At the 1999 Annual Business Conference for The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. (PREA), Rich Henry, founding broker and chief executive officer of Prudential Henry & Burrows, REALTORS, was named the recipient of the distinguished "Broker of the Year" award.

Prudential Henry & Burrows is the largest single office in the country, and according to Real Trends, first in volume for a single office company. In 1998, the office, closed over $510 million.

"That is 3,036 closed transactions done by 95 agents doing that kind of volume, over $5 million apiece," says Henry, owner of Henry & Burrows. "That is significant."

Henry attributes the success of the office to a number of factors: a low staff to agent ratio; in-house technology support; an affluent marketplace and a team atmosphere fostered by a single office brokerage.

"There is one support person for every three agents," says Henry. "We have a full-time technology staff of three who support the needs of the agents, their laptops and their network. That is a significant commitment to our agent's technology needs."

"Johnson County is one of the most affluent areas in the country," explains Henry. "Many people don't realize that."

Managing the office out of one location helps to build team spirit, believes Henry. "When agents are scattered among several offices, each office takes on its own identity."

Part of the support the agents receive is intensive training. New agents go to school for four weeks for four weeks before assuming floor time.

The result? Low turnover. The average agent stays with Henry & Burrows eight to ten years. "We only have full time people, so our standards are high. We don't have people coming in and washing out."

The single office currently has a team of 108 sales associates, 60 assistants and 35 staff members.

Henry shies away from taking personal credit for the office's success. "I support the people in the fashion they need," he says simply.

Henry's award, now in its third year, is based on strict criteria including being a role model for "Best Practices" within the Prudential Real Estate Network; having significant participation in Prudential Real Estate's networking events; demonstrating company profitability; and serving worthy community causes.

Henry is a strong believer in being an active member of the community. In 1991, he served as the national chairperson of the Sunshine Kids Foundation, a non-profit foundation that sponsors activities for children with cancer. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Rockhurst University in Kansas City, and as the Vice Chair for the Catholic Education Foundation for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, and organization that assists Archdiocese schools in inner city and rural areas. In addition, he serves on the Board for the Community of the Good Shepherd, a group home for developmentally disabled men. Henry, along with other associates at Prudential Henry & Burrows, also are active supporters of the United Way and March of Dimes as well as other various community organizations and charities.

"Our goal is to support those who might not have otherwise been helped," Henry says. "It is important to do well in business, and to take that success and plug it back into the communities we serve."

Published: April 1, 1999

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