Every year, CENTURY 21 Signature Real Estate recognizes the hard work, dedication and relentlessness of our agents with an annual awards ceremony. We may not be able to gather in-person this year to recognize the achievements of our team, but their accomplishments are still worth celebrating. The CENTURY 21 Signature Real Estate 2020 Awards recognizes what our unstoppable agents did in 2019 to defy mediocrity and raise the bar in real estate.
CENTURY 21 Signature Real Estate created two awards to recognize two agents every year who stand out from the crowd: the Rookie of the Year Award and the Signature Award.
The Rookie Award is given to an agent in their first full year of real estate with an outstanding sales record who is also breaking down barriers and owning the real estate business- right from the start. It’s not an easy award to achieve because real estate can be a challenging field, especially in your first year.
The Signature Award is given to an agent who never settles for less. Giving 121% is the norm for this agent and they exemplify every value that C21® stands for. The Signature Award honors that agent’s dedication to exceeding expectations and defying mediocrity every single day.
The 2019 Rookie of the Year
We couldn’t get together in-person this year to celebrate so last year’s recipient, Jason Mickelson, brought the award to our 2019 Rookie of the Year.
Mickelson reflected on what it means to win the Rookie of the Year Award.
“The Rookie of the Year Award is an outstanding accomplishment. It’s given out each year to an agent in their first full year who has an outstanding sales history and who also strives to defy mediocrity and deliver extraordinary experiences,” he said. “It has always meant a lot to me because it’s one thing to sell real estate but it’s another to just go out and be competitive and have fun. It not only inspired me to push but it inspired me to be my best and grow some business as I went out that first year.”
Why is it so significant to succeed in your first year as an agent? “I think the first year in real estate is very tough for so many reasons,” said Mickelson. “What makes it hard, in the beginning, is you have to learn the business, you have to learn the people, you have to learn the other agents. One of the big things people should have to learn is about sales. How do I go out and convince people to see things the same way that I do?”
Mickelson recalls that he knew right away that the winner of this award would be an excellent agent. “I vividly remember when I met this year’s winner,” said Mickelson. “It was in a meeting and this person came up to me and was all smiles, very friendly and just had incredible energy. I remember I was caught off guard because when I was more awkward and shy when I first started going to our meetings. But this person was outgoing and excited to be there and couldn’t wait to learn. I just knew the moment I met this person that they were going to be very, very good at real estate.”

Congratulations to the 2019 Rookie of the Year: Meghan Ruckle!
Meghan had an impressive first full year as an agent with 16 listings, 25 closed sales and $4.3 million in sales volume.
“This was not work that I did alone. This was a huge group effort, starting with my husband, Jared,” said Ruckle after learning she was this year’s winner. “This has been our dream to create all of this and work together to do this and partner up with Century 21.
“There’s a lot of amazing people who put this together,” she continued. “I’ve learned so much in the last year and been pushed way outside of my comfort zone every single day. Being outside of your comfort zone all the time is what made last year possible. I’m grateful for everyone.”
Congratulations to Meghan for showing us what it takes to become an outstanding rookie!
The 2019 Signature Award Recipient
The Signature Award is designed to honor the agent who lives and works by the Century 21 values. Last year’s recipient, Ethan Hokel, delivered the award to this year’s recipient.
“The Signature Award is for someone who lives out what Century 21 is all about and the core values: someone who is relentless; someone who defies mediocrity; who gives 121% all the time; and succeeds not just at real estate, but also at work-life balance,” explained Hokel.
“This year’s recipient is someone who is a caring person,” he continued. “They are someone who has done a good job staying consistent and building their real estate brand, especially with video marketing. They care about the needs of people in the office and the community and they’re innovative and always willing to learn.”

Congratulations to the 2019 Signature Award Recipient: Lindsey Dacey!
Lindsey had her best year yet in sales in 2019! She is always connected to the community, always professional and always puts the needs of her clients first.
“I want to thank everyone for this award. It was totally unexpected and it was a great surprise,” said Dacey. “Thank you Century 21 and all the agents. They’re a great company and it’s been a great year.”
She is also the recipient of the Quality Service Pinnacle Producer Award, the Up Award and the Master Diamond Award. She is ranked the #17 C21® agent in Iowa.
Congratulations to Lindsey for showing us what it means to give 121% every day!
We’re excited to congratulate both agents for their incredible accomplishments in 2019. They’ve both shown us what can come of a great work ethic, determination to defy mediocrity and a commitment to being the best. You can find out more about our other 2019 award winners here.