Family Business Magazine, a respected national publication dedicated to the unique dynamics of multigenerational enterprises, dedicated a full feature to the story of Elite International Realty — and it is one of the most complete and moving accounts of how this firm came to be.
The piece opens in 1989, when Leo Ickowicz, a successful travel agency owner in Rio de Janeiro, made the decision to leave Brazil and start over in Miami after a violent incident involving his business partner shook the foundation of everything he had built. He arrived with two young children, no professional network, and no clear path forward. What he did have was something more durable: relationships. Former clients began calling almost immediately, asking him to help them find homes, enroll their children in schools, and navigate a country they didn’t yet know. A market gap became a calling, and Elite International Realty was born.
“I got into real estate by accident because I never thought I’d be a realtor. And here we are, 35 years in the States and, since the beginning, working in real estate.” — Leo Ickowicz, Co-Founder
The article traces the firm’s evolution from a two-broker operation serving Brazilian buyers into a global brokerage with more than 85 agents and hundreds of affiliated agencies worldwide — and the equally compelling story of how Daniel Ickowicz, who once resisted joining his father’s business in favor of a career in advertising, ultimately stepped into the CEO role and made it his own. Daniel earned his credibility the hard way, and he knew he had arrived when seasoned veterans in their 40s, 50s, and 60s began seeking his advice.
“The way to do it is you’ve got to earn respect. I knew that I had that respect when 40-, 50-, 60-year-olds would come to me to ask me for advice.” — Daniel Ickowicz, CEO
The feature explores how the firm navigated the 2008 financial crisis through discipline and adaptability, how Leo and Daniel have structured their roles to complement rather than compete with each other, and how Paula Ickowicz as CFO has been a quiet pillar of the company’s financial stability. It also captures a small but telling detail about Elite’s culture: agents leaving for sales calls touch a piece of wood salvaged from the firm’s old office, in a nod to Virginia Tech’s Hokie Stone tradition, carrying with them the company’s motto: “For those who have passed, for those to come, reach for excellence.”
For anyone considering working with or joining Elite International Realty, this article answers the question that no brochure can: who are these people, and why does it matter? The answer, it turns out, is a story about resilience, trust, and a family that built something meant to last.
Read the full article here.
