A ‘Signature’ Culture To Champion Each Other
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Long Islander News photos/Janee Law
Kathy Viard, above, co-owner of Signature Premier Properties, said the firm’s staff has created a culture in which they work as a group of like-minded individuals who champion each other.
By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com
While Signature Premier Properties continues to grow across Long Island, its staff’s culture to be a group of like-minded individuals that champion each other remains the same each day.
Specializing in residential and commercial purchase and sale, the success of the firm is led by co-owners Peter Morris and Kathy Viard, who said they have made a point to be hands on and involved with their agents.
With 600 agents, Signature is headquartered at its 9,000-square-foot office at 190 Laurel Road, East Northport. The location is the eighth office the firm has opened, and is one of 13 total on Long Island.
Morris, the founder of Signature, opened the first office in 2007 in Huntington village.
“His mindset was to open a boutique firm of like-minded agents who had the freedom to run the business the way they wanted and the tools they needed to be successful,” Viard said.
In 2011, Viard joined the real estate business and started out as a manager before taking on the position as an agent and then a partner that same year in August.
Since then, they’ve opened up offices in Cold Spring Harbor in 2009; Northport in 2010; Dix Hills in 2012; Syosset in 2014; Smithtown in 2014; Babylon in 2015; and in 2016 opened offices in East Northport, Garden City and Floral Park. The firm opened up three additional offices in 2017, in Locust Valley, Woodbury and Merrick.
“Our intention is to be a local based company that’s hipper local and we want to continue to grow on Long Island,” Viard said. “We’re trying to fill it with like-minded people, who truly care about their client.”
With that, Viard said that the company has excellent stats, with 50 percent year-over-year increase under contracts.
“It’s a very strong market right now, supply is low, homes priced properly are flying, and inventory is down,” she said. “It’s really all the about the pricing, which is very important right now.”
With the success of the business, Viard said the firm is like a family. She added, “We try to keep bringing everybody together because we truly enjoy each other’s company here.”
In addition, one thing that Viard is particularly proud of is the development of Signature Cares, a division that helps fund holiday drives, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, local veteran charities, and building a dog park for the animals at Little Shelter.
With that, Signature Cares has raised $6,500 for the ice bucket challenge, $100,000 for the 22 push up challenge, and has donated $20,000 to five local veteran causes.
Licensed in real estate for more than 30 years, Viard said she loves everything about her job.
“For me real estate is an opportunity to work with people that are inviting us into their lives at the highs and lows,” she said. “We’re helping them with the single biggest investment of their life and we become their trusted advisors and in the end they become our friends.
