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Sereno Group Announces the 2017 Joanne Knapp Community Service Award and Sereno Group Spirit Award Recipients
Beginning this year, Sereno Group will recognize two recipients in each category to better represent its growth in the regions of Silicon Valley and the Santa Cruz Coastal area. The contributions made in each region have been significant and the company felt it best represents the spirit of each award.
Associates Diane Schmitz of Sereno Group Los Altos and Jennifer Lyng Watson of Santa Cruz, received the company’s Joanne Knapp Community Service Award for 2017. CT Harris, associate of Sereno Group Los Gatos, and Michael Bloch, associate of Sereno Group Santa Cruz, have been awarded the Sereno Group Spirit Award for 2017.
The Joanne Knapp Community Service Award is given each year to an associate who exemplifies Sereno Group’s spirit of proactive community connectedness and involvement through thought, spirit, and action. The award is in honor of Joanne Knapp, one of Sereno Group’s original associates who had a long history as a well respected and beloved Realtor in Santa Clara. Joanne was instrumental in the early phases of Sereno Group’s community-minded, values driven business model and acted as a trusted advisor to the founders.
“Both Diane and Jennifer have had a tremendous impact on their local communities through giving time, effort, and love,” said Ryan Iwanaga, Co-Founder and EVP of Sereno Group, “Each has contributed in their own special way. Diane has been one of the earliest leaders of our 1% for Good movement in Los Altos and, because of her leadership, we have had a direct positive impact within the community. We have grown into one of the most impactful charitable contributors in our market and it is because of Diane’s compassion and effort. Jennifer has also impacted the local coastal community by serving on various community organizations and has worked tirelessly to support youth sports and activities. She has been involved at the civic level through volunteerism, thoughtfulness, and dedication. Both are the embodiment of what Joanne Knapp represented to Sereno Group.”
Jennifer Watson
Diane Schmitz
The Sereno Group Spirit Award is given each year to an associate who embodies Sereno Group’s ideals of high integrity and responsible real estate practice, selflessness, and a commitment to the communities we serve. The award was inspired by Sallie Morgan, a legendary and admired Realtor in the Silicon Valley who made significant contributions to Sereno Group’s growth and success.
“Like the Joanne Knapp award recipients, both C.T. and Michael exemplify what the Sereno Group Spirit Award is about,” Iwanaga continued, “They both possess tremendous character, have the highest regard for the profession and their colleagues, and are dedicated to the profession as well as their families. They were both so deserving of the award. I think the fact they both were completely taken off guard and surprised by the recognition is a testament as to why they were chosen. Both C.T. and Michael are beloved and respected by everyone at Sereno Group and the real estate community at large. They are wonderful examples of the ideal at Sereno Group.”
Mike Bloch
Sereno Group Named Bay Area Top Workplace for the Ninth Consecutive Year
LOS GATOS, CA –June 22, 2018. For the 9th consecutive year, Sereno Group has been named one of the best places to work in the greater Bay Area by the Bay Area News Group in its prestigious Top Workplaces 2018 list. Ranking third in the Midsize Companies category, Sereno Group stands alone as the only real estate company to be honored since the inception of the award in 2010.
CEO Chris Trapani, along with his childhood friend and business partner, EVP Ryan Iwanaga, started Sereno Group with the hopes of creating a disruptive player in the industry, and a company dedicated to community. Since 2006, Sereno Group along with its 400 Realtor associates and staff has proudly served the Bay Area community through residential real estate sales and, most importantly, through the philanthropic efforts of their 1% for Good campaign.
“We are tremendously honored to be recognized as a Top Workplace for the 9th consecutive year,” said Trapani, “We have always strived to create a place where people feel good and understand the deeper purpose of our mission. The recognition is a testament to the efforts of everyone within Sereno Group to be part of something greater than the individual.”
Sereno Group proudly shares the Top Workplaces Midsize Companies stage with Silicon Valley industry leaders like GoDaddy, 23andMe, Mission Hospice & Homecare, the San Francisco 49ers, and many more. The annual profile identifies the top 100 places to work in the Bay Area’s Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, and Santa Cruz counties. Originally recognized in 2010 on the small-size company list (50-150 employees), Sereno Group has received the recognition on the medium-size company list (150-499 employees) for the past five years.
The Bay Area News Group, which owns the San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times and other media properties, selects Top Workplace winners based on an annual survey of Bay Area company employees, measuring employee engagement, organizational health, satisfaction and company culture. The employee survey is conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement.
About Sereno Group:
Open since July 1, 2006, Sereno Group Real Estate has quickly established itself as a market leader by continually attracting top producing agents in the Silicon Valley. During this time, Sereno Group has achieved the highest per agent productivity for residential real estate brokers in the counties it serves. In 2017, Sereno Group closed over $3.4 billion in sales, a 27% increase in volume from the previous year. Also in 2017, the company’s 1% for Good charitable movement donated $516,000 to local charities and community-minded organizations and Sereno Group was recognized as one of the top 50 most philanthropic corporations in the Bay Area. The company, which has been ranked the #1 Best Place to Work in the Bay Area for six years, now has nine offices located in Palo Alto, Los Altos, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Willow Glen, Santa Cruz, Westside Santa Cruz, and Aptos. The 350 agents of Sereno Group serve the Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties and points beyond. For more information, please visit: www.serenogroup.com.
