This is one of those stories that brings me full circle with much joy. I have known Russ Anderson a long time. We first met back in 2015, when he was on the other side of the real estate business, in mortgages as CEO of Guardian Mortgage, an early Daltxrealestate.com sponsor. I was impressed then with his immense mortgage and finance knowledge, which is probably the greatest background one could have to morph into the other side, as a Realtor. And morph he did when he joined Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s three years ago at, frankly, a tough time, one of the most competitive eras in the history of Dallas brokerages. Tough times test a leader’s mettle: Russ Anderson steered through, drawing on the strength of his incredible background. Which brings us to today.
Robbie Briggs, the CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, the leading luxury brokerage in North Texas, has just announced the promotion of Russ Anderson to president of the firm.
Anderson, formerly the brokerage’s chief operating officer, will lead the company in strategy, business planning, budgeting and its day-to-day operations, including sales, marketing, relocation services, finance, technology and operations. Anderson joined the brokerage in 2018, with more than 30 years of experience and achievements in finance, banking and sales management. Briggs will lead the brokerage in mission, vision, values, property developments, new business and strategic initiatives.
Briggs and Anderson have been a real dynamic duo. Briggs tells me that they have restructured the company, grown its marketing offerings for agents, strengthened its finance department and invested in new technology and connectivity — “making everyone’s job more efficient,” he says. “We have given our agents all kinds of new tools, and we’ve moved some of our offices to more convenient, more visible and more exciting locations.” (I have toured its new Dallas headquarters at 3131 Turtle Creek and it is a spectacular and fun place! The energy and light and views are outstanding. The brokerage also just relocated its Plano office to Legacy West and it is about to open its new relocated Fort Worth office, along the famous bricks of Camp Bowie Boulevard.)
The brand ambassador for the brokerage and a sought-after thought leader in real estate and business, Briggs joined the firm — founded by his father in the Park Cities in 1960 — in 1979, became its CEO in 1983 and, in 2010, aligned with Sotheby’s International Realty to create Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty. Today, the brokerage has more than 400 expert agents and has achieved multiple consecutive years of multibillion-dollar total sales volume. It is also one of the top 20 Sotheby’s International Realty affiliates in the U.S. for the $150 billion global network.
Briggs is clearly proud of his agents and his team, and his new president. “Working with Russ, I have learned that he brings a consistently positive attitude, each and every day. He has worked tirelessly to assure stability and leadership to the agents and staff of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty across the metroplex. He has been a great unifier and motivator to our team.”
The promotion comes at an exciting time for the brokerage, which realized an exceptional $2.45 billion in total residential sales volume in 2020 — a year of unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The brokerage employs world-class digital technology, agent tools and marketing strategies to optimize every experience for its clients and agents — including discovery, immersive virtual tours, transaction management and more. Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty is the only locally owned brokerage of its caliber, a valuable and proven benefit for its clientele.
Let me draw your attention to that last sentence: “the only locally-owned brokerage of its caliber.” That’s what I was talking about, how much the local brokerage scene has changed in Dallas in the last seven years. Yet Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s has held on, held strong, because it believed in itself and the incredible strength of being the this city’s only home-grown brokerage. That’s actually very powerful going forward as Dallas grows as quickly as it is growing. Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s retains the perfect blend of international connectivity through the great Sotheby’s brand, with the same high touch, personalized customer service every client received back in 1960.
