City Employees Pack Keller Williams for Luncheon

Nearly a dozen police cars and a fire truck were parked out front of the Keller Williams Realty offices on Saturday, with smoke billowing from the front of the building on Friday. Anyone passing by may have, for a moment, thought there was an emergency in progress –but that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Instead, the Keller Williams office was hosting its quarterly First Responders Luncheon, inviting police, firefighters, and city officials – both active and retired – to come enjoy food prepared by staff, with fresh hot dogs and burgers served off the grill in front of the building.

What started as a modest gathering, spurred by a sales representative at the office who wanted to show appreciation to first responders, has expanded into a dedication to all city staff, with people from multiple municipal departments showing up to enjoy an hour of food and refreshments.

According to Elizabeth “Beth” Smith, the idea came from another associate in the office who was an established grill master, and began as merely an opportunity for a couple of officers to grab some food every month. The event has expanded significantly since then, with tables taking over the Keller Williams office and employees volunteering to serve hot pans of a wide variety of food, including ribs, chicken, pulled pork, beans, and more. Numerous members of the police force, county sheriffs, and city employees of all stripes fill the space and eat together for an hour or so away from the office.

“We think the world of them, and we are so grateful to be able to do this for them,” Smith said. According to Keller Williams staff, Smith is responsible for cooking most of the food and coordinating the event, using her food service experience to plan a layout for where the food will be served when officers come through the door.

Though the luncheon was once held more frequently, once every month, it was dialed back to roughly quarterly due to cost constraints. The extra time, though, has allowed for more food and for more service members to attend. The luncheon’s growth has even inspired other businesses to sponsor the event, with Tenney Law and Burrow Food & Bar partnering for the most recent luncheon.

Many participants were enthused by the sense of community the luncheon builds and by giving city employees and first responders a chance to be recognized for work that often goes unnoticed.

“That’s the big thing, because Keller Williams is all about community, giving gratitude, and so we all have that in our heart, the desire to give back, and this is one way all of us get to do it because some people don’t have the means to do it on their own, but this way everybody gets to do it, and it builds our community and our culture,” said Donna Ross, a team leader with Keller Williams.

According to Smith, they plan to host another luncheon in February, after the holiday season.