While meditation rooms, monthly massage therapy and limo service might be the norm for Google employees, such amenities typically aren’t found at local real estate companies. RedKey Realty Leaders is the exception. Owner and CEO Jill Butler believes in doing business differently and understands that a comfortable work environment for her staff leads to a higher level of service for her clients.
Butler’s career path began in advertising and marketing, but real estate seemed like the perfect fit after she became a mom of two. “My dad, who owned a real estate company, told me not to do it,” she jokes. “Now, of course, he loves the idea.” After working as both an agent and sales manager at various local real estate companies for 10 years, she was ready to leave the corporate franchise environment to start her own business, one that would offer a more personal approach for both agent and clients. In 2012, she opened RedKey Realty Leaders, which focuses on serving the central corridor, and immediately attracted leading agents who shared her philosophy.
Butler says the dedication of her team, which consists of 75 agents and five office staffers, sets the agency apart. “Ultimately our focus is on buyers and sellers, but it all starts with a strong foundation,” she says. She explains it as a ripple effect: her commitment to keeping staff members happy means they in turn provide the agents with a high level of service, which leads to agents doing the same for clients.
Butler says she is always looking for ways to boost office morale and create a productive but enjoyable work environment. “I want agents to possess great skills and be knowledgeable about the market, but I also want them to have a lot of fun.” And Butler goes above and beyond to deliver on this goal. The office has a meditation room that serves as a ‘time out’ space, and a non-smoking cigar bar provides a place to relax with a glass of wine and meet clients. “The whole atmosphere is very welcoming and engaging, and employees appreciate that,” Butler points out. Other perks include a monthly office visit from a massage therapist and a company limo. “We take clients to the closing in a limo as a way of saying thanks for their business and to make it a celebration,” Butler says. It’s also the mode of transportation for monthly birthday lunches and is often donated to charitable causes with which RedKey agents are involved.
She notes that realtors have a very important job, and a team mentality means greater rewards for agents and clients. “We all act as ambassadors for St. Louis, which I think is the best-kept secret in the U.S.,” she says, citing the city’s affordable housing, cultural institutions and easy-to-navigate traffic. “It’s a privilege to serve clients on such a personal level. We are an integral part of helping them find the perfect fit for their families. Much of real estate has become very transactional, but I believe the focus should remain on people and relationships.”
[RedKey Realty Leaders, located at 10333 Clayton Road, is a local, independent agency that specializes in highly personalized client relationships for buyers and sellers along the central corridor. For more information, call 314.692.7200 or visit redkeystlouis.com.]
Photo: Bill Barrett