No. 1 REMAX Team in the World Named 2025 Inman Innovator Finalist for Second Year

When it comes to innovation, one can always look to Debra Beagle and Gary Ashton for inspiration. The real estate powerhouses and business partners – longtime leaders of The Ashton Real Estate Group with REMAX Advantage in Nashville, Tennessee – guide their nearly 200-member team with vision, creativity and grit.

Recognized by the Inman Innovator Awards as the “Most Innovative Team” in 2024, The Ashton Real Estate Group is once again earning attention and admiration for their industry contributions and business acumen in 2025, having been named a finalist in the same category for this year’s awards. As the longtime No. 1 REMAX team in the world, The Ashton Real Estate Group is consistently looking to the future and points to its forward-thinking mindset as a driving force behind its success.

“Our approach is probably more straightforward than people realize,” Ashton says. “We attract ambitious, hard-driving agents, give them world-class tools and systems, and support them as they build their businesses. By leaning into the REMAX brand, we’re able to provide the kind of competitive advantages you simply don’t find elsewhere.”

RE/MAX Holdings CEO Erik Carlson commends Beagle’s and Ashton’s leadership, noting that affiliates like them help make REMAX the brand with the most trusted real estate agents.

“Debra and Gary are terrific examples of REMAX leadership in action,” Carlson says. “They set a professional, productive tone for their team and you can see the impact of their leadership in the results. They take risks, explore new strategies, embrace new technology, and stay ahead of the competition at all times. They are winners in every regard.”

According to Inman News, the Inman Innovator Awards recognize “entrepreneurs pushing the old ways aside, data scientist discovering new ways to examine behavior, marketers reimagining how to showcase properties, teams reinventing how to communicate with clients, companies building advanced technologies and brokerages and teams creating groundbreaking business models.” Winners will be announced at Inman Connect San Diego, where Carlson and REMAX Chief Growth Officer Chris Lim will also appear on stage, on August 1. Jordan Cohen, the seven-time No. 1 REMAX agent in the world, was previously named “Top Agent” in the Inman Innovator Awards in 2023.