The results are in for the HAR NextGen REALTOR® Group's (NRG's) inaugural 20 Under 40 Rising Stars Awards.

The results are in for the HAR NextGen REALTOR® Group's (NRG's) inaugural 20 Under 40 Rising Stars Awards. These 20 Houston-area real estate professionals age 40 or younger are being honored for demonstrating excellence in the area of sales, leadership and community. They represent what the selection committee considered an overall well-rounded REALTOR®.  Each winner possesses his or her own unique set of experiences, philosophies and commitments.

Here are some interesting facts about these talented and dedicated award recipients:

Susan Kwok Annoura, CIPS, GRI, ABR, CNE, e-Pro, SMP, TRLP
Annoura Realty Group, LLC

• spent nine years as a radio personality in Japan
• is multi-lingual and has taught at six universities and dozens of Japanese corporations
• is environmental chair of the Armand Bayou Elementary PTA (will conduct recycling campaigns and other school cleanup activities) and serves as a volunteer interpreter for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Cliff C. Collins
Keller Williams Realty Northeast

• started in sales and marketing at Fortune 500 companies
• before entering the real estate industry, he was responsible for a $30 million business, a $7 million marketing budget and 12 employees
• as chairman of the Keller Williams Realty Northeast Marketing Committee, has helped develop and implement a free monthly concert series at Kings Harbor in Kingwood, with performances that recognize local charities
• supported and sponsored the Kingwood/Forest Cove and Dynasty Baseball Associations and the Kingwood Hi Neighbors, Heartbeat Bears Club, which provides teddy bears for children who experience medical traumas

Tiffany Curry, CNE, SMP, SFR, LHMS
Prudential Gary Greene REALTORS®

• has been acting since the age of five
• considers real estate a lifestyle and obtained her real estate license because she loved people and wanted to be a part of their American Dream
• believes in spending more time communicating with clients than spending a small fortune on gadgets to increase her business
• has served as a Board Director for the Texas Association of REALTORS® and in 2011, she will serve as a Board Director for HAR as well as NAR’s Young Professionals Network

Lee Harughty
Lake Conroe Realty

• in 2008, his first year in real estate, he earned his company’s “Rookie of the Year” award and in his second year, was a multi-million dollar producer
• serves as parade chairman for The Friends of Conroe, a community service organization, and represents the group in Conroe’s Go Texan Parade and Christmas Parade
• serves as the children’s chairperson for the Texas Independence Festival

Cristina Havlik, ABR, CNE, CSP
RE/MAX The Woodlands & Spring

• promotes donor awareness and makes it her daily mission to register Texans as organ donors
• made a non-selfish decision to donate a loved one’s organs to save one life and later learned that three people in the Houston area were saved as a result of the donation
• sees the positive in every situation that arises in real estate and in life

Bernadette Hurley, ABR
Keller Williams Realty

• her passion for the real estate industry began during an internship for the Neighborhood Housing Services of San Antonio, a non-profit organization that partnered with HUD – an experience that taught her the value of lots and the construction process through collaboration with Habitat for Humanity
• considers herself an implementer – the type of person who attends seminars, classes or training events and commits to implement what she feels will propel her business
• mega-million-dollar producer

Creston Inderrieden, GRI
Realty Associates

• a business partnership with his wife, Holly, has created a greater work-life balance such that they can enjoy a career and their two young children at the same time
• says working as a husband-wife team benefits clients in that they can take a tag-team approach to handling a majority of the tasks

Terri Lyons
Keller Williams Realty – Greater Northwest

• prior to entering the real estate profession, she worked up to 80 hours a week as a store manager for GAP, sometimes napping in her car between shifts
• church activities helped mold the practices she uses today as a successful REALTOR®, by serving others and being assertive
• constantly strives as a leader to stay aware of key forces that shape the real estate industry today and the leadership requirements necessary to sustain and move forward in the industry
• mega-million-dollar producer

Mike Mahlstedt
Martha Turner Properties

• has been interested in houses and architecture as long as he can remember and still spends free time renovating and selling houses
• donates money to the charity of his clients’ choice at the close of every business transaction, raising more than $10,000 for more than 40 charities in 2009
• mentors underprivileged children in the Houston area, serves on the board of Cherish our Children International and is active in several other local charities
• has competed in four Ironman triathlons and plans to participate in the inaugural Texas Ironman in The Woodlands in May 2011
• mega-million-dollar producer

Randall Martin, SFR
Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS®

• managed a local Mexican restaurant chain for nine years before entering the real estate business and attributes his success as a REALTOR® to the skills he acquired from the restaurant industry
• is proudest of a transaction in which he represented a buyer stationed in Iraq; after touring several homes for him, he took multiple photos of the one he thought the client would like and created a virtual walk-through for him; the first time the client saw the home in-person was the final walk-through just before closing, but he ended up loving it and to this day, refers other clients to him

Jamie McMartin, QSC, CNAS
Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS®

