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The Bay East Association of Realtors recognized the best of the best in local real estate during its 2025 awards ceremony last weekend.
Awards handed out during the trade association’s inaugural event at The Club at Castlewood on Feb. 7 included Realtor of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Outstanding Leader and the John Deadrich Distinguished Service Award.
“The 2025 Bay East recipients have dedicated themselves to serving others in every aspect of their careers while simultaneously supporting the Realtor community and real estate industry at large,” association reps said. “Each demonstrated ethical standards and professionalism, active community involvement, and a high level of service to the real estate profession.”
Based in Pleasanton, the association serves and represents more than 6,000 residential and commercial real estate professionals in the East Bay, including much of the Tri-Valley. Here are the 2025 award winners, as described by Bay East:
Realtor of the Year
With a long career centered on service above self in the community, including 19 years with Bay East, Louis Heystek was named the 2025 Realtor of the Year.
Fellow members consider Heystek a preeminent example of what it means to be a real estate professional – a career that extends beyond transactions and is a commitment to betterment of the profession and the world around him.
His award reflects not just Heystek’s professional achievements, but his dedication to civic involvement, ethical practice and uplifting those around him – proving that excellence in business and service are not mutually exclusive.
Platinum Affiliate of the Year
The Platinum Affiliate of the Year award went to Trevor Frey, of Supreme Lending, who was praised for working behind the scenes to uplift fellow affiliates and Bay East on the whole.
Frey views real estate as going through a sort of “renaissance”, so he’s become even more involved in the organization over the past year and set the example for how to get things done, not just talk about it.
Rookie of the Year
Already in his young career, Anthony Geha, of eXp Realty, is a trustee for the Bay East Foundation in addition to growing his list of real estate accomplishments that are built around genuine connections in the field – among the reasons he won the 2025 Rookie of the Year.
Coming from a multigenerational real estate family, Geha was instilled with the belief that the profession is about shaping communities, not just closing transactions. And his peers continue to notice.
John Deadrich Distinguished Service Award
Joe Annunziato III took home the annual honor named for the association’s first president to recognize someone who exemplifies the self-sacrifice, vision and accomplishments of the greatest leaders who have shaped the real estate profession.
Fellow members see Annunziato, a Bay East board director, as supporting them by remaining on the forefront of industry issues and being a part of shortening the learning curve for newer or even experienced members and real estate professionals. He cares for the success of the real estate industry and his colleagues as much as his own and enjoys working to advance the profession in any way he can.
Good Neighbor of the Year
Realtor Glen Riggs received the annual award lauding a Bay East member for positive contributions to the community beyond the profession. His peers shined the spotlight on Riggs for his transformative leadership as board president of Tri-Valley Theatre Company.
Through strategic community partnerships and relationship-building, Riggs strengthened the cultural fabric of the Tri-Valley region. His service reflects the belief that the arts belong to everyone, and that community theater can be a powerful force for bringing people together across all backgrounds and experiences.
Outstanding Leader
Bill Aboumrad, with Legacy Real Estate Associates, earned the Outstanding Leader award given to a standout past-president of the organization. Also a former Bay East board member and lead of the Realtor Voice Task Force, Aboumrad has been in the industry for over 30 years and helped Legacy grow to more than 300 agents in three offices across the Bay Area.
His roles as an agent, broker, sales manager, senior executive, trainer, mentor and coach have allowed him to push the industry forward by helping agents and their clients, according to his peers.
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