Recruiting powerhouse Compass has over the past two weeks scored a series of high profile gets in the Indianapolis area, luring high-powered teams away from both RE/MAX and Keller Williams while also hiring the region’s top agent by sales volume.
Steve Clark
The hiring spree began on Aug. 2 when Compass recruited the Steve Clark Team away from Keller Williams. In an email, a Compass spokesperson told Inman the team had been the top Keller Williams team in the area. Team leader Steve Clark added in the email that “after 15 years in the real estate industry, my team was drawn to Compass by how the company has consistently challenged how a real estate transaction is performed, experienced, and delivered.”
“It is exactly what my business needed to elevate our services for our clients and is exactly what Indy has needed in a real estate brokerage,” Clark continued.
Clark’s team includes three agents and two administrators.
Jennil Salazar
Three days later, Compass then picked up RE/MAX agent Jennil Salazar, who Real Trends ranked as the top agent in the state by sales volume. Salazar focuses on luxury real estate, and said in an email that she was drawn to Compass’ digital platform, among other things.
“Compass’ digital tools will bring my business to the next level in both marketing and technology and I’m confident that we will achieve outstanding results and grow my business expeditiously moving forward,” she added.
In addition to Salazar herself, she also brought three administrative staffers with her to Compass.
Finally, on Monday Compass scored the Somerville Team, which the company said was the top RE/MAX team in Indiana. The team is made up of Libby Somerville, Kim Baxter, and Stevee Clifton, along with one additional staff member. In the email, Somerville said “we have fallen in love with Compass’ collaborative efforts.”
Libby Somerville
“We have never felt so reinvigorated in our business efforts,” she added. “We are incredibly excited for our future with Compass Indianapolis.”
Compass just expanded into the Indianapolis market in July, and the series of high-profile hires this month highlights the company’s modus operandi of aggressively recruiting. That strategy has helped Compass grow quickly, but has also made it the target of lawsuits from various rivals.
Resistance from other companies notwithstanding, Compass revealed during an earnings report earlier this week that between April and June it had an average of 10,629 agents — an improvement both year over year and quarter over quarter.
Kim Baxter
In the Indianapolis area, Compass currently has 36 agents and eight non-agent team members, a spokesperson told Inman. And though it’s still early days, those agents have indicated that so far they’re happy with the company.
“Our decision to join Compass is reinforced every day,” Baxter, of the Somerville Team, said in an email, “not only by now having access to the highest level of marketing and technology, but also by the staff and management’s ongoing infectious enthusiasm for helping us create a better real estate experience for our clients.”
Update: This post was updated after publication to include the fact that Salazar topped Real Trends sales volume list for Indiana.
