ERA Rutherford continues to grow in competitive marketplace

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When Jerry Rutherford bought the local ERA real estate agency in 1996, the company included 16 agents and closed about $9 million a year in sales. |ret||ret||tab|

ERA Rutherford Realtors has grown to include more than 200 agents, and closed sales have grown to approximately $130 million, Rutherford said. About a year ago, Rutherford purchased Jones & Company, Rand Holland and Century 21 Hometown agencies.|ret||ret||tab|

"In seven years, we went from being very low on the totem pole in terms of an ERA franchise, to a top 50 company in all of ERA," Rutherford said.|ret||ret||tab|

The company recently changed its name from ERA Jones-Rutherford to ERA Rutherford.|ret||ret||tab|

The company has offices in Republic and Ozark and two offices in Springfield. The main office is located at 1555 S. Glenstone Ave. Rutherford said an office should be open in Nixa before the end of the year, and he is considering opening an office in Marshfield.|ret||ret||tab|

"We finished a year that represented lots of change," Rutherford said. "It's been a very challenging year, but also one that I have thrived on, because I thrive on challenges." |ret||ret||tab|

Merging the companies required melding office cultures and procedures. Most agents have different ways of doing business, and procedures differ from one real estate office to the next, Rutherford said. |ret||ret||tab|

"We had a difficult time making everyone feel like they were a part of the same family," Rutherford said. "They all still maintained their own independence for a while. Our objective is to feel like one big happy family. We listened to agents and tried to adopt the best rules out of each company. In the last month we have really begun to see the effect of having all our issues solved."|ret||ret||tab|

During the past year, the mergers resulted in some agents leaving ERA, often because of the cultural differences among agencies, Rutherford said. |ret||ret||tab|

"All of it is perfectly normal. We lost a couple of big producers, (and) we gained a couple of big producers," Rutherford said. "We've basically maintained our position, and now it's time for us to start growing again. We have a phenomenally good management team.|ret||ret||tab|

"Real estate companies are offices with legs. It's a very aggressive business when it comes to recruiting, and everybody is recruiting from everybody else." |ret||ret||tab|

About a dozen agents moved from ERA to Murney Associates earlier this year. Twila Hillme, broker/manager at Murney Associates, said the company is always interested in the addition of quality agents. |ret||ret||tab|

"Not only do they enable us to maintain a healthy growth rate, but they also help us to continue providing the highest level of customer service and results possible," Hillme said. "Over the last year we have added approximately 72 agents. Several of those came from ERA Rutherford." |ret||ret||tab|

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New marketing techniques |ret||ret||tab|

Rutherford said he is trying to develop a new line of services for his agents to market. |ret||ret||tab|

"I'm trying to create a situation where agents have multiple streams of income, where real estate is not the only way to make money," he said. |ret||ret||tab|

Rutherford also owns All American Pool and Spa, which he referred to as a sister company of his the real estate agency. When agents refer business to the pool company, they receive a commission for the referral and a 1099 form from All American . |ret||ret||tab|

He said agents are not required to sell the pool company's products or services; they are only asked to hand out business cards with the company's contact information. Rutherford said so far he has been happy with the success of the arrangement. |ret||ret||tab|

Within the past year, ERA Rutherford Realtors became a Cendant Mobility principal broker, which means the company handles Cendant Mobility properties. Cendant Mobility is a worldwide relocation company. As a principal broker, ERA receives relocation leads from Cendant and assists people relocating to Springfield. |ret||ret||tab|

Now that the mergers are behind him, Rutherford said his company is in the process of developing a commercial department. |ret||ret||tab|

"We're going to continue to grow. Nobody wants to be a part of something that's stagnate," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

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