November 2013
| Business World Magazine | 31
now employ hundreds of people in offices
throughout Southern Maryland. As a testa-
ment to the employee empowerment prac-
tices embraced by Home Towne Real Estate,
one need only consider the case of Kevin
Turner. In the very early days of the firm,
Turner was a mere staff assistant working
here in between attending classes at a nearby
university where he was pursuing a degree in
computer science. After graduation, Turner
liked the job so much he decided to stick
it out, but astutely reasoned that he could
integrate operations with some of what he
learned in computer science.
Home Towne was among the earli-
est of enterprises to capitalize on the abil-
ity of showcasing housing prospect online
for Internet users. Traditional processes of
documenting and filling out of paperwork
transitioned into digital solutions, in fact,
Home Town became one of the first to walk
customers through a convenient paperless
process accommodated by digital technol-
ogy. Turner was also integral to the firm’s
adaptation of social media platforms, such as
You Tube, Face Book, Linked In and more,
as a means of engaging and interacting with
market consumers. “We’ve benefitted greatly
from technology,” says Turner, and he adds
this advice for the best way to integrate tech-
nology into a business – “Never stop.”
Turner has since become majority owner
of the company whose sales force now in-
cludes more than 150 agents along with staff,
partners and more. Turner says technology
is just one tool that offers benefits to staff
as well as customers. Other benefits can be
realized from having access to a range of in-
dependent financing options for first time
home buyers, such as the VA Loan program
as well as the USDA Rural Development
