Brian O’Connell and Sharon Hedgepeth are ready to grow through people, partnership, and PLACE
Brian O’Connell and Sharon Hedgepeth have partnered with PLACE as they seek new opportunities for their agents and their clients. Learn how their focus on helping others has created a thriving business and what led them to a PLACE partnership.
Fayetteville, N.C., August 2022 — PLACE, the all-inclusive real estate platform delivering intuitive technology and business services to top real estate professionals, announced today that the Welcome Home Team of the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg region has partnered with PLACE. PLACE partners with leading real estate teams, regardless of brokerage, in more than 100 locations across the United States and Canada.
Brian O’Connell and Sharon Hedgepeth, CEO and Team Leader of the Welcome Home Team, are top performing real estate professionals who are consciously building a business that’s purpose is to leave the world a better place. Over the course of their careers, their team has served more than 2,000 clients and families, helping them buy, sell, or invest in real estate. In 2021, the team closed more than $88 million in sales volume, through an astounding 405 transactions.
“Our mission is to provide opportunities to everyone in our world.”
Through military connections, referrals from happy clients, and inbound calls from for sale signs, the two built a thriving business that has grown to 27 team members. “Since our team has grown, we are really focused on helping the people on our team,” explained Hedgepeth. “To be able to see them grow and what they are able to provide to their family is incredible. To see our agents not just sell homes but also invest, purchase a home for themselves, and meet all their goals – that’s what we keep coming back to. Our mission is to provide opportunities to everyone in our world.”
O’Connell and Hedgepeth are focused on client service with a goal to turn every client into a raving fan. “We are people focused,” explained O’Connell. “Our mantra is to always focus on our clients. Our connection with our clients is how we’ve grown.”
“We know that this partnership can help us get to the next level and ensure we are surrounded with people who have values that are aligned with ours.”
The duo made the decision to partner with PLACE because they knew that the only way to grow forward was through partnership. With aspirations to expand their team into new markets, start up ancillary businesses, and provide more opportunity to their agents and clients, they knew PLACE could help them get there. “It is the right time and the right place for us to do something new,” explained O’Connell. “For us, it was not a ‘what’ question, it was a ‘who’ question and we know we are closely aligned with the vision and principles of Ben Kinney and other PLACE leaders. We know that this partnership can help us get to the next level and ensure we are surrounded with people who have values that are aligned with ours.”
“Brian and Sharon are great business people with priorities that align with the values of PLACE,” said Chris Suarez, co-founder of PLACE. “Their giving hearts and desire to provide opportunities to every person that they come in contact with is awe-inspiring and we welcome them to PLACE.”
“Brian and Sharon have built a tremendous business,” said Ben Kinney, co-founder of PLACE. “They are true ‘people’ people – focused on helping their families, clients, agents, vendors, and community. I am excited to see their big vision come to life.”
“We are ready for our world to shift,” said O’Connell. “Our payment in this partnership will be what we give to our team and the gratitude we feel for being able to invest in their development and growth.”