Kelli began her real estate career working for her father’s real estate company in 1984, over 23 years ago. Bob Todd had founded a RE/MAX franchise two years before and had 2 offices in the Southern Los Angeles area-Manhattan and Hermosa Beach. In 1984 he had a total of 40 agents. She managed the staff and daily operations while he recruited agents. Despite the hard times in the early 90’s the company continually grew, as well as Bob and Kelli’s partnership, with a focus on providing value for the real estate professional with all of the support, tools and technology necessary to be successful in the competitive California real estate business. Kelli was named President in 1997.
The company was founded on integrity and with the belief of “giving back”. It started off in 1982 with local charities, community events and schools. In the early 90’s Children’s Hospital (CMN) was adopted by RE/MAX International. CMN became the focus of many fundraisers for Bob, Kelli and the RE/MAX associates. Kelli has been recognized in the industry for her focus, leadership and growth including being inducted into the 2002 National Association of Women Business Owners Hall of Fame and in 2003 she was awarded the Business Women of the Year from The Women's Referral Services Group.
Kelli was named CEO in January 2005. Today, the operation is a full service ‘Real Estate Services’ company with Mortgage, Escrow and Title services and has spread throughout the Los Angeles County with a Resort Division in the communities of San Bernardino Mountains. RE/MAX All Cities Realty is recognized by The Real Trends Institute as the 35th largest real estate company in the world and has continually maintained the ranking of being one of the largest RE/MAX franchises in the RE/MAX International system. Nearly 600 associates in 14 locations (including the first two pure RE/MAX Commercial offices) perform real estate duties all over Southern California. Kelli has also sat on several advisory boards for industry related businesses such as: Quality Service Certification, Inc. and Realtor.com, and currently is a Board of Director for a profit division of the California Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors called; RE Forms Net.
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How long have you been in real estate? How did you get started?
My father (Bob Todd) had started a RE/MAX franchise in the Los Angeles area in 1982. After I had my first child (1984) I could not go back to work full-time (and leave my baby) so I called him up and asked if there was anything I could do. I just needed to help make the house payment. I was married and we’d just bought a house so I needed to work part time but I also needed to be with my daughter. It was twenty-three years ago! My father had two offices and about 40 agents. I came into the office two days a week and did administrative work and some book keeping. The company was growing and so within a year it grew into a full time job.
What is your exact title today?
I own the company and I am the CEO.
How did you go from doing office tasks to CEO?
It was not an over night event. There was a lot of trial and error and I like to refer to it as the Bob Todd School of Hard Knocks. I have a Masters! I started working side by side with him and he was a pretty big industry icon in his day. He started growing the company and taking on more offices. Basically my dad was the visionary and recruiter and I was the operations person. From ’86 to ’91, we added three more offices and had grown the agents to 250. Then the real estate market crashed in 1992 and our CPA quit. My dad said, “You know what? I think you can run the entire back office – the accounting and everything.” I declined. We argued for about a month and finally I had to do it because the accountant/CPA had left and there was no choice. In ’94-95 we were in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and that time was probably the biggest growth opportunity that I ever had because it forced me way passed my comfort zone. There wasn’t any choice because there was no one else to do it. We didn’t have money to hire anybody else so I had to be human resources, the para-legal, the book keeper, my father’s punching bag and the CFO.
You were never a real estate agent throughout any of this?
No, never. I am licensed, and I have been licensed all along, but outside of my own houses I have never bought and sold real estate for anybody else. It is a different beginning than most real estate company owners and I was self-conscious about it for a long time.
So it sounds like you were thrown in with the wolves.
I learned the right and wrong way of how to run a real estate company! My father was the visionary sales agent who decided to own a company and I grew into it completely from a dollars and cents business standpoint. I am what I refer to as “second generation RE/MAX”.
Were your parents together when you were growing up?
They split when I was twelve.
Did you stay with your dad?
No, I lived with my mother and three sisters but was always closest to my father. I got married at the age of nineteen.
What was your relationship like with your dad? Clearly he was a big influence in your life.
I hate to say it at the age of 45 but I am a daddy’s girl! Despite the fact that my parents split up, they lived only a few miles apart and I still saw my dad regularly. My parent’s divorce was nasty but our relationship never faltered. He’s been my mentor, my coach and my best friend.
