My Team VP

ERA Team VP Real Estate & Vacation Rentals recently launched a bold new brand campaign featuring a new tagline: “Teamwork. Trust. Results.”

Pictured left to right: ERA Real Estate Vice President of Broker Services, Stephanie Reyna; ERA Team VP Leadership Team, Denise Whipp, Rita White, Rachael Wiley-Steffen, Hanna Soffel Briggs, Mary Beth Holt, and Bill Soffel.

“We tasked ourselves with developing a tagline consistent with our brand which speaks to our commitments to the markets in which we serve,“ states Rachael Wiley-Steffen, Director of Corporate Marketing & Vacation Rental Management. “Together, we are building greater relationships and opportunities for success within the Real Estate and Vacation Rental markets.”

This tagline “Teamwork. Trust. Results.” includes three foundational terms that convey the mission and vision of ERA Team VP, while encompassing what the Real Estate & Vacation Rental firm strives to provide on a daily basis for staff, agents, and customers alike.

The tagline emerged from an in-depth process of strategic planning executed by the ERA Team VP leadership team.

“What excites me most about adding “Teamwork. Trust. Results.” to the ERA Team VP brand, is the process we used to develop this new tagline. Every single member of our team, from sales and rental agents, to support staff, to leadership, contributed ideas and feedback about who we are as an organization,” said Bill Soffel, President/CEO. “I truly believe that “Teamwork. Trust. Results.” is a genuine reflection of what ERA Team VP is all about, and is also what we strive to achieve for our clients and customers every single day.”

The evolved brand follows a successful year for ERA Team VP, as the firm achieved a record number of closed sales transactions in 2015. Additionally, fully integrating all real estate agents to the ZAP platform, a new innovative online website and contact management system.

First unveiled for staff and agents at the annual ERA Team VP Year End Awards Banquet, held this past month at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca NY, the new brand tagline has already been rolled out across the company’s online platforms including social media and electronic communications, as well as multiple printed publications. Updates to other brand touch points are also underway and will continue through 2016.

For more information about ERA Team VP Real Estate & Vacation Rentals visit www.MyTeamVP.com or call 800-789-2600.

 

Dale Sandberg was awarded ERA Team VP’s First In Service nomination for January 2016. Sandberg has been a full-time real estate professional with ERA Team VP for 7 years and is a Top Gun graduate. He works out of the Chautauqua and Lakewood, NY offices, covering all areas of Chautauqua County. His selection for this honor was based on three sets of customer satisfaction survey results.

“Dale, even though suffering a surgery, still returned calls promptly and kept the ball rolling.” -Margaret H.

“An all around smooth, fast moving process. Barely felt like I was selling anything.” -Anthony S.

“Dale did an outstanding job keeping us updated of the progress and helping us find companies for things we needed to accomplish our requests. We had a great experience and will recommend Dale to others.” -James M.

“We have a super team at ERA,” Sandberg notes, “Armed with all the latest tools and technology to deliver world class service to our clients. We at ERA Team VP would not be successful without our valued clients & friends. It’s not just a transaction, it’s personal.”

For more information about ERA Team VP Real Estate and the real estate market in Western New York visit ERATeamVP.com, contact our Chautauqua office at (716) 789-2600, or call Dale Sandberg directly at (716) 397-8226.

 

Cuba, NY:

The local ERA Team VP Real Estate location has moved to a two-suite office at 24 Main Street in Cuba. Linda Simons, Associate Broker, says the agents are very excited about the move, and being in the center of all of the new activity in downtown Cuba. The new space is ideally set up to take advantage of the real estate industry’s trend toward more efficient and technology-based offices.
ERA Team VP Real Estate is owned by Bill Soffel, Broker. Besides Simons, ERA’s team of professional real estate agents includes Bill Shuler, Paul Conklin, Steve Bombardier and Sherry Wiedemann. ERA Team VP operates 11 office locations across the Southern Tier and Northwestern PA, and offers MLS multiple listing services through 5 different MLS providers across NY and PA.
ERA Real Estate is an innovative franchising leader in the residential real estate industry with 40 years’ experience in developing consumer-oriented products and services. The ERA network includes approximately 30,000 brokers and sales associates and approximately 2,400 offices throughout the United States and 35 countries and territories. Each office is independently owned and operated. ERA Real Estate is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global provider of real estate services. ERA Real Estate information is available at: ERA.com.

