Florida Realtors® Honors Award Winners at Convention: Cynthia Shelton Named 2010 Realtor of the Year

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Florida Realtors® recognized Cynthia Shelton, CCIM, CRE and CIPS, and the 2009 president of Florida Realtors, as 2010 Realtor of the Year. CCIM, CRE and CIPS are special designations awarded upon completion of required courses that provide additional training and expertise; they stand for Certified Commercial Investment Member, Counselor of Real Estate and Certified International Property Specialist, respectively.

The Realtor of the Year award – one of several – was presented at the state association's recent 94th annual Convention & Trade Expo at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. "All I can say is thank you," a visibly surprised Shelton said upon accepting the award. "Aren't you proud to be Florida Realtors?"

"Cynthia Shelton is an able and capable person who enables others," 2010 Florida Realtors President Wendell Davis said upon announcing Shelton's honor.

Florida Realtors has presented both the Realtor of the Year and Associate Realtor of the Year awards for more than 50 years. Winners are honored as the greatest individual lifetime contributors to their local Realtor board, community, state association and the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Shelton dedicated many hours to Florida Realtors, and in 2009 oversaw an organizational shift as the Florida Association of Realtors rebranded itself under its new name: Florida Realtors. During her year serving as state president, Shelton played a pivotal role in convincing the Florida Legislature to create a short-term loan program that allowed first-time homebuyers to use their $8,000 federal tax credit as a downpayment on a home. In addition, she spearheaded the debut of a real estate-related scholarship program offered by Florida Realtors under the new non-profit Florida Realtors Education Foundation Inc.

A commercial member of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association (ORRA) and director of investment sales with Colliers International, Shelton has chaired many national, state and local Realtor committees. She also served as national president of the CCIM Institute, the largest network for commercial real estate professionals. She is one of only two women to hold that office. Named one of the top women in commercial real estate, Shelton has been an active member of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) since 1999, and an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), as well as a member of the ICSC and CCIM faculty.

Shelton has served on the National Association of Realtors' (NAR) Board of Directors for most of the past 25 years, and she is currently the slated candidate for 2011 Region 5 regional vice president. She currently serves Florida Realtors as immediate past president and over the years, she has chaired or served on more than 23 state association committees. Before joining ORRA as her local association, Shelton was a member of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors (GTAR), where she served on most committees and as president in 1994.

Associate Realtor of the Year

Florida Realtors honored Eric Sain as Associate Realtor of the Year. Sain works with The Corcoran Group in Palm Beach, and is a member of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches and the Palm Beach Board of Realtors.

Sain participates in many Florida Realtor programs, from chairing committees to volunteering as a key contact, a program that pairs a Realtor with a state lawmaker to promote working relationships. In 2009 alone, Sain worked with nine separate Florida Realtors committees or groups; since 2003, he's served on at least 66. In 2007, Sain's service with NAR began, and has since served on two NAR committees each year.

At the local level, Sain held leadership positions in two associations simultaneously. In 2010 he served as president of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches (RAPB); at the same time, he was secretary and a board member with the Palm Beach Board of Realtors. Since 2000 when Sain was named the Palm Beaches' "Rookie of the Year," he has served or chaired more than 54 local association committees or groups.

In his spare time, Sain devotes energy to local charities, notably the YMCA, which he says "shaped the adult that I am today." Through YMCA programs, he has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Junior Achievement, and worked with a number of other charities. He also chairs the RAPB Foundation, a group created during his presidency to bridge the gap between Realtors and the general public.

Realtor Achievement Award

Florida Realtors honored Phyllis Choy, president of the Jupiter-Tequesta-Hobe Sound Association, with the 2010 Realtor Achievement Award, which recognizes a Realtor who serves as manager, broker of record, or officer in his or her company. Choy is director of sales with Water Pointe Realty Group in Jupiter. Prior to becoming president, Choy served on almost every local association committee. Choy also is active with Florida Realtors, and has served on at least 10 state committees.

