Last Thursday night, Malibu locals and visitors gathered in the Malibu Country Mart to show their support for the opening of the new Partners Trust’s Malibu headquarters. Twenty-three Partners Trust associates will work out of the Malibu office.
The Malibu Times asked Founding Partners Madison Hildebrand and Sarah Kosasky questions about the opening of the office and their plans for what to bring to Malibu.
Sarah Kosasky
Who are the founding partners of Partners Trust?
The founding partners of Partners Trust are Nick Segal, F. Ron Smith, Hugh Evans III and Richard Stearns. For our Malibu office, of which I am the manager, our founding partners include myself, Katie Bentzen, Madison Hildebrand and Jennifer Chrisman.
What inspired you to create Partners Trust?
The original vision was that of Nick Segal and F. Ron Smith, along with Richard Stearns and Hugh Evans III, who launched Partners Trust in 2009 — in the midst of the real estate downturn and widespread economic turmoil with the idea of uplifting the consciousness of the real estate brokerage model. During this time, Katie Bentzen and I were successfully running a Malibu brokerage by the name of Arete Estates. When we met Partners Trust, we believed in the mission of the company and in the people and merged together in July 2014.
What’s unique about your Malibu office?
It starts with great people. We have a very collaborative office. In Malibu, everyone knows each other and we want to be seen as people who work together. Our company culture is unique; we actively contribute to each other’s personal and professional growth.
What are the high-tech features of the office?
For consumers, we have an iPad that displays our mobile app so people can come in and search easily. When we built this office, it was important to us that it move at the current speed of the world, which means fast internet connections and fast printers so that our associates, who are always on the move, can come in, get what they need and get back to working with clients.
Describe the inspiration behind the design of the office.
We wanted the office to be both a wonderful place to work and to visit. We have such a terrific location with great foot traffic, so we wanted to create a downstairs space that is a welcoming and pressure-free environment to inquire about the local real estate market. We have large screens downstairs in our glass conference room so people can get a glimpse of available properties as they pass by.
What is your dream for Partners Trust?
We are dedicated to being the most discerning and conscientious real estate company. My personal dream is for the company to keep growing and thriving and for the associates to continue to grow their own businesses serving the area.
Madison Hildebrand
What inspired you to begin this new venture with Partners Trust and leave Coldwell Banker?
My clients were using technology that was fast-changing and accessible by nearly everyone’s mobile device. That started my concern with big brokerages and their “old ways” and provoked me to start considering a move to an alternate company.
If I were going to leave Coldwell Banker and start my own brokerage, I would have wanted to design the exact model that Partners Trust had already created.
Describe The Malibu Life team.
I started the Malibu Life Team in 2006 with me, myself and I. Since then, we have evolved into a powerful force. Our team thrives from our hardworking and driven team of agents who specialize in areas throughout Los Angeles, allowing our team to say “yes” to all business.
What are you thoughts on the opening night’s festivities?
It was very exciting and made me feel blessed to have all the support from our colleagues, other Malibu brokerages, our Partners Trust offices and our clients who were all present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was wonderful to see everyone at Partners Trust celebrate our new space and camaraderie. We have a great group of people in the office, from the manager to the staff and fellow agents.
