Nelson Property Figure in Harcourts Hall of Fame

NEWS RELEASE

Respected Nelson Property Figure Inducted Into Prestigious Harcourts Hall of Fame

For Release: 26 May 2006

Well-known and respected Harcourts Nelson Business Owner, Paul Hedwig has been inducted into the Harcourts Hall of Fame as one of only eight members since it was launched in 2000 to recognise those who had made a significant contribution to the Harcourts brand. The announcement was made last week at a black tie dinner attended by 900 as the concluding event of Harcourts annual Conference held in Christchurch.

Described as “an inspired thinker”, Mr Hedwig was presented with a framed certificate and congratulated by other Hall of Fame members as well as Harcourts International Ltd Directors, Mike Green and Paul Wright. Reading the induction speech, Mr Wright reinforced that the prestigious Harcourts Hall of Fame members were recognised for their significant impact on not only their own business, but on Harcourts International as part of maintaining leadership in such a competitive industry.

Born and bred in Nelson, Paul Hedwig entered real estate in 1979, eventually moving into business ownership and partnership. In 1991 when Harcourts was undergoing franchising, Mr Hedwig and his then two partners becoming the first Harcourts franchise owners in the South Island.

With staff retention one of the major ongoing challenges in the industry, Mr Hedwig is recognised industry-wide for attracting and maintaining a powerful team of independent, long-term, and highly successful business individuals. Some team members have been with him since day one and over time he has grown from six to over 20 salespeople with 200 years of real estate experience between them. His team covers residential, commercial, rural, lifestyle, developments, business broking, and auction.

Highly regarded by his peers, in 2002 Mr Hedwig was elected as one of two South Island representatives on the Harcourts Franchise Council. Two years later Mr Hedwig opened an office in Golden Bay following shortly afterwards with the purchase of Harcourts Richmond with partners, which he was originally involved in launching some years ago before selling it.

Mr Hedwig was also noted for being the first Harcourts Hall of Fame inductee from outside of a major city, and was recognised for his extraordinary leadership in maintaining such dominance despite the extraordinary changes Nelson’s market had experienced in recent years.

As well as business leadership, Mr Hedwig and his team have also been committed fundraisers for the community raising tens of thousands of dollars for various causes over the years.

Following the unexpected announcement of his induction into the Harcourts Hall of Fame, Mr Hedwig thanked Harcourts and said he was privileged to “be working with the best brand in New Zealand”. He also reinforced the importance of staying focused as the key to running an exceptional business.

Harcourts CEO, Bryan Thomson said, “Paul Hedwig is an absolute stalwart of our group who proves that succeeding and working as a total professional with a global business outlook doesn’t require a big city base. Paul Hedwig is one of our most insightful senior members who has willingly contributed so much to ensure the ongoing success of Harcourts over the years. We are privileged to be able to recognize that contribution as our newest Harcourts Hall of Fame member.”

ENDS

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