonprofit boards. In both her business and community service, Bincy proactively sees needs and creates solutions. Her greatest joy is her family, including her four children.
• Ryan Kutter — Connect Realty, The Kutter Team
Ryan Kutter offers a strong work ethic and professionalism, combined with his charisma and thirst for knowledge. Ryan’s philosophy of “service above self ” is the hallmark of his success. His passion for helping others is evident in everything he does. Whether working tirelessly to exceed his client’s expectations, leading motivational classes for Realtors, mentoring teens or serving his community through his numerous foundation involvements and church, Ryan is an inspiration to everyone around him. Today, Ryan’s notable reputation, production awards, and industry recognitions (including “Montgomery County Realtor of the Year”) speak for themselves.
• Ginny Ledwell — Led Well Realty Ginny, owner of Led Well Realty, perfectly exemplifies her company motto, “Community driven. Client focused. Trusted advisor.” After a decade of serving as a bilingual school teacher, she decided to combine her love of helping people and service to the community into assisting buyers and sellers achieve their real estate dreams. She can always be counted on to “go the extra mile” for her clients as well as in her volunteer work with the Junior League, PTA, and various community endeavors. She is married, has two beautiful children, two rescue dogs, and graduated from Texas A&M.
• Callee Magliothin — Keller Williams Memorial
Callee started her career as a claims adjuster and quickly learned how to navigate difficult situations. However, it was her passion for others that led her to pursue a sales career focused on helping people find a place they call home. Callee’s desire to place her clients first led her to be honored as “Rookie of the Year” and consistently be recognized as a Top Producer in an office of 700-plus agents at KW Memorial. While Callee has been blessed to experience such success in real estate, her greatest joys are her husband and two daughters, Brooklyn and Tatum.
• Michelle Marek — Keller Williams The Woodlands & Magnolia
Michelle has always had a passion for real estate and a love for people which makes being a Realtor the perfect fit. Her attention to detail and ability to execute even the most complex transactions have always exceed her clients’ expectations. Michelle’s top priority is to provide her clients top service and personal assistance with their real estate needs. She is involved in many philanthropies and currently serves on the Keller Williams Agent Leadership Committee. Michelle’s determination, commitment, and expertise are the driving forces behind her success.
• Chief Oniya — RE/MAX Legacy Living
As seen on CNN, ABC, and Real Producers Magazine, Chief is incorporating innovative technology and systems. As an authority in prospecting, he is an all-star salesperson and executive sales leader while building a successful sales business. Chief currently holds the title for producer of the year. He’s a TREPAC Major Investor, and his biggest accomplishment was being able to donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Harvey relief.
• John Eric Osterhaus — Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene
John, a native Houstonian, has held his real estate license for more than a decade. While finishing his Master of Education degree, he worked for the family business. Thanks to the support and encouragement of his wife Carol, John is proud to have been able to increase his sales production year-over-year, all the while being a proud father of his son Elijah. John’s past experiences as a teacher have given him many skills that help him be a successful Realtor.
• Samantha Plomer — Compass RE Texas, LLC
After graduating from Texas State University, Samantha set out to start her home-staging and decorating business. Shortly after, she obtained her real estate
license in 2015 and hit the ground running. Samantha is a member of Tailored Real Estate Group at Compass. She prides herself on being involved in her community as well as the real estate industry. Samantha is President of the Women’s Council of Realtors Fort Bend, a TRLP 2018 graduate and member of PAALS, YPN, and TREPAC committees for HAR. You can catch Samantha every Friday for her #fieldtripfriday.
• Lauren Price — Compass Real Estate — The PR Group
In 2015, Lauren found herself a newly single mother of two children after being out of the workplace for more than 10 years. She decided to take a huge risk and get into real estate and has never looked back. She credits the guidance from her team, The PR Group, for many of her successes. Lauren is involved with several advisory boards at HAR, 2019 TRLP, and is a TREPAC Major Investor. Lauren is an advocate of the communities she serves and devotes time to volunteering, philanthropy, and her community blog: Hello Lake Houston. Lauren resides in Kingwood with her family.
• Kat Rockwell — The Rockwell Team — CB&A Realtors
Kat is a team leader, HAR contract instructor, mentor with CB&A Realtors as well as a Certified Coach for Workman Success Systems. She is a current member of the Texas Realtors Leadership Program (Class of 2019) and looks forward to serving her association and community for years to come. She prides herself on helping other Realtors grow their businesses and elevating the profession. Kat is a proud mom of two girls and gets the privilege to go to work every day with the love of her life and team lead, Quenton Rockwell.
• Uriel Rodriguez — Realty World