RE/MAX announced two new hires to its executive team on Wednesday, signaling its focus on developing its own in-house real estate technology, as well as the expansion and marketing of its fast-growing Motto Mortgage franchise.
RE/MAX has hired Kerry McGovern (pictured at right above) as its new vice president of communications, overseeing all of RE/MAX and Motto Mortgage’s internal and external comms, as well as social media.
She joins the team from sports apparel company Under Armour and has, previously, also worked on communications for alcohol delivery app Drizly and the National Hockey League.
Jerry Modes (left) has been named RE/MAX’s new senior vice president of information technology (IT), after previously co-founding tech companies Teradata and HyperParallel.
As part of his duties, Modes will oversee internal IT operations, membership data infrastructure, and the ongoing development of various data-driven products for RE/MAX, including new products from booj, the real estate web design and software company that RE/MAX acquired in February 2018.
Booj, which stands for ‘be original or jealous,’ was founded in 2005. The acquisition was part of RE/MAX’s push to bring more tech-forward services to its agents and clients — over the last year, the company has started working on everything from websites and mobile apps to lead-management systems.
RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos announced in the company’s second quarter earnings call in August 2018 that the company was using booj to develop a “best-in-class technology platform” for agents and clients, part of a wider going real estate tech platform competition with rivals such as Compass and Keller Williams.
“The coming year will establish the foundation for much more to come,” Modes said in a statement.
Motto Mortgage, for its part, a separate national mortgage brokerage franchise launched by RE/MAX Holdings, the parent company, has expanded from its launch in Denver in fall 2016 to over 100 locations as of now, making it one of the fastest-growing franchises this year.
“Jerry and Kerry are very strategic thinkers who have impressive track records in their respective fields,” said Contos in a prepared statement. “They’ll each play a crucial role in the long-term advancement of the RE/MAX and Motto Mortgage brands as we strive to be the unrivaled leaders in our industries.”