Heather Gagnon, manager of the Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty brokerage in Old Lyme, was named the company’s 2020 manager of the year.

Gagnon was chosen from among 17 brokerage managers for the honor, winning the award for the first time in her career with the firm and after only one year in the role of brokerage manager.

“I am proud to announce Heather Gagnon as our Manager of the Year, an honor well deserved,” company President and CEO Paul Breunich said in a statementy. “Her skillful approach to disciplines such as training, coaching, business development and social media has enabled her to offer unparalleled support to her agents, helping them in turn to provide the highest level of service to buyers and sellers, as well as target high net worth clients.”

With 20 years of expertise in real estate, Gagnon took over the Old Lyme office in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting Connecticut with its full force. Since that time she has grown the office by attracting some of the highest-producing agents by dollar volume county-wide.

Gagnon first joined William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty in 2016 as the director of business development for the firm’s Connecticut Shoreline offices, specializing in training and coaching agents to increase their production levels.

She was promoted to assistant manager for the Essex and Old Lyme brokerages in 2019. In that role she helped grow market share and developed a new agent training program that resulted in the offices achieving status as the top producing brokerages company-wide for new to business agents for two years in a row.

Gagnon additionally owns a real estate school in Connecticut that focuses on educating future real estate professionals throughout the state.