This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/07/2017 12:00 AMSome pictures are, indeed, worth a thousand words. Others tell a much bigger story.
The image of Branford's Pam Kirkby and her mom, Joan, with William Raveis chronicles a history of the real estate company from the late 1970s to the present.
It's also a multigenerational narrative founded on old school family value systems whose tenets the Raveis company still hold dear today. Those principles have always been the hallmark of William Raveis Real Estate, and are outlined as a refreshed message in a new marketing book which explains the brand: 'Welcome to Civilized: Real Estate Refined,' that includes various 'Welcome to...' chapters.
At the heart of the story is a daughter following her mother's career path.
Welcome to our family.
It would make sense that the founder of the largest family-owned real estate empire in the Northeast would be intrigued by a legacy story within his company. "When my mother and I were invited to Bill's office in Southport, he told us that of the 4,000 Raveis agents, we were one of only two in the entire company with this path of daughter following in her retired mother's footsteps," Pam said. "He really celebrated that."
Now retired, Joan Kirkby enjoyed a highly successful career as one of the top realtors in Fairfield County and the President of the Bridgeport Board of Realtors.
"My mother was impressive. She earned countless excellence awards, and received handwritten notes from Bill Raveis himself, congratulating her on her successes," Pam said. She cared about people and she went the extra mile. Her clients loved her. My mom is a straightforward, no-nonsense person who rolled up her sleeves and dug in. That's what I do."
"Both of my parents are very sociable." Pam stated. Her father, Bill Kirkby, is a retired Connecticut State Police Captain who sparked his daughter's interest in law enforcement. Although she enrolled at the Greenwich Institute of Art after earning an English degree at UConn, a career in criminal justice overtook her pursuit of architecture and design. What followed was a 20-year career as an Adult Probation Officer.
The daughter had, amazingly, also honored her father's life work.
"I have been told that I have my mother's tenacity and my father's wit. However, I inherited my work ethic and my value system from my both of my parents," Kirkby said. "They are generous, trustworthy, genuine and were very hard workers. I certainly try to honor them through my own commitment to values and standards, bringing that approach to my first career and now to my real estate career."
As a Probation Officer, Pam had what one might consider to be the "toughest sales job in the universe," essentially selling "clean, honest living to high risk offenders." She also wrote extensive sentencing reports, often conducting interviews with convicted felons, their family members, victims and lawyers. Her findings, well-crafted written evaluations and summaries, were given to the judge as recommendations for sentencing.
Kirkby's unique training as a writer (Welcome to the written word), designer (Welcome to state-of-the-art), and investigator in the judicial system (Welcome to social interaction) has set her apart in the competitive real estate world.
"These are transferable skills you can't obtain by mere experience in the real estate market or by reading a book or taking a class," Kirkby explained. "I received quite an education working with people and getting to know them. I'm used to helping people who have had problems in their lives, helping to organize and change their lives. That's an innate skill for me."
The way Kirkby has intertwined this expertise with her parents' value system is paying dividends for her buyers and sellers.
Welcome to the home of the honest broker.
"I listen deeply for what people want for their lives," Kirkby said. "It's not just lip-service. I digest what their needs are and their life goals are and then I do the research to determine what the best possible match and benefit would be for the buyers and sellers. Having the intuitive ability to read and assess a situation and to understand what's right is why both my mother and my father excelled in their respective careers. I teach my own son and stepchildren that honesty and integrity are paramount. I hope that translates to my own family legacy."
Like her mother, Kirkby has a firm handshake, and has been recognized as a top producing Raveis agent.
As her story highlights a homegrown result, Pam's real estate tagline will appropriately echo the Raveis book's last chapter: Welcome home.
Pam Kirkby can be reached at 203-988-8690 or at Pamela.kirkby@raveis.com