• some of her greatest pleasures come from helping families achieve their goals in either selling their home to start a new venture or buying a home to start new memories
• the day she got her newly-printed REALTOR® business cards, she gave one to a store clerk who finally called her two years later and bought the home of their dreams
• her biggest charitable contribution revolves around her son’s school where she volunteers in his class, attends PTA meetings, helps in the lunchroom twice a week and helps organize frequent neighborhood functions

Ruby Miranda
Trend Setter Realty

• when she and her husband first decided to launch their joint real estate venture, they jumped in full force, leaving full-time jobs and cashing in their 401(k)s; they worked hard for six months with no income, living off savings until they were down to counting change to feed their family
• the self proclaimed “Texas Queen of Real Estate” does not consider herself a salesperson, but rather a “home buying counselor”
• has helped several clients facing financial hardship by listing their homes without a fee for herself or taking reduced commission and personally going out and making repairs to get a client into the home

Mimi Esmirna Ortiz, GRI, ABR TRC, TRLP
Vonnie Cobb REALTORS®, Inc.
believes the key to success is to have a genuine heart, see each client as a person and have a genuine interest in what their wants and needs are
has developed what she calls a “sphere of satisfied clients” who refer their family and friends
says she is in real estate to build life-long relationships, not to close one transaction

Ozzie Ramirez
AskOzzie.com

• as company owner, he manages more than 20 licensed agents in the greater Houston area; has owned Trustworthy Credit Repair Services for more than five years
• his first successful marketing campaign was based on the understanding that many consumers need better credit scores to buy a home; he learned how to repair credit and offered it as a free service as incentive to use him to buy a home
• received the HAR Top Production Award for Q4 2006 (his first quarter as a full-time real estate agent) and was the designated HAR REALTOR® Hero of the Month for May 2008

Rob Rule, GRI, e-PRO
Heritage Texas Properties

• started in residential real estate just before 9/11, so generating business during the first six months was exceptionally difficult, however he overcame those challenges to become Rookie of the Year and a consistent Top Producer for the past several years
• is always curious about the world of real estate and believes a continual drive for self-improvement is key – has continued to invest in knowledge to remain at the forefront of real estate trends
• works part-time time as a youth and high school basketball referee since youth sports were an important part of his development; he sees it as a way to teach young people about personal growth through physical challenges, fair play and respect for their fellow competitors

Amanda Ruchti
Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS®

• as far back as she can remember, has always been interested in people’s homes and the whole process involved in choosing a home
• at a young age, her parents engrained in her that pursuing a career in sales enables one to control their own destiny – you can be as successful as you are willing to work hard
• considers communication to be a key differentiator in how she does business, noting that by setting communication parameters up front, the client is never disappointed and she can always deliver on her promises.

Jay Mac Sanders, GRI, EcoBroker, CNE, SFR
Mustard Seed REALTORS®

• as broker/owner, he works with many clients for more than a year to find the right house at the right price because he believes that when you speed it up, you miss the details families talk about that make the process the fulfillment of their dreams
• his business strategy involves a combination of technology with a heavy reliance on referral business, community involvement and networking
• is actively involved in several community service organizations throughout Montgomery County

Mike Spears, SIOR
The National Realty Group, Inc.

• always tries to look at the deal from the client’s perspective and to understand the needs and concerns of all parties
• learned that prospecting isn’t just calling people that you’ve never spoken to before, it’s calling people that you may have spoken to three to six months ago because the call made today may lead to a deal made two years from now
• joined thousands of cyclists for the BP MS 150 from Houston to Austin this year to raise money to find the cure for multiple sclerosis, a disease that afflicts his father
• mega-million-dollar producer

Stephanie Suttle
Prudential Gary Greene, REALTORS®

• a business marketing degree from The University of Texas at Austin set the foundation for her interest in business
• is in this business full-time for the long haul, committing all her working hours and sometimes social hours to learning all she can about the current market and any changes to come
• after years of selling million-dollar homes in Lake Tahoe, California, she is most proud of a transaction she closed in Pearland, Texas just after Hurricane Ike

Curtis Warden
RE/MAX Allstars

• believes you cannot teach passion or enthusiasm – it is either who you are and what you are about or it’s not
• says his greatest challenge is competing for business against REALTORS® who have never bought an investment property, renovated a house or felt the uncertainty at the closing table the first-time investor feels
• is in the process of publishing a book to teach REALTORS® what investors want them to know

HAR is proud of these young REALTOR® members and we hope you will congratulate them when you have the occasion. Their awards were presented at a special NRG luncheon on Wednesday, October 27, at Courtyard on St. James Place featuring keynote speaker Rob Hahn – The Notorious R.O.B – with 7DS Associates, who is considered one of the top real estate bloggers in the U.S.

We are very grateful to Julie Pistone and TK Images for generously donating their time and creative talents to provide the beautiful cover photo of the 20 Under 40 Award Winners.

For more information about The NextGen REALTOR® Group go to http://nextgenrealtor.har.com.