Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Realtor of the Year Ronnie Schwartz part of GLVAR power couple
Husband and business partner, Neil Schwartz, honored with award in 2009
When the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors named longtime member Ronnie Schwartz as its 2016 Realtor of the Year, it solidified her place as part of one of the industry’s power couples.
The award gives Schwartz one more thing to share with her husband and business partner, Neil Schwartz, who was honored as the GLVAR’s Realtor of the Year in 2009.
Ronnie Schwartz received her award during the GLVAR’s annual installation of new officers and board members for 2017, held Nov. 12 at the Bellagio Las Vegas.
Among those singing her praises that night was 2016 GLVAR President Scott Beaudry, who said Schwartz was honored for being “a leader in the real estate profession and in the community.”
When her award was announced, Schwartz’s proud husband took the stage to applaud his partner in life and business.
“In choosing you, Ronnie, as this year’s Realtor of the Year, they got it right,” he said. “Our industry is far better off because of you.”
He went on to recite what he called her “report card” of attributes, giving his wife straight As for everything from honesty, ethics and professionalism to her teamwork and tenacity.
The longtime local realtors have known each other for 55 years, been married since 1968 and been selling homes together since 1986. The former professional entertainers also danced and performed together, including in shows on the Las Vegas Strip. Ronnie Schwartz is trained in modern dance and is an accomplished tap dancer.
Before building a successful real estate career, her husband was a comic actor and dancer who appeared in some of the best-known television series of the 1970s, including “All in the Family,” “Happy Days” and “Barney Miller.” His film credits include the Disney musical “Bedknobs and Broomsticks.”
Ronnie and Neil Schwartz have worked as a team at Coldwell Banker Premier Realty since they moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in 1994 — the same year they became active members of the GLVAR.
Throughout the years, Ronnie Schwartz has served as a member of the GLVAR’s Multiple Listing Service Committee, its Risk Reduction Workgroup, its Forms Committee and its Professional Standards Committee, among others.
In addition to serving on some of these same GLVAR committees, Neil Schwartz has taught classes to other GLVAR members as a senior member of the GLVAR’s faculty. A former member of the GLVAR board of directors, he was inducted into the GLVAR’s Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2014, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed him to serve on the state Real Estate Commission, where he will serve as commission president in 2017.
The power couple also places a high value on education.
“We like to say that a welleducated real estate agent is a well-paid real estate agent, and a minimally educated real estate agent is a minimally paid real estate agent,” Ronnie Schwartz said.
During its annual awards event, the GLVAR also presented awards to these leading local Realtors:
Krystal Sherry — Gene Nebeker Memorial Award for professionalism and service to the GLVAR and community
Forrest Barbee — Ronn Reiss Award for educational excellence and leadership
Heidi Kasama — Sala/ Rubin Award (formerly called the Frank Sala Award and now also honoring longtime GLVAR leader Marv Rubin) recognizing long-term commitment to grassroots political action and protecting private property rights
Robert Hamrick – Jack Woodcock Distinguished Service Award
Kolleen Kelley, Patrick Leibovici and Norma Jean Opatik — GLVAR Hall of Fame inductees.
The annual awards are presented to GLVAR members “who have taken extraordinary measures to provide their many years of skill, experience and expertise to the Realtor community,” said 2017 GLVAR President Dave Tina.