For more information about the real estate market in Cuba, NY, please call our office at 585-968-2113.

 

2015 has been a great year for us company-wide, for the first time in company history we have crossed the 1,000 transaction threshold, and currently, with just a few weeks left in the year, we are over $130 million dollars in sales volume: another record year for ERA Team VP Real Estate. We are approximately 8% ahead of last year and we’ve got great plans for 2016. We have our two newest offices that have been a part of our company, completing their first full year this year: Yorkshire and Bradford. I would like to acknowledge our two branch leaders in Yorkshire and Bradford, Rita White and Denise Whipp for doing a remarkable job integrating those two locations into the ERA Team VP family and also for exceeding our expectations and projections for those two offices in just their first year. We also have a new office location in our Cuba, NY market. We moved from a nice location right off the expressway into downtown Cuba, which is a vibrant and growing community with lots of great new commercial businesses opening. We have been very well received by the community in Cuba with our new location. Another big initiative that we have started, and have almost completed for this year, is our strategic planning process for 2016. We went to great efforts to get feedback from our agents and support team and that feedback was phenomenal, giving us great direction for 2016. We are very focused as a management team, working on our top 4 initiatives, and look forward to rolling those out at our awards banquet in early January of 2016. As we are about to wrap up the year, here in western New York we’ve have a very warm and snow-less December, but we did get some great snow in our Ellicottville market, our agents and team in Ellicottville are very excited to kick off the holidays! I’d like to wish all of our team a very Merry Christmas, a great holiday season and we’ll look forward to speaking with you again in early January!

-Bill Soffel, Broker/Owner

Jane Grice, local real estate agent with ERA Team VP Real Estate was recently named the 2015 REALTOR of the Year by the Chautauqua Cattaraugus Board of Realtors. Grice was honored at the 94th Annual Installation of Officer Dinner held at The Shorewood Country Club in Dunkirk, NY in November. The REALTOR of the Year award is a peer nomination based on the following criteria: involvement in the real estate industry at the local, state and national levels, civic activity, business accomplishments, and conduct and service to clients.

“The Realtor of the Year Award is a very well-deserved honor for Jane, and all of us at ERA are thrilled that she has received this recognition” said Bill Soffel, Broker/Owner of ERA Team VP Real Estate & Vacation Rentals. “Jane is the consummate professional, always going above and beyond to provide the very best in customer service to her clients and customers. She has also demonstrated a real commitment to supporting the Chautauqua County Board of Realtors, and to giving back to our community. I am very proud to be associated with Jane”.

Grice has been actively serving the Chautauqua Cattaraugus Board of Realtors since she joined in 1986. She has spent 7 years on the Professional Standards Committee, 6 years as the Chair of the Equal Opportunity Committee, and 4 years on the Membership and RPAC Committees. She has also served as a Director of the Board of Realtors for 8 years. Grice has held the position of Vice President, Secretary, and President – leading the board through the complicated task of merging the Chautauqua and Cattaraugus boards.

In addition to her dedication to the Board, Grice has 31 years of Real Estate experience, and has been a Multi-Million Dollar Producer for 29 years, a Platinum Award Winner for 9 years, and Gold Award Winner for 11 years. Grice grew up in Painesville, Ohio, before moving to the Chautauqua Lake Area in 1972. Her husband, Jerry Grice, is a custom homebuilder and her son, Luke, is a graduate of Miami of Ohio. Jane is active in the community, serving as an Auxiliary Member for the Chautauqua Volunteer Fire Department for 14 years, is presently the Secretary, and has served as the Past Commissioner. She is also a Children’s Advocacy member for Chautauqua County.

“This has been a fulfilling career for me, in fact, it’s my passion,’ said Grice, ‘I truly enjoy listing, selling, and helping families find their dream home.”

