Herbert William (Bill) Saunders, who co-founded the RE/MAX Results real estate firm in the Twin Cities, once was a mathematician and enjoyed working with numbers.
Eventually, he discovered he enjoyed working with people more than numbers.
Saunders, 66, died of complications from cancer on Thursday at his home in Eden Prairie.
After college at the University of Minnesota and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he briefly worked as a stockbroker for Piper Jaffray in the Twin Cities.
In the late 1960s, he began work as an agent for the Spring real estate company in the Twin Cities, rising through its executive ranks and staying on when the original Coldwell Banker chain bought it out.
In the 1980s, he believed that real estate agents should be treated as sales executives, said his son, Marshall of Mound, who is a sales executive for RE/MAX Results.
When he couldn't find a firm that believed in his new way of thinking, he bought a franchise from the once-upstart company RE/MAX in 1986.
"It was tough going" in a down market, said his son. "At one point, the owner of their office space in Eden Prairie locked them out, because they couldn't meet the rent."
But Saunders and his partner, John Collopy, would not quit, and continued to enlist proven agents.
Now the firm is among the largest in the Twin Cities. It has 500 agents and 13 offices in the Twin Cities and two in western Wisconsin.
"He had a very quiet confidence, and was very laid back in his style," said his son.
He had a dry wit, and his business lunches could be long, because he was so entertaining, added his son.
"He could be with many people and value each one," said his son.
Saunders survived cancer for 11 years, often beating dire prognoses from his doctors.
"Man, was he a fighter," said his son.
Collopy, co-owner of the firm, said he was a "gifted business person."
"One thing that separated him from others was that he just had a consistent, steadfast approach to solving problems," Collopy said. "He was rock solid."
Mark Allen, the CEO of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, said that he was a credit to real estate professionals, and that the firm he helped build is one of the largest RE/MAX firms in the country.
"He was just an all round good guy, gracious and positive," Allen said.
He studied math and physics at the University of Minnesota, receiving a master's degree in mathematics in the mid-1960s. Before entering business, he had begun work on a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He was active in several philanthropies, such as the University of Minnesota Medical Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
In addition to his son, he is survived by his wife, Vicki of Eden Prairie; stepsons Doug Johnson of Hopkins and Kevin Johnson of St. Paul; former wife, Quint Saunders of Bloomington, and four grandchildren.
A memorial celebration will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Metropolitan Ballroom, 5418 Wayzata Blvd., Golden Valley.
