The future of the Florida Realtors will be in the skillful and proven hands of a new chief executive officer starting January 1, when Margy Grant takes over from well-regarded association veteran CEO Bill Martin.
Margy is Florida Realtors’ current chief operations officer and general counsel of the state’s largest professional trade association. The association announced late last week that Martin is retiring at the end of this year.
Martin joined Florida Realtors in March 2015, after 14 years as CEO for Michigan Realtors. At Florida Realtors, Martin oversaw the advancement of two major tech properties of the Florida Realtors:
Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline. Both experienced rapid growth in recent years, increasing their reach of serving more Realtors around the country. Martin considered this one of the many milestones he achieved during his tenure.
Today, Form Simplicity is available to 300,000 Realtors across the U.S., while Tech Helpline is the real estate industry’s No. 1 tech support service, available to nearly half the Realtors in North America – more than 600,000 in the U.S. and Canada.
Martin said, “It’s been a high honor and privilege to be associated with such a high-level organization – one with a rich history and even richer future.”
When I look at the next five years, I know that Florida Realtors has a great leadership team now and into its future. There’s not a better leadership lineup anywhere. The future is very bright and exciting. I feel I’m leaving on a high note and with the association in the right hands. Margy Grant has been a terrific COO and general counsel and is an extremely good fit for Florida Realtors’ CEO.”
Grant’s announcement was welcome news in the hallways at Florida Realtors headquarters. At 43, she holds the promise of being at the helm of the second largest Realtor association in the nation for quite some time. She’s already been at the association for more than a dozen years, having joined the Florida Realtors in 2005.
Her credentials and background are equally impressive. She’s a Certified Association Executive (CAE), holds a Realtor Association Certified Executive (RCE) designation, and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
Grant earned her Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, at the Suffolk University School of Law in Boston and her bachelor’s degree is in political science from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. She is a member of three Bars: the Florida Bar, Massachusetts Bar and the California Bar (currently inactive status).
According to the Florida Realtors, she will remain its COO and general counsel until she takes over in January. During the next few months, Martin will assist with her transition to CEO. “I’m humbled and excited to be named Florida Realtors next CEO,” she said.
She’s effusive about her successor, saying, “I cannot understate how privileged I am to work with Bill Martin. He is an amazing leader and I know I speak for all the staff when I say he will be missed, and we cannot thank him enough for all his contributions during his tenure at Florida Realtors. As far as the succession goes, I embrace the opportunity to participate in a seamless transition. I appreciate Bill’s willingness to facilitate my ascension into the CEO position.”
Christine Hansen, 2018 Florida Realtors President, also praised Martin, calling him “an outstanding CEO.” Hansen explained, “During his time here, we’ve seen Florida Realtors grow, strengthening our partnership with local boards and associations across the state, as well as expanding opportunities and programs for our Realtor members. While we’ll miss him greatly, we know that he’s looking forward to the future and excited about what’s to come.”
Hansen added, “That’s exactly how we feel about Margy Grant becoming Florida Realtors new CEO – excited about the future and looking forward to 2019.”
Eric Sain, who is Florida Realtors current president-elect and will become its president in 2019, said that Grant “brings to the table a wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise about Florida Realtors and our members. We’ve benefited from her dedication, her work ethic and her ability to connect with members across the state. We look forward to her leadership as Florida Realtors new CEO and the new opportunities it brings us.”
Grant is now focusing on what is ahead. “There’s a reason why windshields are bigger than rearview mirrors,” she said, adding, “Florida Realtors prides itself on our history of innovation and advocacy. I’m excited to work with leadership, Realtor members and staff on many of the initiatives we currently have in place and new ones to come. And I truly appreciate that Florida Realtors has always had its focus on members’ needs to have products, tools, and services to help them succeed in business.”
Grant and her husband Matt recently celebrated their 20thwedding anniversary and have three sons: 14-year-old son, Michael, and 12-year-old twins, Grace, and Sean.
This is an exceptionally strong changing of the guard at the Florida Realtors. From the initial accounts, we hear from the Sunshine State, and it’s been exceptionally well received. It’s also a bellwether indication of what is likely to come as more associations transition into their next generations of leadership.
