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WASHINGTON (November 6, 2020) – Michael Ford, a Realtor® from West Memphis, Arkansas, received the National Association of Realtors®' 2020 Distinguished Service Award. The honor is presented yearly to no more than two of NAR's 1.4 million members. Winners were recognized during the 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.
NAR established the award in 1979 to honor Realtors® who have made outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and who serve as leaders in their local communities. It is considered the highest honor an NAR member can receive. Recipients must be active at the local, state and national association levels, but must not have served as NAR president.
"Michael's commitment to our association at every level and his charitable work throughout Arkansas truly represents what the Distinguished Service Award is all about," said NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, Calif. "Michael's impact on his community and the real estate industry is immeasurable and it's my privilege to recognize his efforts with this award."
Ford has been a Realtor® for more than 40 years and is broker-owner of Coldwell Banker Heritage Homes.
"I am both honored and humbled to join the amazing group of NAR's Distinguished Service Award recipients," Ford said. "When I entered this profession, I had no idea where the journey would take me and I certainly never imagined this honor. Over my 41-year career, I've been fortunate to have many incredible mentors who've led and inspired me. I hope that I've shared that enthusiasm with fellow Realtors® and have inspired their involvement and participation in local associations."
Ford has served as a member of NAR's board of directors for 23 years. He was an NAR vice president in 2015 and served as NAR's Region 9 vice president, which covers Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, in 1997. Ford has chaired the REALTORS® Political Action Committee Trustees Fundraising, Issues Mobilization, and Political Communications committees and he served as the RPAC Major Investor Liaison in 2012.
Ford served as Arkansas Realtors® president in 1995 and remains active in his local association, currently serving as vice president of the Eastern Arkansas Realtors® Association. He was the association's president from 1984–1986 and is a two-time RPAC Hall of Fame inductee.
A lifelong resident of West Memphis, Ford was a director of the Arkansas State University Mid-South Foundation from 2003 to 2006 and from 2009 to 2012, and he has led the First Community Bank of Eastern Arkansas Advisory Board for a decade.
Ford and his wife, Lesia, also a Realtor®, volunteer for many charitable organizations including the American Heart Association, Special Olympics, Delta Arts Council, and Relay for Life.
The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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