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October 3, 2023
SHEBOYGAN – The building at 701 N. 8th St. in Sheboygan has quite the history.
Built in 1880, it has been home to the Beckman Hotel, the A.F.W. Woolworth Building and, until about eight years ago, Johnson Bank.
Today, real estate agency Keller Williams Empower now calls the historic building home – moving in last month.
Tricia Brost, broker associate and operating principle, said the move was prompted by the need for a bigger office.
With the move, Brost said Keller Williams was able to bring some ancillary, yet necessary aspects of the business, together with the real estate company – which includes a title company, a property management group, an insurance provider – who does insurance and financial services – and a lender.
Being able to bring all the pieces together, Brost said, makes the location a full, all-in-one convenient place to start and finish the search for a house, rental, land or builder.
This, she said, is what “empowers” the KW team and the community they seek to help.
Brost said when it comes to a competitive real estate market, “innovation is the name of the game.”
“We wanted to be innovative and thought it would simplify the client experience,” she said. “Now when tenants come in to pay their rent – which a lot of them still do – they can stop at a lender to get pre-approved. We’ve got them right here. Even better, once they do get pre-approved, then they can talk to an agent or find out about the steps to buying their first home.”
So far, Brost said, the feedback KW Empower has received has been positive and engaging.
“For example, instead of making a phone call and waiting, now we can walk to the next office and ask about home insurance or lending,” she said. “So, that’s nice.”
Brost said the space also allows for an educational component of the business – with room for client events, meetings and training.
“We’ve got a nice classroom area in the back where we’re going to have buyer and seller seminars,” she said. “We also wanted space that agents can feel comfortable coming in and grabbing a table, or bringing clients in. We want to also offer career nights for new agents. Now, we have the space to do it.”
Looking at other properties at the time, Brost said the building at 701 N. 8th St. fell into their lap.
“It had been vacant for quite a while, so it was a win-win,” she said. “It’s nice to have the energy and see the people walking on a street and popping in and asking questions about real estate.”
What does empower mean?
Brost said each Keller Williams location is independently owned and has their own name to fit the area – Green Bay has Keller Williams Green Bay, Milwaukee has Keller Williams North Shore and Keller Williams Prestige.
This, she said, gives each location its own identity.
“We chose Empower because we do work in areas outside of Sheboygan,” she said. “The company empowering our agents fits with our training of empowering ourselves for individual growth and community growth.”
Keller Williams Empower held an official ribbon cutting at its new location late last month. Submitted Photo
The name, Brost said, also encompasses a broad range of services Keller Williams Empower provides.
Agents sell residential and commercial properties, as well as land.
“There’s somebody for any type of client,” she said.
Brost said the Keller Williams company sets itself apart with its training.
“It’s what makes KW unique – highly trained and knowledgeable agents for all types of scenarios,” she said.
From buying to selling and everything in between, Brost said “so much can happen in real estate.”
“(Through the KW training program), we can get an agent plugged in right away so they can learn the job while they’re working,” she said.
Brost said there are 19 agents affiliated with KW Empower.
“And then we are what’s called a business center, which is an offshoot of the KW Green Bay Market Center,” she said. “So, in total, we have about 161 agents – with about 20 out of the Sheboygan area (directly).”
To celebrate its new location, KW Empower held an official grand opening celebration Sept. 29.
For more on Keller Williams Empower, visit thebgteam.com.
