Compass Employee Spotlight on Erin Gorres

Usually, when we do a spotlight blog post each month on a Compass employee, it features an agent. This month, we would like our community, clients, and future clients to get to learn more about someone who isn’t an agent but is behind the scenes, keeping business moving. 

Let’s get to know Erin Gorres, the Operations Manager at Compass Realty Group.

Keeping the Business of Compass on Track

For a business to grow and serve its clients best, it needs to have a plan and know what target it's aiming for. That doesn’t happen just by chance. It takes planning, evaluating, strategy, and adjusting. This is where Erin comes in.

As the Operations Manager, Erin has a lot of skills that are needed to tackle all the tasks for a quickly growing company like Compass. In her day-to-day tasks, she’s involved in the strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs and initiatives to ensure Compass not only continues to grow but that the growth is sustainable.

The real estate industry is a highly regulated one. There are all kinds of laws, rules, and standards. Erin is responsible to ensure that the overall operations of Compass comply with all regulatory standards.

Erin also has a big part in the overall big picture of Compass. She develops and implements operational objectives, goals, and specific strategies needed to support and achieve strategic outcomes. 

Of course, as anyone knows, no matter how much planning is done, there’s always a good chance something may go wrong. We certainly don’t live in a perfect world! Mistakes happen and problems pop up. When issues arise, Erin must use her problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and prioritize work. She takes pride in resolving issues in an appropriate and timely manner.

Things in the real estate world can move quickly. Whether it’s a new listing, submitting an offer, or all of the steps that come after an accepted offer, there usually isn’t a lot of room for dallying. Erin helps Compass to develop, review, and implement policies and procedures to ensure efficient operations and workflow. It’s a fast-moving industry and those who can’t keep up get left behind!

Compass holds itself to the highest standards of service to clients, as well as high standards to help agents do their job as best as they can. Part of Erin’s job is to perform quality assurance to make sure those high standards don’t slip.

And if all of that wasn’t enough to do as an Operations Manager, Erin also oversees budgeting, reporting, and auditing.

How Did Erin Get to This Point?

Originally from Clear Lake, Erin, her husband, and their children moved to Montana five years ago. They recently moved back to Wisconsin and shortly after, she began her job at Compass Realty Group.

Throughout her career, Erin has experience working from the bottom up in most of the positions she’s held. She says, “When a person has worked all positions in a company, they know it inside out. I have experience knowing what a company needs and how to tackle the challenges an organization has. I know how to see the opportunities for growth that every company needs.”

Her skill at building empathetic and authentic relationships has helped her throughout her career in relating to others. She adds, “I love working in operations. Behind the scenes, pushing and ensuring the company moves forward is where I’m most comfortable.”

Aligning with Her Values

One of the biggest reasons Erin decided to work at Compass is that her sister Alison Blanchard is the owner and broker. It speaks to their close relationship that the two sisters want to work together to build a company that changes the lives of not only clients but the real estate agents on the team.

Erin says, “Alison has created an environment and team that works like a well-oiled machine. Everyone strives for excellence and the company culture is built on relationships with those we work with.” A company that works hard for its clients aligns with Erin’s personal values. She adds, “When your job aligns with your values, it makes work enjoyable and worth showing up for.” 

Every job comes with challenges and Erin finds the rapid growth of Compass Realty Group poses some dilemmas. A business in a growth phase, especially when it’s skyrocketing, needs to implement policies and procedures that weren't needed in the past. “Having the vision and mission at the forefront to make the decisions that will catapult the company in the direction it needs to go can be a little nerve-wracking. The leadership and I need to have faith that we’re moving the company in the right direction.”

Strategic planning is Erin’s favorite aspect of her job. She likes to ask questions like: What does the future of Compass look like and how do we get there? What can we offer that others can’t? How can we not only attract new agents, but offer them something that makes them want to stay?

Sisters Who Work Together

As stated previously, Alison and Erin are sisters. And these two are opposite in their strengths and gifts, but work so well as a team.

Alison says, “Erin is super detail oriented. She loves graphs and projections. She’s great at problem-solving. She thrives with specifics, processes, and systems. And she loves being behind the scenes. I’m the exact opposite. Put me in front of people! I have big ideas and am a dreamer without knowing the specific steps needed to hit that big goal.”

When it comes to Erin’s strengths complimenting Compass Realty Group’s culture, Alison says, “She has helped streamline our company and as we grow she has been able to take all the things off my plate that were bogging me down. Before Erin joined Compass I was having to deal with some business aspects that are not my zone of genius. She’s been able to take on those tasks and is thriving! It's a great point and example of how important it is for people to be in the right role and to be working in a space that suits them so they can thrive and grow.”

The two sisters are like a ying and yang, complimenting one another, and Erin has been a blessing to Compass. The team loves having her in their corner.

Back Home and Busy

Now that Erin and her family are back in the area, currently living outside of Amery, they are grateful to be back around family and lifelong friends. Her family is happy that their new home has space for them to enjoy the outdoors.

In her free time, Erin is training for a marathon in the summer of 2023. Creating connections in her community through various organizations is important to her. She also likes to entertain family and friends at her home. And she enjoys creating a hygge (that’s pronounced HYOO-gah) lifestyle for her family and home.