RE/MAX, Above the Crowd and Raising the Bar!

The RE/MAX Network: 90,311 Associates | 6,275 Offices | 84 Countries Coldwell Banker Veteran Chooses to 'Raise the Bar' BIG OR SMALL: Max Mitchell (right), a longtime hot-air balloon pilot, helps set up a RE/MAX cold-air ballon at a breast cancer walk. AMONG FRIENDS: Mitchell (rear left) joins his new colleagues from RE/MAX Realty Associates in giving back. By Amanda Okker, RE/MAX Times Online Editor He's a real estate agent and hot air balloon pilot named Max, so he probably should have realized long ago that RE/MAX was the right place for him. Better late than never, Max Mitchell is finally on board. Mitchell joined RE/MAX Realty Associates in Champaign, Ill., on Sept. 1, after a successful 20-year career with Coldwell Banker. Several factors motivated Mitchell to consider a change. He is the 2011 president of the Champaign County Association of Realtors, so he wanted to make a move before his term began. And when his Coldwell Banker brokerage was sold, Mitchell's decision wasn't difficult. He knew exactly where to go. "There are no strangers at RE/MAX Realty Associates," says Mitchell, who has been an active industry leader for many years. "I've been selling real estate in the same market since 1975, so when I visited the office for what was supposed to be a 10-minute tour, I was there for two hours catching up with friends. The folks at RE/MAX are all highly productive, ethical and committed to giving back to the community. I'm glad I'm here now." Mitchell has been connected to RE/MAX in other ways for years. One example: His wife's cousin, Susan Ramsey, is a Platinum Club member and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient with RE/MAX Integrity Realtors in Glendale, Ariz. "She loves RE/MAX and never could understand why I wasn't part of it," Mitchell says. Another is his love of ballooning. Mitchell pilots the trademarked Felix the Cat special-shaped balloon, and has built a network of contacts that includes many RE/MAX Balloon Pilots across the United States. Since 1980, he has attended all but two Albuquerque Balloon Fiestas, the same festival where the RE/MAX Balloon flew for the first time. For years, Mitchell and longtime RE/MAX Balloon pilot Russ McLain even shared a balloon site. As a witness to bits of RE/MAX history from the outside, Mitchell says he's looking forward to experiencing it from the inside. "Being affiliated with RE/MAX is cause to raise the bar," he says. "I'll be able to become a better agent for buyers and sellers in today's market." © 2010 RE/MAX, LLC. RE/MAX Affiliates may share this article, provided they do not charge for it and this notice is included. All other rights reserved.