A gift to the industry, Century 21 Redwood Realty Director of Leads Billy Ekofo preaches treating leads more like people than opportunities, partly because he knows what it’s like to lose both. Forced to evacuate his native Democratic Republic of Congo at 17, Ekofo came to the U.S. by himself unsure if he’d ever see his family again. He’s now an inspiration to the industry. After his powerful speech at Inman Connect San Francisco nearly 20 years later, he was greeted by a surprise from his colleagues: his family flown all the way from Africa.