Most people in the real estate industry today know the name Robert Refkin, CEO of the giant brokerage firm Compass. However, few people know about his wife Venice Levkin. But that may be about to change.
Among other things, Mrs. Refkin is a graduate of New York University and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School. She and her husband wrote a book called No One Succeeds. She joins Compass’ women’s affinity group, hosts Friday night Shabbat dinners, and shares the wisdom she’s gained through her executive coaching business with agents across the country.
Now, she wants agents who recently joined the company through the acquisition of Compass International Holdings to know that the company is there for them, too.
“We want all of our agents to know that we’re here, we’re committed, we care about them, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to make this industry work better for them,” Bennis told Inman.
In a recent conversation, Inman learned that for now, Bennis is focused on supporting her family, including Robert and their three children, but is looking forward to expanding her career goals in the not-too-distant future.
a difficult childhood
Venice’s mother grew up in a rough household and ran away from home by the age of 15. Unexpectedly, she gave birth to Venice when she was only 20 years old. She raised Venice as a single mother, but had to rely on public assistance for their support.
But Bennis’ mother always emphasized to her daughter that if she focused on her education, she could build a good life for herself. This advice stuck with her, and Venice worked hard to prioritize her studies, until one day in fifth grade when her teacher suggested she enroll in the school’s advanced program.
“It really saved me,” Bennis said. “I didn’t go to great schools. In Yonkers, it was all public schools and underfunded. But I was always in the gifted program at school, so I was around other kids who cared about their grades and who cared about better teachers. It’s unfortunate. Sometimes I felt bad for the other kids, but that was the truth.”
team up with robert
Venice went on to study psychology and business at New York University, and her first job out of school was at an executive search firm.
One day, when a client was unexpectedly unable to attend a nonprofit event, she was asked to attend in his place.
It was at that event that Venice met Robert for the first time. When she and her boss showed up to the event a little late, Robert was on stage with current Maryland Governor Wes Moore. They presented the award to Ray McGuire, a former Citigroup banker who is running for mayor of New York in 2021.
Ms Bennis said she noticed Robert gesticulating at her throughout the night and eventually sent her friends to retrieve her business card. About a week later, he called her and their lives quickly became intertwined.
Bennis said his first impression of the veteran CEO was “I felt like he was a real person to work with.”
Bennis said she sometimes felt she had to take care of other men she had previously dated. Robert was the first man she met, and she felt like they were on an equal footing. She said it was also refreshing to witness his dedication and focus on the goals set.
“I’ve joked in the past that basically once we started dating, I felt like I jumped on a train, Rob Refkin’s train. It was fast and I was really excited,” Bennis told Inman.
“I saw this man on a mission, and the best thing is to be by his side for that mission,” she added. “And that’s what we’ve done, and we’ve accomplished a lot together.”
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After Venice and Robert married in 2012, they started having children and decided together that Venice would focus on raising their family while their children were still young.
Although Venice found motherhood fulfilling, she soon realized she needed an outlet for her ambition and curiosity. Given her background in psychology and business, and her naturally empathetic personality, starting her own executive coaching practice seemed like a no-brainer.
Initially, the couple wanted to establish strong boundaries between Venice’s coaching activities and intermediaries to avoid conflicts of interest. Some of Venice’s first clients were top Compass agents, but they paid her directly, without any intermediaries. (Benís is currently not accepting new customers.)
“But eventually, over time, I realized I didn’t need it.” [my coaching business] break up [from Compass]“We were able to really become a team and put some of that energy into Compass, and it seems to be well received and welcomed and having an impact and people seem to appreciate it,” Bennis said.
Post-pandemic, as people moved away from their offices, brokerage culture felt like it was in a tense place. It was then that Venice decided to use his talents as a compass to reunite and inspire people. She did this on her own time and has never received compensation from the company for her coaching services or speaking engagements.
“[Robert] “If you can help create a reason or an excuse for people to come together in person again, please do it,” Bennis recalled. “So I ended up visiting 15 different markets and sharing my story in a vulnerable and open way.”
Ms. Bennis also received recognition within the firm for working with the Women of Compass affinity group to host Friday night Shabbat dinners for small groups of brokerage employees, agents and executives. This allows people to share ideas, take a break from the stress of the work week, and feel appreciated.
“What I’ve seen over and over again is that when people come together in a space where they can be themselves, incredible connections occur,” Bennis said.
what’s next
When Compass first launched in 2012, could Ms. Bennis have predicted that the brokerage firm would transform into what it is today? “Absolutely not,” she said.
Bennis says the first year and a half was a lot of trial and error, but she and Robert just wanted to build a company that had an impact and provided value. She said Robert initially felt internal pressure to create a new model for the real estate industry, but ultimately realized it was all about prioritizing agents and focusing on the agent-client relationship.
“Once we set ourselves up, [with agents] And he developed this clear vision and path forward, and the dream began to unfold. But even if I had talked to you last year, I don’t think you could have really imagined where we are today with all these brands and 340,000 agents. ”
Bennis said he believes the company would not have come as far as it has without an intentional focus on culture. She added that it sometimes feels like the appeal of Compass’ technology platform to agencies has been a bit overhyped in the media, with less emphasis on fostering the company’s culture.
As the company continues to grow and now includes several brands, she wants agents to know that this large company also intends to help maintain and foster the culture of individual brands.
As for Venice himself, he recognizes that his life and aspirations will evolve gradually over time, and plans to focus more on pursuing his career once his children are a little older. That will likely include more speaking engagements and, hopefully, a book she can write herself.
Although Bennis called his involvement with Compass “unexpected,” he said he was excited to partner with Robert and get a feel for what he is building at the brokerage.
Email Lillian Dickerson
