Century 21 is a true family affair

TICONDEROGA | The cheery little yellow building near the monument has its porch door open on this particular September afternoon, offering a sense of invitation and hospitality. The breeze enters into the office, while the sounds of the local traffic circling relentlessly remind those inside of the hustle and bustle a small town is capable of producing. However, they rarely need a reminder- the doors of Century 21 have been opened for many decades in the community, and have kept Angela Brown and her family busy as they have overseen generations of locals purchase homes. "I have had the parents, their children, and now the grandchildren come through our doors," says Brown, current owner and broker of Century 21. "It's really fun, but It's a hard job; you are 24/7. It's a job you absolutely have to enjoy to be able to do it." Now in its 38th year of existence and nearly 30 years under ownership of Brown's family, Century 21 was originally started in 1984 by Bob Condit. A few years shy of a decade later, the stars were aligning for a change of hands. Joan Miller, having been employed with Dr. Brennan for 25 years, was looking to make a career change; Condit was also looking for a different endeavor. Miller obtained her real estate license and purchased Century 21 from her friend Condit. "I wanted to be independent," Miller states simply of her motivation into entering into the world of real estate. In her time as a real estate agent, Miller was awarded the Warren County Association Realtor of the Year, we well as being President of the Board, and numerous other professional accolades and titles over the years. Miller then asked her daughter, Angela, if she too would be interested in getting her real estate license- turns out she was. Brown entered into the family business in 1994 and eventually purchased it from her mother. Twenty-eight years later, she is now the powerhouse behind the operation that continues to grow and adapt to an ever-changing world and market. "When I first bought the business from my mother, my children were entering into college, and also that year I was diagnosed with breast cancer," the mother of four says. "Balancing that, taking over a business and going through breast cancer, while getting kids through college, was a challenge," she attests. Surviving all three huge life events, Brown went on to find her footing and success, being honored with the Centurian Award for six years in a row. "A lot of it is positive attitude," she says of her personal and professional victories. In addition to Brown, the team roster for Century 21 now boasts her son Jarrod Sammis and daughter-in-law Sara Gallipo-Sammis, making it truly family owned and operated three decades later. Jarrod Sammis officially joined his mother a year and a half ago, though he has had his hands in the mix since his days at Castleton University. A 2013 graduate with a major in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Political Science, Sammis ushered Century 21 into the dawn of social networking, which at that point in time was still in its infancy for businesses. "One of my projects as part of my Integrative Marketing Communications Senior Thesis was to develop an integrated marketing communications plan with a business," recalls Sammis. "I worked with my mom's office to upgrade to a centralized email system and website, developed a marketing plan, things of that nature," he explains. "I used technology to help move the business forward." In addition to his role at Century 21, Sammis, a Castleton resident, is also currently running for the Vermont State Assembly. Regardless of the outcome, he intends to always keep a toe in the family business. "We have ten toes," he jokes affably. Brown's husband, Bill, is also in the process of getting his commercial drone license to assist in showings, with a predicted launch date in 2023. "We are taking the family business and supercharging everything," Sammis says, noting the clients will have more options to work with. "Some of these homes, regular photos don't do them justice," he points out. "Drone videos truly help bring out the beauty of certain properties and really shows their sheer scale." Both Brown and Sammis acknowledge that, like any other business, issues between staff do arise from time to time. However, the benefit of working closely with family is they have found their biggest strength lies in the communication they have developed over the years. "You have to have patience like you have to have with any other employee," Brown says. "Obviously issues will arise here and there, but that's normal and will happen in any working environment. Here between these walls, we are all family, and the reward is that much sweeter because everyone shares in it." She acknowledges that her long-term non-family employees are also considered family in her eyes and that working for decades with the same individuals has created an ever-lasting bond that transcends blood. "You can't keep things buried down; people have to be able to talk about issues," Sammis says. "You have to work things out in a professional environment to succeed. Everyone has assigned roles and we all have to talk to each other." Sammis adds that the conflict resolution skills the team has developed over time and not having the luxury of being able to be petty all contribute to Century 21 running as a well-oiled machine. "As a result, it leads to better performance," he assures. "It also leads to openness for additional ideas and brainstorming amongst us." Century 21 had the honor and privilege of working with hundreds of members of the community, finding their ideal homes and making domestic dreams a reality. "We help provide people the tools to get to the next chapter of their lives and help facilitate those changes," he says thoughtfully. "Purchasing a home is a transition to another time. Regardless of whatever job you have, at the end of the day when you go home its where you raise your family, where you have your dinner, where you sleep; we really are providing such a necessary human service to folks so that we can help them move on to next chapters. You see the changes and the growth in the community as a result of it." Both Brown and Sammis are insistent that it's crucial to the success of Century 21 to maintain the human element in the industry. With an influx of online real estate sites that allow people to literally buy and sell without ever meeting an agent, Brown and Sammis believe something gets lost in the experience in the absence of guidance and agent support. "It's an interesting balance trying to utilize technology but at the same time maintain the human aspect of it," says Sammis. "In reality, real estate isn't just about paperwork- it's about building relationships; without those relationships, we can't truly understand what our clients need." As Brown looks to the future, she foresees becoming personally more involved within the Ticonderoga Community. The Hometown Heros Banner Program, started six years ago, holds particular poignance for her. "It's very near and dear to me with my husband being a veteran," she says. "It's been very personally rewarding to myself and my husband." The program currently has 238 veterans flying around town. "We are also going to be getting more involved with the American Legion. They need a new roof, so my next endeavor is going to be working with PRIDE and different organizations to raise funds for that." At the end of the day, it's the people and the interactions with the clients that have kept Century 21 going. Miller, the original queen bee now 87 years old, says she found that in order to be successful, it was imperative to have integrity and be honest, as well as being a little aggressive. "Meeting the people, finding the home they wanted, and building lifelong relationships with them is what I liked best," reflects Miller. "It's the people I miss the most."

Signup for our newsletter

Century 21 is a true family affair

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS