by G. Sax, Director of Growth Management, RESO
Three Questions is an interview series that introduces you to real estate industry professionals, their businesses and how they interact with real estate standards with a goal of humanizing the tech side of the industry, fun included.
This week’s subject is Donna Rauch, VP of Data Support at Realtors Property Resource (RPR). We talked about teamwork, RPR’s longtime role in driving standards forward and an emerging LinkedIn aloofness conspiracy. Enjoy!
Q1: At a recent RESO conference, you gave a presentation about the RPR team. Your passion for your team was palpable.
RESO also believes that teamwork is the best way to get things done, and every standard that we adopt is vetted and approved by a sizable group of volunteers combined with excellent individual leadership.
What’s the balance for you between individual contribution and teamwork?
Donna: I’ve been fortunate in my career to work for companies where teamwork fueled company goals, but that has never been more true than at RPR.
In the past five years, we have fostered an environment where communication is prioritized and contributes to a more cohesive and productive company. Having this core communication in place has allowed teamwork and individual contributions to shine.
RPR is fortunate to have staff with expertise in many areas, so we can rely on each other to add value when and where needed. I think that’s where the balance of the two comes together.
Q2: RPR has supported RESO from the start, and your staff is participating in several workgroups. What groups do you think RPR will have the most impact in going forward?
Donna: RPR is committed to standards and participating in RESO. One of the reasons that my team participates in the workgroups is to identify information that may be critical for RPR.
We worked with Kristen Carr, our Director of Partner Integrations, to easily report and provide that information internally each month.
I expect that in the next year, you’ll see more feedback from RPR in the Data Dictionary Workgroup, especially in the Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Subgroup.
Q3: There appears to be a LinkedIn epidemic at RPR. We learned in a prior Three Questions that your legendary colleague, Kristen Carr, does not use it.
And it has recently been learned that you have not updated your LinkedIn profile since 2009! Is this an RPR conspiracy against LinkedIn?
Donna (laughing): No conspiracy! And, yes, I think it’s important to keep your credentials current. I know that it’s something that I should do and that all the cool kids do it.
RESO: So are you going to update your LinkedIn?
Donna: I am. Maybe. Just a little.
RESO: In a related question, you also appear to have left Facebook behind, which has been a growing trend of late. Can you expand upon that?
Donna: I am just not a social media person. I like the pictures on Instagram, but that’s about it. Every January, I make a resolution to post something, and by the third or fourth day, I can admit that it’s just not happening. Maybe next year. Haha!
