Photo courtesy of ERA Real Estate

A longtime leader in the state’s residential real estate industry has been recognized by her brokerage’s parent real estate company by naming her to its “Hall of Fame.”

Joanne Breen, former broker-owner of ERA Sargis-Breen Real Estate Co., was one of only four brokers to make the cut this year among ERA’s many affiliated agents and companies around the world. The Hall of Fame, the company said in its announcement, “honors affiliated individuals and companies who have consistently earned high levels of recognition and made exceptional contributions to the culture and history of the ERA brand over the decades.”

Breen was formally honored at the ERA brand’s 2023 conference this week in Las Vegas. Other inductees were Francois Gagnon, president of ERA Europe; the late H. Thayne Houston, formerly principal broker at ERA Brokers Consolidated in St. George, Utah; and Jim Napier, president and principal broker at Napier Realtors ERA in Richmond, Virginia

“This year’s ERA Hall of Fame inductees have played a significant role in helping to create the collaborative spirit and culture of the ERA network,” ERA Real Estate President and CEO Sherry Chris said in a statement. “Joanne, Francois, Thayne and Jim are all industry trailblazers, respected leaders and icons within Team ERA. They have taken the tools, learning resources and support from the ERA brand along with their entrepreneurial spirit to create successful businesses. Their induction into the ERA Hall of Fame is well-deserved and a tribute to their accomplishments, dedication and the impact they have made to shape the network and the industry. Congratulations to all of this year’s inductees!”

Breen affiliated with ERA in 1979 and rose to become broker-owner at ERA Sargis-Breen before selling it in 2020. She continues to practice real estate at the firm, now called ERA Hart Sargis Breen, as a broker associate.

She has been active for a long time in the Greater Hartford and Connecticut Association of Realtors, serving terms as the annual presidents of each group in 2016 and 2020, respectively and being named the Greater Hartford Realtor of the year in 2018 and the statewide Realtor of the year in 2021. She chairs the Connecticut association’s legislative committee and is a member of both the National Association of Realtors’ board of directors and the 2023 Region 1 vice president on NAR’s executive committee. She was formerly a member of the NAR Safety Advisor Committee.

“I am humbled to be inducted into the ERA Hall of Fame Class of 2022. As an ERA affiliate for over 40 years, the brand has been a significant part of my life and really an extended family for me. The success and growth I’ve experienced could not have happened without the support of my fellow affiliates and the ERA brand,” Breen said in a statement.