Under normal circumstances, award-winning real estate broker Peter Dupuch would have walked away from the ERA International Business Conference in Las Vegas grinning, congratulating the 5 team members who travelled with him.
Dupuch’s Nassau-based company, ERA Dupuch Real Estate, once again took top honours, outperforming all other ERA franchises in the region. Real estate broker Ken Chaplin also took home the title of top agent for ERA Dupuch.
But this year was different. Despite great speakers like Peter Sheahan, author of the new best-seller “Flip” and presentations by leading figures, there was a solemnity to the proceedings.
“I couldn’t even talk about it before now,” says Dupuch. “This was the year that we were due to celebrate Japan’s 30th anniversary. Japan was the first international franchisee of ERA, a milestone that really started the movement toward global branding of real estate companies.”
Instead of celebration, there was silence and heartbreak. On March 11, a massive earthquake slammed the country, triggering a devastating tsunami. The conference was held two weeks later.
Two months and hundreds of tremors later, Japan is still shaken to its core. “It’s estimated that more than 25,000 people died,” says Dupuch. “Damages, including the impact of leaking nuclear reactors, are incalculable. We all feel like family so it was like it hit everyone.”
To Dupuch, the incident pointed out the deeper connections between people.
“So often, we think in terms of numbers, of performance, of trends and technology. And yes, we were extremely proud that we took home so many awards and were congratulated by thousands. In a vast conference centre, our little firm from The Bahamas was like the little train that could.
But the feeling of pride was mixed with the feeling of overpowering sadness for the people of Japan. At the end of the day, the tragedy united all of us in a more meaningful way and that is the message we all brought home. It’s not just the accolades or the sales or the number of clients. It’s really about being part of a larger world. Real estate, by definition, is property. In the end, it’s about people.”
It was the fifth consecutive year that ERA Dupuch, based on East Bay Street with representatives or offices throughout The Bahamas, was the top-performing ERA franchise in the region.
Diane Phillips and Associates
