With more than 30 special events under its belt cultivating relationships and sales; a YouTube channel with pro-quality videos to fuel marketing; and a second location 1,400 miles away, integrator of the year Wipliance stays very busy.

CEPRO Magazine 
June 2019 Cover Story

When Lee Travis, owner of Seattle-area integration firm Wipliance, explains what makes his company special, he mentions not the topnotch technology that’s offered or the high caliber of installations completed — although both are stellar — but rather how his company is constantly changing and evolving to build and expand its business.

In just over a decade the company has developed some serious marketing chops and a bold business strategy — both of which have helped it land many industry accolades, not to mention some impressive sales stats.

Recently honored by the Consumer Technology Association and CE Pro as the 2019 TechHome Mark of Excellence Integrator of the Year, Wipliance recorded annual revenue of $5.6 million from 151 custom installs last year. It is also one of the most efficient systems integration businesses in the industry, producing $230,000 in revenue per employee from a staff of 20.

The 13-year-old company has never been one to rest on its laurels, though. Ever innovative in its marketing approaches and stalwart in its business practices, Wipliance thrives on its willingness and ability to tackle new challenges. It’s a commitment that has created clear-cut differentiation from the competition and helped build a glowing reputation among customers, vendors and business partners.

By RSIR Staff | December 5, 2015

On December 1^st, 2015 more than 150 real estate brokers and employees from Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty (RSIR) gathered for the first annual Momentum Real Estate Forum. In addition to passionate addresses by members of the RSIR executive team, the dynamic symposium welcomed third party guest companies including Apple, Rezora, Wipliance, The Puget Sound Business Journal, Travels Through Images, O’Conner Consulting Group, Caliber Home Loans, AdSage, Tiger Oak Publication and a special keynote presentation by Steve Games, Chairman of the Board for San Diego-based Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty.

The event highlights included:

• Opening Address by Dean Jones, RSIR President & CEO – Dean described RSIR as a positive disruption in the status-quo of real estate citing examples of industry leading innovations, many of which are exclusive to RSIR. Challenging brokers to “be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he urged the audience to move beyond the typical approaches in order to differentiate and resist commoditization. RSIR is contributing to a paradigm shift in the landscape no differently than how UBER, Airbnb, Alibaba, Facebook and Apple changed theirs. The presentation concluded with a video by Apple entitled “See Things Differently.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ1SDXbij8Y]

• Brand in Motion by Andrea Savage, RSIR Vice President of Marketing – Marketing highlights from 2015 were presented in addition to the significant growth experienced with the website traffic (far greater than the competitive set), blog exposure and numerous accomplishments not limited to campaigns including #NoPlaceLikeOwn and RSIRWaterfront.com. Additionally, Savage presented key strategies for 2016, which again included highly effective and exclusive platforms that only RSIR brokers are able to leverage.

• RSIR Agent Panel – Success Stories – Stacy Jones, RSIR Owner and Vice President led a discussion with top agents Becky Gray, Christina Roberts, Carrie DeBuys, Enrico Pozzo and Scott Wasner. Brokers discussed their strategies for building a successful business, from following-through and providing a “one-stop-shop” to communication and implementing RSIR’s unique marketing materials. A consistent theme was the importance of differentiation and exclusivity as RSIR brokers continue to set themselves away from the pack.

• Technology: The Next Generation – A collection of innovative companies presented to RSIR brokers including special guests Josh Hartnett and Cory Hutton from Apple, who presented exciting updates and showcased tips and tricks for using their products. Scott Gustlin, VP of Operations for Rezora, highlighted how successful RSIR newsletters and campaigns have been performing and The Puget Sound Business Journal announced the renewal of RSIR’s exclusive Home of the Day platform, which is driving nearly 6% of the web traffic to this multi-media juggernaut. Also, Lee Travis, Owner of Wipliance, the preferred audio/visual provider to RSIR, presented a collection of ways to add value to listings and announced a new broker rewards program.

• Operations: 2015 Productivity & Growth – The RSIR Operations team led by Michael X. Ford, Designated Broker and Chris Loeliger, Managing Broker Eastside presented on new updates and plans for the coming year. Highlights included dramatic increases in broker count, sales volumes and market share year-over-year as well as numerous significant sales and referral activity. The growing team consists of Lori Burge, CFO; Lisa Villareal, Transaction Coordinator; Karen Vang, Controller; and Brian Leddo, Commissions Coordinator.
• Social Media – RSIR Social Media Director Ashley Breunich discussed best practices before engaging a panel of agents with the help of Ian Rosenberg, RSIR’s Online Marketing Strategist. The panel consisted of the following agents who have established a strong social media presence: Brian Hopper, Cassie Daughtrey, Sue Eller, Vicki Jackson and Aaron Gazes. Each of these brokers offered advice for posting, shared insights on their favorite social media platforms, provided success stories and attended to questions from the audience.

• Evoker Films: Video is the New Black — Dean Jones and Andrea Savage took the stage once more for a sneak preview of the Evoker Films and to announce the official release of the campaign. A separate screen room was set up, complete with popcorn and libations for the RSIR team to experience the broker profile series. The firm will have a total of 39 films when complete, presenting a new way for potential clients to get to know agents. Meet our brokers >>