eXp's Jason Gesing focused on connections, problem solving
In his new role as Chief Industry Relations Officer, Gesing has an opportunity to build relationships outside of eXp and help support the industry as a whole.
Key points:
- Gesing transitioned from CEO to his Industry Relations role in early January as eXp founder Glenn Sanford stepped back into the leadership role.
- This is the time for the industry "to be collaborating and talking together," said Gesing, who hopes to work toward industry-wide solutions.
- eXp's pool of talented agents, many of whom are local leaders, can be an asset to the real estate community during the downturn.
Editor's note: Each year, the Swanepoel Power 200 recognizes the most powerful and influential leaders in residential real estate. In this series of SP 200 Inside Look interviews, we're diving deeper and learning about these top leaders' aspirations and accomplishments, and the opportunities they see in the year ahead.
When he joined eXp Realty 13 years ago as an agent, Jason Gesing learned that building relationships was the key to success in this industry. Now, in his new role, he's focusing on relationships full time.
Gesing transitioned from the CEO position to the newly created role of Chief Industry Relations Officer earlier this month. Founder Glenn Sanford returned to the CEO role to be closer to the day-to-day business and take the helm during a challenging time in the real estate industry.
For Gesing, the new role allows him to double down on building relationships within the industry as a whole. He believes there's an opportunity for eXp to be a valuable resource not only to its own agents, but to the greater real estate community.
"This is as much a time as any in the last 13 years that I've been with the company where the industry really needs to be collaborating and talking together," Gesing said. "The current environment really lends itself to trying to further the conversation and see if we can't solve these things together."
With more than 86,000 agents, Gesing said eXp has a huge pool of leaders to draw from, many of whom have served as presidents of organizations and associations. And the company itself has plenty of experience working to find solutions to get through challenges like the Great Recession and Covid.
Gesing believes this is an opportune time to harness that talent and experience to help others manage the current housing market downturn, not just on a hyperlocal level, but more holistically across the industry.
"We've grown so fast and had so much focus on growth… all along we want to be good members of the community," Gesing said.
Gesing's new role plays to his strengths, and Glenn Sanford's CEO role allows the founder to connect more directly with eXp's agents. Gesing described Sanford as a very hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves type of leader who will do anything to support agents — and fundamentally the same person he was when Gesing joined the fledgling company in 2010.
"There were two things about him that I recognized: The first was that he was incredibly smart. The second was that he seemed like a really decent human being. Incredibly modest and humble and approachable," Gesing said. "That's a big part of what drives his popularity both within the company and I imagine in the industry."
Given Sanford's leadership style, eXp does not adhere to rigid hierarchies, Gesing said. Instead, he sees it as a place where people can grow into roles — which is exactly how his career evolved. Gesing started with the company as an agent.
Beyond work, Gesing tries to prioritize exercise, and he is disciplined about turning off alerts during his personal time.
But he also feels energized by his work. "Every day seems to bring a new person, a new idea, a new program, a new tool. The need to disconnect really hasn't been there," Gesing said.