Suntrust rises as one

The SPI 2020 Annual Awards and 2021 Sales Kick-off were held via a virtual ceremony on Zoom.

Suntrust Properties Inc. is all set to bounce back.

With the theme “We Rise As One,” the property developer recently hosted the SPI 2020 Annual Awards and 2021 Sales Kick-off via a virtual ceremony on Zoom. The scaled down sales event may be far from the annual gala that everyone in the Suntrust family has always looked forward to—but that did not dampen the spirits of the Suntrustees who still glammed up for the event.

Precious gem

Executive vice president and chief operating officer Deanna Jean A. Claveria likened the company’s 2020 journey to how a diamond is made.

“The difficulties we faced during the lockdown can be compared to the extreme pressure and temperature before a diamond is formed,” she said.

Deanna Jean A. Claveria

Claveria recalled how the company’s sales dropped sharply in April and May in the previous year, at the height of the enhanced community quarantine, only gradually going up in the months that succeeded. She admitted the fact that many in the company are more familiar with traditional selling and marketing techniques therefore making these times more challenging, with the shift to digital selling and marketing.

The Suntrust EVP pointed out, “We refused to just sit down and do nothing. Instead, we chose to be cut and polished like the diamond, from a rough stone to a precious gem, so we can shine once more.” Claveria expressed her thanks to those who chose to stay with the company through the most difficult times of the COVID-19 crisis.

Many members affirmed that while health and safety protocols required the Suntrustees to conduct their businesses away from each other, the physical distance actually drew them closer. They developed an even stronger teamwork among them, regardless of the group or branch they are in. Limitations notwithstanding and armed with faith in the company and themselves, Suntrustees turned into online real estate practitioners.

Atty. Harry M. Paltongan

Captain of your ship

Suntrust Properties president Atty. Harry M. Paltongan led a virtual toast, cheering for all the Suntrustees’ success in 2021. He also lauded those who chose to remain with the company to continue selling even in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, calling these loyal members as real Suntrustees.

“Now you are the captain of your own ship,” Paltongan said. “During a crisis, there are at least two things that a captain looks into. First, the waves that are hammering your ship and how you find ways to manage it during a turbulent storm, and second, what is beyond the horizon.”

As a captain steers his ship towards the shore, he explained, Suntrustees must direct themselves towards success.

“We need to believe that it is just there. Whether we see it or not, we must have faith in it. We have to believe that we are going to achieve success,” Paltongan concluded.