According to her 13 Women of FIRE nominators, Brenda Maher is everything you could ever want in a mentor. With more than 25 years of experience in Connecticut’s residential real estate industry, she’s seen a number of changes along the way, and imparts that knowledge to her staff of more than 60 Realtors at Prudential Connecticut Realty.
As a non-competing sales manager, Maher has “been there and done that,” she said. “Now it’s all about my agents, helping them grow their businesses, and getting to whatever level they’d like to achieve. It’s about helping them achieve their dreams and goals.”
For Maher, the core of her industry – and the heart of her passion – has always been about helping people. Just after college, she was working as a pharmaceutical representative in Greenwich, and her mother wanted to relocate to the Northeast. The Realtor’s service was lacking, so Maher filled in. While Big Pharma might have kept her fed, it didn’t reach her heart, and, after earning her master’s in real estate finance and development, she joined William Raveis Real Estate.
After three years, she struck out on her own, forming Maher & Assoc., which she ran for 10 years. After several years with William Raveis, she joined Sotheby’s International, then moved to Prudential Connecticut Realty – soon to be Berkshire Hathaway – where she recruits and trains new Realtors.
“Putting your heart into what you do is a recipe for success in anything [you] choose to do,” said one of Maher’s nominators, Realtor Mike Namm. Maher “puts her heart and soul into her job each and every day. She truly cares about the people she comes in contact with and inspires everyone around her to be better. I’m not sure that Brenda realizes what she does each and every day, but the agents in our office do.”
Maher’s desire to help goes beyond the walls of her office. She fundraises for Prudential Connecticut’s chosen nonprofit, Sunshine for Kids, which provides trips and outings for groups of children with cancer, helping them form memories and friendships. The Norwalk office, under Maher, raised $11,000 last year, and the company has donated $1.2 million so far. She is also involved with local nonprofits Arts for Healing and Star.