A dedication to her community also defines Choy, and she's known for her fund-raising activities. She either organized or assisted in creating and delivering 50 food baskets to needy families last Thanksgiving; gathering hundreds of gifts for needy children at Christmas; working with underprivileged children at Thelma Pittman Children's Christmas Program; and Habitat for Humanity.

Commercial Realtor Achievement Award

Florida Realtors debuted its newest award this year – the Commercial Realtor Achievement Award – and presented it to two commercial Realtors: Maurice (Moe) Veissi, a principal with Miami-based Veissi & Associates Inc. and 2002 Florida Realtors president; and William (Bill) Eshenbaugh, president of Eshenbaugh Land Company in Tampa Bay.

A member of the newly named Miami Realtors®, formerly the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches, Veissi has an extensive resume of service to the Realtor community. In addition to serving as a Florida Realtors' past president and Realtor of the Year in 2003, he currently is the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) First Vice President; Veissi becomes president of the nation's largest Realtor organization in 2012.

At the local level, Veissi has served on more than 32 committees and forums for his Miami association. In addition to a number of charities, he also founded Florida Realtors Silent Angels Charitable Foundation, which provides funds, supplies and services to individuals who are making a determined effort to get back on their feet, yet need a helping hand.

Eshenbaugh was named Florida "Land Broker of the Year" in three separate years – 1996, 1998 and 2002. In 2003, he received the Land Realtor of America award. A member of the Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors, he has a rich history of honors at the local level. Not only does Eshenbaugh work to advance commercial Realtor concerns, he has been a senior instructor for Realtor Land Institute (RLI) courses; taught as a commercial and land instructor; and been a featured speaker at Realtor events.

Eshenbaugh also gives back to the community by providing a number of student scholarships. His first scholarship, named for his mother, honors her memory as a teacher, and he added his father's name to it after he passed away. Eshenbaugh and his wife Lynda Keever provide scholarships to students at Florida College; they participate in a separate scholarship program that honor his wife's parents; they provide a scholarship for a master's degree student in the Florida Statue University (FSU) College of Business; and they fund a scholarship for the FSU College of Social Sciences.

Humanitarian of the Year Award

The 2010 Humanitarian of the Year award winner proves that Realtors make a difference in communities. A member of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors, Connie Johnson of Brandon, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential, dedicates 15 hours per week to refurbish homes, improve neighborhoods and help people who have nowhere else to turn. As president for Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay (RTTB) in 2009, Johnson completed over 70 homes for families living in deplorable conditions. As part of that drive, she refurbished 22 homes in historic West Tampa in partnership with the NFL during the Super Bowl.

Johnson's goal was simple: Make a difference in a single community with desperate needs. To make the dream come true, Johnson coordinated the city, county and 800 volunteers, using political contacts to secure city and county grants.

When not helping people in need, Johnson focuses on animals. She currently serves as vice president of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, the chair of the Hillsborough County Animal Advisory board and founder of Florida Big Dog Rescue. As a direct result of Johnson's efforts, the euthanasia of dogs and cats is down 44 percent, and pet adoptions have increased 150 percent. Other efforts have boosted animal health care and provided pet food to owners who could no longer afford it.

Johnson has also served Florida Realtors in numerous capacities. In 2008, she received the RPAC Lifetime Achievement Award for her political efforts, and currently serves as vice chair of the Fundraising Forum.

Other Florida Realtor award winners this year:

Environmental "Envy" Award: Oakland Park in Winter Garden, Florida

Education – Individual Achievement: Cynthia Logan, Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte-North Port Association of Realtors

Realtor Institute Scholastic Achievement: Martin Cohen, GRI, South Broward Board of Realtors

Florida Realtor Magazine Best Article: Kim Rivers, Tallahassee Board of Realtors, for the article, "Share Local Trends"

Florida Realtor Magazine Editorial Excellence:

• Sylvia Golden Norris, Sarasota Association of Realtors, for the article, "Flips That May Flop"

• Adrian Waring, Cape Coral Association of Realtors, for the article, "YouTube for Your Business"

Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 115,000 members in 67 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at http://media.floridarealtors.org.

SOURCE Florida Realtors