When Teresa King Kinney, RCE, CAE, retires at the end of this year, it will be as the co-CEO—with Dionna Hall, RCE—of the largest local REALTOR® association in the world. The merger of Miami REALTORS® and Broward, Palm Beaches and St. Lucie REALTORS® in May creates a new association with 93,000 total members. The name, Miami and South Florida REALTORS®, is pending approval by the National Association of REALTORS®.
A real estate icon, Kinney has spent 33 total years at Miami REALTORS® and 55 consecutive years leading two REALTOR® associations. Now, she shares some of the wisdom she’s gained along the way, including how “making it up as you go along” while “expecting the best” are key parts of a strategy that keeps any association nimble, innovative and growing.
Teresa, congratulations on your upcoming retirement. As you grew the association and helped put Miami on the map, can you talk about the turning point that shaped the association into what it is today?
It was mostly about focus, letting go of the rules and being action oriented.
For example, our first-ever Miami Global Real Estate Congress was a real stretch. No one had ever done anything like it. It was a risk and a big financial and resource commitment. When I presented it to the corporate board, I explained it and then said, “But we would like the flexibility to see where this takes us and see what we can come up with.” Here we are, after 28 wildly successful Global Congresses featuring hundreds of programs and thousands of international delegates throughout the years.
Around the same time, the board approved my request that new member services would stop going back and forth through a committee. They empowered us to do anything we could afford that we thought would benefit our members. Red-flag items were brought to the board for review and decision. We rocked it—and we still do.
Then, in 2003, we eliminated committees. Our six boards and thousands of members could just ask for seminar topics or MLS changes or services, and we would make them happen if possible. Leaders would say that before they were sure of an idea, we would have it implemented.
As you think back over these last three decades, what project are you most proud of?
One of the things I’m most proud of is how we supported, encouraged and nurtured our Miami [staff] professionals. We expected the best, created entrepreneurs, gave them wings and watched them excel and succeed. I’m also proud of our global initiatives. They started from a suggestion by a member, Matey Veissi, and were fueled by another idea by member, Jose Augusto Nunes, who asked, “Why don’t we sign agreements?” We negotiated our first global agreement with SECOVI-SP Brazil. Since then, we’ve grown to 28 Global Congresses, 300 Honorary Reciprocal Agreements and more than 100 inbound and outbound trade missions, expos and presentations. We’ve also established our award-winning Miami global headquarters, all aimed at marketing Miami worldwide and helping our members do business globally and connecting with our international partners.
How have you motivated and inspired your staff to lean into your vision?
It’s our vision—together we built it, and together we made it happen. It is a vision of who we are, who we can be and where we can go. It is not rigid or fixed—it keeps growing and evolving into things we never imagined we could do.
What stands out most from your time at Miami REALTORS®?
There is no other association in the world like Miami REALTORS®. There is no other city or market like ours—resilient, diverse, crazy and amazing. Our Chief of Communications, Chris Umpierre, has even curated news in the media about us that our members can use on social media and in presentations to demonstrate this, including number one World’s Leading Lifestyle Destination, number one U.S. Market for International Buyers, number one Best City for Foreign Investment and number one Happiest City in the U.S.
Do you have a funny memory you’d like to share?
So many, but more than 20 years ago, I decided our staff would do fuzzy slippers. Only one rule: They had to be funny! I found a great website for fuzzy slippers, called buyhappyfeet.com. We would designate Fuzzy Slipper Days, especially during billing and collection deadlines and holidays. Then I decided anyone could designate their own Fuzzy Slipper Time: Bad phone call? Project you don’t like to do? Just because? This has evolved into many who change into their fuzzies as soon as they arrive at work. We love them, our members love them, they make us all happy.
One day about 10 years ago, our concierge came to Deborah Boza-Valledor, our COO and chief marketing officer, and said there was a very angry member at the front desk demanding to see her. She put on her pink flamingo slippers with the big floppy necks and headed to the front in true Deborah style. The member looked down and up a few times, laughed and admitted he had forgotten what he wanted. It was funny, classic and very Miami.
Miami REALTORS® is often praised for its innovation. What do you and your staff do to help encourage innovative, out-of-the-box thinking?
We are innovation, creativity and ideas—that is who we are. Bonuses and recognition are for the exceptional, extraordinary, above-and-beyond that we do, and everyone takes part. All year long, we make notes for annual review time, and each staff professional also completes an Excellence Report. It is a self-assessment of top strengths and areas for improvement, but mostly “what have you done for us lately”: to make us money, save us money, eliminate steps and find ways to better serve the members and make them happy.
Another key component is a separate report from each person outlining recommendations for changes and improvements in anything we do across departments and activities—without boundaries or restrictions. Every year we receive dozens of ideas, many of which we can implement right away. Some lead to other changes or are combined for action. Ideas are embraced throughout the year and can be included in their next annual report.
What’s your secret to time management?
I used to be a perfectionist, and that takes a lot of time, which I don’t have. Give each project only what it is worth, considering the audience and shelf life. Sometimes good enough is good enough—then keep making it better.
People are often surprised at how quickly I respond to emails. Compared to old-school letters, which I hated, emails can be fast and informative. We can converse, collaborate and make decisions quickly—and have a record for reference.
Your favorite saying is, “Begin with the end in mind.” What was the end that you had in mind when you took on the CEO role at Miami REALTORS®, and how does it differ from the association as it is today?
In 1993, I could never have imagined where we would be, what we have accomplished and who we have become. Miami REALTORS® was always a great association. When I came, we had just under 5,000 members and a staff of 19; we could hold 40 people in our conference room; and the building was upside down with a mortgage to be refinanced.
We now have 60,000 members, 75 professionals and six full-service offices, four of which we own. In June 2024, we designed and built our 117,000-square-foot award-winning global headquarters. Our education and event floor has a 220-seat Conference Center of the Americas with a 75-foot stage and state-of-the-art technology. Our computer lab holds 65, and our training room holds 100 and can be expanded for receptions and trade shows, with a block-long terrace outside. We are the largest local REALTOR® association in the U.S. We now have more than 300 global partnerships worldwide, the largest association-owned MLS, the fourth largest overall MLS, the fifth largest commercial association and the most active YPN and Global YPN. We do more than 2,000 seminars and events a year, programming led by Chief of Innovative Education Letty Oliver, and we provide more than 200 products and services, most of which are free to our members. We have six leadership boards that meet quarterly, with 110 elected leaders and active ambassador programs for each. No, in 1993, I didn’t see all this coming. Every new program or initiative led to another—it’s been crazy wonderful.
Can you share your top piece of advice for associations looking to grow?
To win big, plan to win. Be willing to fail, but don’t fail big. Make sure your leaders are okay with trying new things, understanding that not all will succeed and that some will end up differently than planned. Always have a Plan B, C and all the way through the alphabet if needed—there’s more than one right answer. Be the best and expect the best. Never stop learning, innovating and creating. Focus on what’s important and remember: It’s always about the members.
Finally, what’s the first thing you want to do after you retire?
John and I will travel more, but we always love coming back to our amazing home in downtown Miami on the 29th floor with floor-to-ceiling unobstructed views of Biscayne Bay, the causeways, cruise ships, the beach and random fireworks displays throughout the year. All of Miami is just minutes away. We have been living a life we never even dreamed possible. Thanks, Miami REALTORS®. We love you!