Early history: 1970-1976[edit] RE/MAX was founded in January 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger.[5][6] The company was established with a maximum commission concept, meaning agents would keep nearly all of their commissions and pay their broker a share of the office expenses, rather than a share of the commission.[7] In 1975, Dennis Curtin purchased the first RE/MAX franchise outside of Colorado, in Kansas City, Missouri. The company had 100 franchises in two years.[8][9] RE/MAX held its first convention in Las Vegas in 1976. It became an annual event.[9] International expansion and introduction of hot air balloon: 1977-1998[edit] RE/MAX opened its first office outside the United States in Calgary, Canada in 1977. In 1978, the RE/MAX red, white and blue hot air balloon became the official RE/MAX logo.[10] The RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon was first introduced at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in 1978, representing the company's "Above the Crowd" slogan. It was about seven stories tall and became one of the most recognized corporate symbols in the world.[11] By 1981, the company had 30 franchises in the RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canadian region. RE/MAX became the top real estate company in Canada in 1987.[12] In 1985, the company had about 48 hot air balloons in the United States and Canada.[11] In 1994, RE/MAX expanded outside North America with the establishment of RE/MAX Europe by Canadians Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider. The company also expanded its regional operations in Germany, Italy, Spain and South Africa.[13] RE/MAX expanded to Australia and New Zealand in 1996.[14] In November 1994, the RE/MAX Satellite Network (RSN) was launched with four hours of programming daily, which was released to U.S. real estate agents using satellite dishes. The network started broadcasting more than 60 hours of programming monthly. The network programming included training and company news.[3] In 1998, RE/MAX CEO Dave Liniger attempted the first manned balloon flight around the world in a stratospheric gas balloon.[15][16][17][18] The flight was canceled due to design and weather problems.[19] At the time, RE/MAX had 88 balloons, making it the largest hot air balloon fleet in the world.[18]