For more information about ERA Team VP Real Estate and the real estate market in Western New York visit ERATeamVP.com, contact our Chautauqua office at (716) 789-2600, or call Jane Grice directly at (716) 499-9552.

Skip the chain grocery stores for this year’s Thanksgiving feast and instead choose to support your local farmers! Why should you buy and eat local foods? Locally grown foods have higher nutrient values, promote a safer food supply and are full of flavor. Buying from your neighborhood producers also supports your area’s economy and preserves the environment.

 

Chautauqua Area

Abers Acres
Rt. 394, Kennedy, NY
716-267-2431
AbersAcres.com
Abers Acres is a family enterprise established in 1984 and managed by the Abers family. If you are looking for a place to purchase fresh and delicious, home grown and local grown fruit and vegetables Abers Acres is the place for you! With over 100 acres of prime agricultural land producing USDA Certified Organic produce, this is the one stop shop for all of your side-dish needs this Thanksgiving. Although their farm markets are closed for the season, their produce and products are available in the Sales Room year round. Located in their home, next to the main farm market, Abers Acres offers fresh grown lettuce, kale, strawberries, winter squash, sweet potatoes and popcorn, as well as frozen berries from this year’s crops!

 

Fredonia

Fredonia Farmer’s Market
Masonic Forest Lodge, 321 East Main Street (Rte. 20), Fredonia, NY
Open November through Mid-May: 10am-1pm every Saturday
FredoniaFarmersMarket.org
This is the winter farmers market that you won’t want to miss! 13 locally producing vendors attend each week’s market providing you the opportunity to purchase everything from certified organic fresh shiitake to gourmet granola. A few vendors that would make a flavorful addition to your Thanksgiving table this year include:

Avid Farms: AvidFarms.com Specializing in pasture-raised, all natural chicken and turkey, this Sheridan, NY farm focuses on good environmental stewardship. Although it is too late to reserve a whole turkey for this year’s Thanksgiving, they do have split breasts, legs, wings and neck/back in stock! Plan early for next year’s feast and reserve an ethically-raised, chemical free turkey from this environmentally conscious farm today! They also have fresh baked goods, 100% whole wheat bread, and other seasonal produce on sale at the Fredonia Farmer’s Market.
Green Heron Growers: GreenHeronGrowers.com Owned and operated by Steve & Julie Rockcastle, this certified organic farm offers 100% grass fed beef cuts, certified organic fresh shiitake mushrooms, chicken whole and in parts, scallions, celery, peppers, Shiitake barley soup, shiitake hazelnut pate, mushroom medicinal tinctures, lard & tallow, and tart cherry juice.
Roo Haven Farm: RooHavenFarm.com A small, family-owned farm specializing in pasture-raised birds that forage on 10-acres of pasture grasses! At the market they offer organic turkey and chicken in whole and split half sizes; certified organic Berkshire pork (Canadian, Cottage and slab bacon, pork chops, shoulder roasts, breakfast sausage, mild Italian sausage, Chorizo, pork fat, pork bones, ham steaks and ribs); Certified Organic eggs, and gourmet granola made with organic ingredients. They also feature raw milk cheese from Milky Way Meadows, yogurt from Lapp Dairy, and tart cherry juice from Singer Farm Naturals.
Toboggan Hill Farm: TobogganHillFarm.com Owned by Mike and Donna Eisenstat, the Tobaggan Hill Farm will have eggs, potatoes, lettuce and greens, and pork products (ham, Canadian bacon, roasts, ribs) all available for purchase.

 

Ellicottville

Canticle Farm Market
3809 Old State Road, Allegany, NY
Until November 24th: Open Tuesday and Friday from 2-6pm
After November 24th: Open every other Tuesday from 2 pm – 6 pm.
CanticleFarm.org
There’s a lot more to Canticle Farm Market than Certified Naturally Grown produce! Founded in 2001 by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, this non-profit “Community Supported Agriculture” Farm seeks to provide healthy, local food and to foster a stronger, more vibrant community as well as a greater respect for all creation. During the winter months, stop down to the Canticle Farm Market to pick up locally sourced vegetables including hot peppers, potatoes, beets, radishes, leeks, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, garlic, onions, winter squash and more! They are also joined by over 10 other local vendors throughout the winter months, so you never know what else you can find at this certified organic shop for this year’s Holiday spread!

