DAVE LINIGER

Dave Liniger is the Co-Founder of RE/MAX, the Denver-based global real estate franchise that he co-founded with his wife Gail in 1973. RE/MAX is the leading franchisor of real estate offices throughout the world and has expanded to over 8,000 offices in over 100 countries, with 125,000+ sales agents. Mr. Liniger is well respected internationally for his vast knowledge of the real estate and franchising industries. Mr. Liniger retired from the CEO position in 2018 and continues to lead the network as Chairman of the Board.

In 2017, Mr. Liniger co-founded Motto Mortgage, a franchise organization focused on the mortgage industry. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RE/MAX LLC, and in the first two years, Motto Mortgage has sold over 100 franchises.

In October 2013, RE/MAX did its initial public offering, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as RMAX. The Liniger Family continues to be, by far, the largest shareholder in the organization.

Career Highlights
Dave was born and raised in the small town of Marion, Indiana. He served in the United States Air Force for five years, serving in Viet Nam, Thailand, Texas and Arizona. His final military assignment was at the ROTC detachment at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. During his military service, Dave became interested in real estate after successfully buying and selling properties to supplement his income. Upon leaving the USAF, he worked in residential real estate for a year, then moved to the Denver area to start his real estate career in Colorado.

Forty-five years ago, Dave revolutionized the real estate industry when he created the RE/MAX business model which combines a maximum commission concept with world-class support services for Realtors. The name RE/MAX was coined from the words “real estate” and “maximums.” The model continues to attract experienced, top-producing agents who lead the industry in individual sales and professional education. The RE/MAX balloon is one of the most recognized corporate images in the world and has become a symbol of the leading real estate network.

RE/MAX started franchising real estate offices in 1975, and the early years of RE/MAX required extensive travel to establish the concept throughout the world. During that time, Mr. Liniger became a highly-respected industry expert and was instrumental in government housing reform policies. During his career, Mr. Liniger has spoken to over 3 million people in over 30 countries. He has been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fortune Inc., Success and other leading publications and media outlets across the globe. In 2010, he was included in Bloomberg Business Week’s profiles of the 50 Most Powerful People in Real Estate, and in 2011, Dave was named the Inman News “People’s Choice” Most Influential Real Estate Leader. He has also received the Warren Bennis Award for Leadership Excellence from the Global Institute for Leadership Development.

Awards
International Franchise Association Hall of Fame – 2005
Honorary Doctorate of Real Estate and Construction Management, Daniels School of Business, University of Denver – 2005
Colorado Business Hall of Fame – 2006
Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters, Colorado State University – 2013
Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters, Colorado University – 2015

Other Businesses
Dave is a serial entrepreneur, having owned many businesses – travel agencies, home building, oil drilling/exploration, NASCAR race track owner, NASCAR race team owner, motorcycle and gun shops and Arabian Horse breeding.

Community Involvement
Dave has set a tone of philanthropy since the early days of RE/MAX. The culture of giving attracts professionals who care about making a difference in their communities. Since 1992, RE/MAX has been the official real estate sponsor of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. In 2002, Dave co-founded a Denver-area conservation center, The Wildlife Experience, dedicated to fostering appreciation and understanding of wildlife, its conservation and the many forms of wildlife art. He and his wife Gail also own the acclaimed Sanctuary Golf Course in Sedalia, Colorado. Devoted primarily to charity golf tournaments, the private course has raised more than $100 million for hundreds of organizations since opening in 1997. In 2011, Dave and Gail accepted the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Founder’s Award on behalf of the RE/MAX network, which has now raised more than $156 million for local children’s hospitals.

Dave has served on the Board of Directors of The Wildlife Experience and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and has been elected as a Lifetime Trustee of the Denver Chapter of the Boy Scouts.

Personal
Dave has spent his life participating in adventure sports – he has logged over 3,000 scuba dives, has hunted, camped and photographed around the world on over 100 trips, he is a multi-engine commercial jet type-rated pilot, is an avid golfer, and personally raced in several NASCAR divisions for over 10 years. In 1998, he attempted to fly a helium balloon into outer space and around the world.
Dave spend much of 2012 recovering from a life-threatening MRSA infection in his spine, probably resulting from Agent Orange in his Vietnam days. After months in a coma and multiple surgeries, Dave spent six months paralyzed in a spinal cord rehabilitation center and eventually regained his ability to function. He wrote a New York Times’ bestseller describing the experience – My Next Step.