Real Estate Apprentice® Winner to be Announced February 22

Aliso Viejo, Calif. Feb 17^th, 2006 – (Part 5 of 5) Snagging the last two of 10 finalists positions shows that RE/MAX is not only a company for experienced top producers but the rookies choice for many as well. Both Kirk Shillington and Pamela Groomes will receive $5,000 worth of real estate career enhancements products and services.  On Wednesday, February 22, a Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from among the 10 Finalists announced this week.

Kirk Shillington grew up in the city of Edmonton, Alberta. His father, a Civil Engineer, moved the family several times as his career progressed, to places such as Vancouver, British Columbia and Anchorage, Alaska. These moves gave Kirk the opportunity to meet new people and learn how to make friends fast.   Kirk graduated with honors from the School of Management at the University of Massachusetts before entering the business world with Enterprise Rent A Car.  At UMASS Kirk met his future wife, and after running an airport branch of the company, he his wife settled down in Denver, Colorado. This is where Kirk was introduced to real estate and where he began working at the corporate headquarters of RE/MAX International as a franchise consultant. Kirk has now decided to become a fulltime agent and took his real estate licensing course at Armbrust Real Estate Institute, a RealtyU^® real estate school in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

While attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pamela was hired as a contract furniture salesperson for the Commercial Interiors Division of the Joseph Horne Company, a prestigious, 120 year old department store in downtown Pittsburgh. After five years Pamela was hired by Kittinger to open and manage a 5,000 sq. ft. showroom in the Michigan Design Center and later a showroom in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. Her strong selling skills came through and Pamela sold more than two million dollars of furniture per year by calling on interior designers, architects, high end retail stores, hotels and universities. She even did custom designed furniture for the Jeddah and Riyadh palaces of the Saudi Arabia royal family. The furniture business changed in the 1990’s due to overseas manufacturers producing very cost effective product and it became increasingly difficult to sell expensive, fine quality, American made furniture.  Discouraged Pamela felt that she had to enter a new industry that couldn’t be mass produced in other countries and real estate became the obvious choice.  She moved to Florida, attended the IFREC Real Estate School, the RealtyU^® Affiliate in Florida, and started her career with RE/MAX in Stuart Florida.