Basically my father taught me to take ownership. He taught me if I was going to do something, do it really well.
Is there anything unique about him?
My father is a big man – he’s 6’3” and 240 pounds and he has tremendous presence. When I was a girl I thought my dad could read my mind and that held me accountable. That’s what my father’s always been about – just doing the right thing.
What about your mother? Was there any primary message that she was putting out to you?
My mother sent me to etiquette class. She believed in raising young ladies so she taught me manners and the philosophy of returning something better than you borrowed it.
How many children do you have?
I have two girls.
What drove you to get married so young?
The seventy’s! I married my high school sweetheart and being the oldest of four girls, I was fairly maternal. I was nineteen, he was twenty-one. We bought a house right away. It was more than we could afford, but because I came from a real estate family I thought that’s what you were supposed to do. It was a fixer-upper and we scraped together all of our money to make that house payment. I had my first daughter four years later and in another four years, we had our second child. You know, we kind of grew up together and 17 years later we realized we’d grown apart. Today we’re really good friends and we co-parent.
You became president of the company just as you were getting divorced. How did you handle all that stress?
I just took it one day at a time and still today, that’s how I do things. My brain is always looking one step ahead. If I can execute Plan A that’s great, but I always have a Plan B, and sometimes a C, in the back of my head.
What do you think was your lowest low?
Six months into my divorce. I was driving in my car and I was on the phone with my father. He told me he was worried about me. I was under so much stress from the divorce and we were opening another office so I had to keep plugging away at work. I started bawling and as I was driving I came to a stop light. There was a bus bench with a group of handicapped adults waiting for a bus to come pick them up. I believe in God and I felt it was a wake up call, a message, telling me not to feel sorry for myself. It was this huge revelation and a big step forward for me. A couple of months later, I was feeling a little bit low and I was passing by that same intersection. There was that exact same group that was sitting on the bench waiting and I went, “Ok, I got it!”
What was your highest high then?
There isn’t any one. I do like being in the middle of a deal, not real estate deals but business opportunity deals. I’ve been really honored with two distinguished awards that took me by surprise: The Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners inducted me into their hall of fame in 2002; and being on the cover of Lore magazine about a year and a half ago was also very flattering. I was honored to be on the cover with such distinguished women.
If you were going to give a piece of advice to any woman in any profession, what would it be?
You have to earn it. That includes patience and working hard. There are no over-night successes. And, be worth it!
Tell us a little bit about the playful side of Kelli.
I love wine, I love to travel. My girls and I have been all over Europe. This summer I went for four weeks to Spain. Also, I’ve started doing Bikram Yoga (where the room is 105 degrees for ninety minutes). I love it but you have to have the mindset and a huge level of concentration, it takes you out of “yourself”.
Are you involved in any clubs or networking groups?
I sit on the board of advisors for QSC, Quality Service Certified and then I sit on one of the CAR/NAR Company’s Board of Directors. The newest one that I am pretty active and passionate about is the YPO, (Young President’s Organization). It’s a socialization and self-improvement kind of experience. There are sub-groups called “forums” where 10 members get together and really share the intimate details of their lives and the highs and lows. It really makes you look inward and think about what kind of person you want to be, how to better yourself, and that you are not the only CEO/President with challenges in your life.
Do you think you have had to play your cards any differently as a woman?
I knew a very wise woman that I really admired for a long time. She taught me that when a woman spoke in a room full of men, it had to be something worth listening to. I learned to hold my words and choose them carefully. If you say things that are worthwhile or relevant, I think that works to your advantage. I try to take a more humble approach and a lot of times I’m the person who is willing to throw out the question that nobody else wants to ask, but they are thinking!
Have you come across a glass ceiling situation?
No, because I’m in a family business and my father taught me not to believe in ceilings! However, if it was a corporate structure I may have.
What are your plans for the next five years?
I want to continue building the company. I think we are really poised for growth. I’m at 600 agents now. We spent the last year weeding out some people that didn’t belong in the real estate industry. Within the next five years, I want to reach the 1,000 agent mark. We have fourteen offices right now and I will probably open up a few more offices and expand more in the commercial arena.
If you could use three words to describe yourself, what would those three words be?
Fair. Giving. Determined.
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