Winnipeg realtor Al Shrupka was recently presented with a pair of prestigious awards.
Nearly 33 years ago, Al Shrupka was at a career crossroads.
After selling his shares in a sales and marketing agency he co-owned, the lifelong entrepreneur was looking for another venture to get involved in but wasn’t sure in what direction he wanted to go.
“I honestly didn’t know what I was going to do after we sold the business,” he recalls. “Then, I ended up getting involved in real estate. I didn’t expect it to be a long-term career.”
Get involved he did, joining a small, independent real estate brokerage in 1990.
Then, in 1991, he joined RE/MAX Associates as a salesperson. Just four months later, he became a co-owner of RE/MAX Associates.
Over the past 32 years, he worked at building RE/MAX Associates into one of the most reputable offices in the city.
In the process, he made a concerted effort to serve in the community not only in Winnipeg, but in West St. Paul (where he lives) and even in Pinawa. He also got involved with the Children’s Hospital Foundation, too.
“Over the years, I’ve helped with economic development and housing in Pinawa, been part of the Selkirk Waterfront Corporation, and have served on the West St. Paul Board of Revision,” says Shrupka, who also found time to get involved with the Children’s Hospital Foundation. “It’s my way of giving back.”
At the same time, he dealt with everyone from his office to fellow realtors to clients in an honest, up-front manner.
“No matter what business I’ve been in, I’ve always wanted to represent my profession properly. That philosophy didn’t change when I got into real estate,” he says. “In our office, we won’t put up with dishonesty. Our agents have to be honest and have integrity in dealing with others. It costs nothing to be nice and to deal honestly and ethically with people.”
This past February, Shrupka’s mentorship skills, high character and community involvement was honoured at the RE/MAX International Conference in Las Vegas, where he received not one, but two awards.
First, he was presented with the Distinguished Service Award, where he was one of three recipients out of 144,000 realtors in the RE/MAX network.
He was then presented with the Canadian Founders Award, which recognizes excellence within the organization, and an individual’s major contribution to building the brand in Canada.
Suffice to say, Shrupka was honoured to be recognized.
“They said that my commitment went beyond the office level, and that I had represented both Winnipeg and Manitoba well. That was very humbling.”
While the awards were much appreciated, he never worked toward receiving any type of recognition.
“All I’ve done is try to treat others the way I’d like to be treated. If I can use local suppliers and trades, I do; anything to help the local economy. It’s not about what’s in it for me — it’s about helping my buyers and sellers. At the end of the day if I do a good job, there’ll hopefully be money left over for me.”
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