 

Cuba

Cuba Cheese Shoppe
53 Genesee Street, Cuba, NY
Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 6 pm
Saturday – Sunday 8:30 am – 5 pm
CubaCheese.com
There is no place in the Northeast to purchase the cheese for your hors d’oeuvres this Thanksgiving other than the locally produced Cuba Cheese Shoppe! Nestled in the farmlands of southwestern New York where cheese has been a principle product since the late 1800’s, Cuba was once recognized as the “cheese center of the world”. One of the main goals of the Cuba Cheese Shoppe is and always has been to promote the wonderful New York State Cheddar cheeses that originated in 1887 at the Ackerly and Sills Plant. According to the Shoppe, “the demand for New York State cheese has been and is due in large measure to its characteristically unique flavor, a certain sharpness. This distinctiveness is attributed to the soil and water peculiar to this area near the Great Lakes. Because of the fodder and the water that the cows get here, they give milk that makes cheese with a distinctive sharp flavor.” In order to feature locally produced Cuba cheese on your table, choose either mozzarella or provolone, or if you’d prefer the Great Lakes regional cheese try the cheddar or cheese curd. Visit the Shoppe to select from other locally sourced products from around the area including honey, chocolate, sauces, Amish goods, jellies and jams, mustards, BBQ sauces, and more!

Yorkshire

Plato Dale Farm
5249 Curriers Rd, Arcade, NY
PlatoDaleFarm.org
Don’t miss out on one of the last chances to get a locally sourced turkey for this year’s Thanksgiving meal! Plato Dale Farm is a small family farm that raises 100% grassfed beef, pasture raised chickens and turkeys that are fed certified organic grains and they manage fruits and vegetables to organic standards. Visit them at the Elmwood-Bidwell Market this Saturday (November 21st, 2015) from 9am-1pm to claim one of their naturally raised turkeys! They will also be attending the Buffalo State College Indoor Winter Market throughout the month of December if you choose to feature locally sourced foods during the Christmas holiday as well! (Buckham Hall, A-Wing, December 5th, 12th and 19th). Besides birds, they will also be stocked up on vegetables including 9 varieties of winter squash, potatoes, carrots, sweet and storage onions, sweet potatoes, red green and savoy cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, arugula, cutting celery, parsley and more!

 

Bradford

Bell’s Meat & Poultry
401 North Fraley Street, Kane, PA
Open Monday-Sat 9-6pm Sunday 9-5
JackBellMeats.com
Jack Bell’s Meat & Poultry Market has been in business for over 42 years, offering a quality selection of fresh and tasty produce, meats and sausages that change daily, cheeses, spices, Swedish specialty items, baked goods, and more! Time is almost up on this Thanksgiving’s Turkey order deadline! Give them a call at 814-837-7321 by this Wednesday (November 18th, 2015) in order to reserve your bird for this year! Make sure to check out the whole aisle of Jack Bell Meat’s Spices and Rubs that will bring out the flavor in each and every dish on your table this Thanksgiving. When you are planning for this holiday’s gathering, Jack Bell is sure to have exactly what you need!

 

Warren

Lindell’s Hatch Patch
522 Hatch Run Road, Warren, PA 16365
Open Monday-Saturday from 10-6:00pm and Sundays from 11am-6pm until December 20th
LindellHatchPatch.com
Lindell’s Hatch Patch is a family owned business located in Northwestern Pennsylvania offering strawberries, sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash and more grown right from the fields of their farm! Stop by in late November to mid-December to pick up a fresh cut Christmas tree or wreath to decorate for the Holidays! In addition to the variety of items mentioned above, they also sell fresh produce, pork and beef products, jellies, relishes, and their very own, locally sourced and produced Lindell’s Pure Maple Syrup!

 

Instead of fighting the lines this holiday, choose to reinvest in your community and add a locally sourced dish (or whole meal) to your table this Thanksgiving!