The Arizona Real Estate Achievement (AREA) Awards — selected by a panel of industry experts — honor the state’s best and brightest real estate companies, real estate agents, real estate brokers, mortgage companies, bankers, home builders, individuals who give back to the community, and those in the real estate business whose careers have left an indelible mark on the community and on the industry.

AREA AWARDS: PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR

Winner: Erica Curtin, HomeSmart Realty

AREA Awards: Erica Curtin, HomeSmart RealtyCurtin displays a deep sense of civic responsibility toward the community. She is a founding board member for the Enriching Spaces Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting educators through grants and fund-raising events. Curtin rallied support for the foundation from Walmart, Compass Bank, Office Max, Sprouts, Great American Title, and other businesses. Among the fund-raising events Curtin has helped organize are “No More Broken Pencils,” a back-to-school supply drive; “Warm Wishes,” a clothing drive that support Children’s First Academy Charter School for homeless students; “No Forgotten Child,” which raises funds to help the children of drug-addicted parents; “Raise the Curtain,” which raises money for the arts in schools; and “Metro Green Movement,” an environmental awareness club at Metropolitan Arts Institute.


Honorable Mention: Kent Rini, CrimeBusters AZ

Kent Rini graduated Summa Cum Laude in communication from Arizona State University and recently earned his Doctor of Divinity from Logos World University.  He is an entrepreneur and owner of CrimeBusters security services, a board member of Silent Witness and the Arizona Alarm Association.  Kent is an inspirational speaker that is deeply involved in several community causes and non-profit organizations’ fund raising efforts.  He is an advocate in supporting and stimulating our local economy. Rini is committed to improving opportunities for safety within our communities. For the last 15 years, he has conducted block watches meetings and safety seminars free of charge to improve safety in our neighborhoods. Rini has also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and the Arizona Coalition for the Aging.


Arizona Business Magazine May/June 2012