At Keller Williams Realty, our associates are more than just members of the company, they are members of our family. And to us, that means everyone working together to fulfill our mission to build careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living. To illustrate just how strong our culture is, Alex Coates, associate in the Wayne (Pa.) market center, shares his inspiring story about Keller Williams associates coming together for a great cause.
Alex Coates owned his own broker company prior to joining Keller Williams in 2011. Coates decided to join Keller Williams because of the growth opportunities across multiple real estate businesses.
In 2007, Alex’s wife, Tara, ran the Boston Marathon as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, which supports a prestigious cancer research and treatment center in Boston. Tara ran in honor of Alex’s uncle, Perry Gresh, who passed away from cancer in 2004. In 2010, Alex’s father-in-law, Ed Williamson, lost his battle with melanoma. So, in 2014, Alex decided he would run the 2014 Boston Marathon as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. Alex was also inspired by the victims of the 2013 Marathon bombings. This was his first full marathon. “The marathon itself was amazing, emotional and inspiring as the city literally took back the finish line after the horrible events that happened the prior year,” Alex said.
Together, Alex and his wife raised over $34,000 for Dana Farber between 2007 and 2014. “Our Keller Williams market center and nearby market centers were a huge support with fundraising.” Alex said, “As everyone came together to help, the culture of the company really showed its true colors.”
After the marathon was completed, Alex received a call from the Greater Boston Association of REALTORS® (GBAR). They called to inform him that David McCarthy, operating partner of the Keller Williams Realty Boston-Metro (Mass.) and Chestnut Hill (Mass.) market centers, notified them of Alex’s involvement in the marathon. Alex and David had never met. “He must have known I was running the marathon from Facebook or something online,” Alex said. GBAR and the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) held a fundraiser to support REALTORS® who were running the Boston Marathon for charity purposes. They wanted to include Alex and his charity. GBAR and MAR donated $650 to the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge.
Alex was extremely grateful for the donation from GBAR and MAR. Further, he was in total amazement that someone he never met was thoughtful enough to have him included in the donation pool. The fact that another member of the Keller Williams family helped Alex with his charity efforts really moved him. “Not only does this speak to the entire real estate community as a whole, it touches on so many levels that connect with the Keller Williams culture,” he said.
Although Alex is not running the 2015 Boston Marathon, his support for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is ongoing.
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