“It was my father who trained me,” said Aboumrad. Anyone who works for Aboumrad will tell you that he doesn’t just pretend. Since his children can call him at any time, he also makes himself available to his agents seven days a week and always answers the phone.

“I think one of the reasons why our retention level has been so high for all these years that I’ve been doing this is that everyone feels like they’re part of the family,” Aboumrad said. “They have someone to go to when they have questions and need help.”

Despite the fact that Legacy now has five field offices across the East Bay and an international presence through its affiliation with ERA Real Estate, the company intentionally has a boutique feel and sensibility.

Judi Nield, Legacy’s chief marketing officer, said the company’s success was driven by Aboumrad’s leadership and values. “Bill Aboumrad has built a collaborative, forward-thinking and fun work culture where employees and independent contractors are empowered to think outside the box, celebrate successes and learn from each other,” said Nield. Aboumrad’s emphasis on listening to his team and encouraging them helps set the tone of support for the organization.

Nield believes that one of the company’s subtle strengths in its relationship with its customers is its diversity. “We represent over 35 different nationalities and have over 300 vendors across all adult age brackets – we have personality and panache. It’s an amazing place to work,” said Nield.

Kathleen Minser, Legacy’s chief operating officer, chairs an advisory council for Legacy’s independent contractors (the majority of agents who work with the company), which meets once a month. “We talk about ideas that they hear on the street from other brokerages or things that they want to launch there to be implemented.”

Although most corporate initiatives are approved by the board, they can come from anywhere in the company. “If we get a suggestion from an agent who’s not on the advisory group, we take it to the advisory group and say, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ And it could be anything, new platforms, new apps, new marketing. A corporate party idea. But the main thing is that we get feedback from people who work at Legacy,” Minser said.

Nield relies on open company communications – input from the management team as well as sales associates – to develop and implement company development strategies.

“Without a culture of collaboration, the department’s efforts would undoubtedly be set back,” Nield said. “Also, I work remotely from home. An employee may feel like a stranger in this environment, but not at Legacy Real Estate – here it feels like family.