The Business
THE PHILOSOPHY AT ERA JOHNSON AND THOMPSON,
INC. IS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND UNCOMPLICATED.
Employing leading edge technology and harnessing the power of professional knowledge are tools that have served this organization well. But for the owners of this 30-year-old real estate firm, there is one business practice that is non-negotiable: Colleagues and clients are served best when they are treated like family.
Timeless values of integrity and personal trust come first at 148 Fifth Avenue in downtown Franklin. From that point, the financial and business success follows naturally, says Kennette Sweeney, longtime agent and co-owner of one of Williamson County’s longest operating realty companies.
“We try to take care of each other,” Sweeney explains of the genuine camaraderie that exists within the organization. “Clients immediately feel comfortable when they come here because they are nurtured like family. I just think that’s what we do in this business. It’s not just about the money.”
Companies come and go, but Sweeney says it is the relationships that ultimately matter most. Client testimonials posted at www.erajt.com bear that out. Dozens of clients share their personal experiences with this longtime firm, each one echoing the same theme: service.
President and co-owner Tim Thompson came on board less than 20 years ago following in the footsteps of his father George Thompson. Today, Tim’s colleagues are proud to tell you that the values this company espoused since its earliest years have earned their firm a place in the national spotlight.
“Tim Thompson ranked fourth in the nation in sales this past year, over thousands of ERA agents. We are really proud of him,” says Vicky Crigger, managing broker and partner. “This is a very unique operation. We have a relatively small team of agents and six partners, yet we have expertise in all areas of the market –residential, farms and land.”
Veteran real estate broker Clarence Johnson, who founded the company in the early ’70s, joined with Tim’s father, George Thompson, in 1988. These two men came to the table with a strong commitment to personal service and a high standard of ethics. Johnson, a native of the county, spent several years operating his own firm before establishing his venture with Thompson. And Thompson, a longtime Grassland resident and active member of Grassland Heights Baptist Church, developed his love for the people business while heading up regional operations for a national chain of grocery stores.
 of the lawyers, doctors, attorneys and our friends told us to put our names on the business,” Thompson recalls. “They just thought we were so well known. Clarence grew up here, and I had been here since 1973.”
While Thompson continues to hold his ownership in the company, Johnson decided late last year to focus his attention solely on sales. To that end, he sold his portion of the business to affiliate broker Amanda Johnson.
“I’m not ready to retire yet,” Johnson says. “I love this business and want to continue working with new and longtime clients.” Though Amanda and Clarence are unrelated, the fact that they happen to share the same name is a great convenience for a company that prides itself on continuity.
“The timing of it was just right,” he explains. “I thought it would be farther down the road, but Linda, who has been teaching for 36 years, came to me last spring and said she wanted to retire. So I rethought
my plans and decided it was time for us to do some traveling together.”
Amanda Johnson, a Fieldstone Farms resident, grew up in Manchester and has lived in Franklin for several years with her daughter and husband, Jay. He came back to his alma mater, Franklin High School, to coach the basketball team.
“I respect the way Amanda started in real estate,” Johnson says. “It’s a real compliment to a company when one of your agents wants to invest personally in it.”
ERA Johnson and Thompson’s Craftsman-style stone office is situated less than a block from Five Points, just a stone’s throw from Starbucks. Its presence, as both a fabulous architectural landmark
and dynamic business, has spanned decades.
In the early days of his real estate career, Clarence rented the building from the daughter of one the county’s most respected physician leaders, Dr. J.O. Walker, whose legacy includes leading the way for our county’s first hospital and health department in the 1950s.
“Dr. Walker actually had his practice here at one time,” Johnson says of the 1940s home turned office.
The good fortune Dr. Walker had while practicing medicine at 148 Fifth Avenue North was repeated with Johnson and Thompson’s business venture. Now, a new generation of business leaders are stepping up to continue the strong legacy of real estate service this firm has so richly established in middle Tennessee.
Tim Thompson, recently named company president, speaks with a great sense of pride when asked about the community he calls home.
“I just got back from Arizona and Lake Tahoe, and I can tell you there is no better place to work and live than in Franklin, Tenn,” he says. “Where else do you close down the public square and hold communitywide events where you can bring your family and feel safe?”
Barbara Hood, also a partner and longtime broker, has spent nearly 35 years in real estate in the county. She recruited friend and colleague Kennette Sweeney in the mid-1980s when women were
just beginning to work in the business.
“When we started in real estate, a contract was two pages long and a person’s word,” she says. “Now our contracts are much more complicated, but we have access to great technology – the Internet, e-mail, cell phones and fax machines. It makes it all manageable.” But at the end of the day, Barbara and Kennette both believe the business is still all about people and ensuring that their needs are met, whether that means working a contract late at night or mentoring a new agent.
“As much as agents move around in this business, it’s unusual to have realtors stay at one place for this length of time,” says Kennette, who was instrumental in guiding Amanda Johnson
through her early years.
That longevity can be explained in a number of ways, according to Vicky Crigger, who joined the team in 2004 after working in on site builder sales with Carbine and Associates. Last year, she took over as managing broker. Crigger now oversees recruitment, training and education. She says the firm’s solid reputation in the local marketplace, combined with its emphasis on mentoring and training attracted her immediately.
“The draw here is the business knowledge and the mentoring,” Crigger says. “When Kennette contacted me about taking on the position of managing broker, I had never considered that possibility. What attracted me was the strong foundation of family values. These people will walk through fire with you.”
When considering where to place her license in the late 1990s, Amanda Johnson says there was no question that ERA Johnson and Thompson was the best match for her both personally and professionally. Her early days in the business were spent working closely with Sweeney, who learned the business working closely with Hood.
“Clarence chose to have an office where people take care of each other,” she says. “They are mentors on speed dial. It’s extremely unique to have the kind of collegiality we have here.”
The partnership that began with two respected names in business continues to thrive today. Both Clarence Johnson and George Thompson remain committed to the simple formula of providing personal service – the kind that makes you feel like family.
ERA Johnson & Thompson Inc, REALTORS
148 5th Avenue, North • Franklin, TN 37064
615.790.3400 • 800.841.5256 • Fax: 615.790.9446
E-mail: info@erajt.com • www.erajt.com
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