Our story
Built by Two Agents With One Big Vision
In 2008, Greg Erlanger and Mike Zinicola set out to build the #1 real estate team in Ohio, not by putting their names on the door, but by building a team where every agent could win. Today The EZ Sales Team leads The EZ Referral Network, Ohio’s #1 real estate team, with more than $3 billion in homes sold.
- 2008Founded in Cleveland
- $3B+In sales
- 12,000+Homes sold
- #1Team in Ohio, 10 years running
Watch
The EZ Story, in Their Words
Hear Greg and Mike share how a Columbus sales pro and a Cleveland attorney turned real estate agent met at the same brokerage, took a chance on Keller Williams and built a team around one simple idea: if our agents succeed, our clients win.
The founders
Different Paths, the Same Vision
Co-Founder & Team Leader
Greg Erlanger
Greg grew up in Columbus, graduated from Ohio University and spent ten years in corporate sales, selling data networking to Fortune 500 companies. Investing in Cleveland real estate showed him his true passion. He earned his license in 2004 and sold over $8 million in his first year, earning national recognition as one of RIS Media’s Top 50 Realtors on the Rise.
Co-Founder
Mike Zinicola
Mike grew up on Cleveland’s far west side near the airport, served as student government president at Bowling Green State University and went on to law school and practice law. Real estate turned out to be his calling: he set his brokerage’s regional record for a first-year agent. Four years later, a new agent named Greg Erlanger broke it.
Working side by side, they realized they had built something bigger than their old brokerage could hold. In 2008 they moved to Keller Williams, and at Family Reunion that year they saw how their opposite strengths fit together: totally different people with exactly the same vision.
“We work for our agents. They don’t work for us. If our team members succeed beyond their dreams, we succeed beyond our wildest dreams.”
The EZ philosophy
The “king or queen” team
One big name on the sign. Every agent and admin works for the star. Clients get whoever is left over.
The EZ servant-leader team
Leadership works for the agents, giving them systems, marketing, coaching and support so they can deliver five-star service to every client.
Timeline
Our Growth & Success
From two agents to Ohio’s #1 real estate team.
-
2008January
Two top agents join Keller Williams
Greg Erlanger and Mike Zinicola move their real estate licenses to Keller Williams, drawn by its limitless, agent-centric growth model.
-
2008February
The idea is born at Family Reunion
At Keller Williams Family Reunion in Atlanta, Greg and Mike decide to combine their very different strengths around one shared vision: become the #1 team in Ohio.
-
2008March
The EZ Sales Team is formed
After a month of building an agent-centric value proposition, The EZ Sales Team officially launches in Cleveland.
-
2009March
Eight agents strong
One year in, the team has 8 agents, making it one of the biggest teams in Ohio at the time.
-
2010April
MyClevelandCondo.com launches
The team creates MyClevelandCondo.com, the first of its niche community websites.
-
2012August
$100 million in a year
With 32 agents, the team sells over $100,000,000 in one year for the first time and is named a Top 5 team in all brokerages in Ohio by the Ohio Association of Realtors.
-
2013August
No. 2 in Ohio
Over $150,000,000 sold. The Ohio Association of Realtors names The EZ Sales Team the No. 2 team in all brokerages in Ohio, a ranking it holds through 2016.
-
2016August
$180 million sold
Steady growth: $155M in 2014, $165M in 2015 and over $180,000,000 in 2016.
-
2017July
The EZ Referral Network is formed
The team expands its model so clients moving anywhere in Ohio can be handed off to a trusted EZ agent.
-
2017August
#1 team in Ohio for the first time
Over $195,000,000 sold, and the Ohio Association of Realtors names The EZ Sales Team the #1 team in all brokerages in Ohio for 2016.
-
2017September
Columbus: Capitol Ohio Sales Team
The first expansion team opens in Columbus.
-
2018February
$1 billion milestone
The EZ Sales Team surpasses $1 billion in career sales and opens the Select Ohio Sales Team in Solon.
-
2019August
#1 in Ohio again
Over $210,000,000 sold, and the team is again named the #1 team in all brokerages in Ohio.
-
2020February
EZ Media Productions
The team launches its own in-house media production company for listing photography, video and agent branding.
-
2021January
Dublin: Champion Ohio Sales Team
A new expansion team opens in Dublin, Ohio.
-
2021November
Pittsburgh: The EZ Home Network
The network crosses state lines with a team in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
-
2022February
$2 billion milestone
The EZ Referral Network surpasses $2 billion in sales, with over $300,000,000 sold in 2022.
-
2025January
$325 million and still #1
Over $325,000,000 sold and named the #1 team in all brokerages in Ohio, the network’s tenth straight year at the top.
-
2025December
A new chapter
Co-founder Mike Zinicola retires as an owner after nearly two decades of building the team. Greg Erlanger continues to lead The EZ Referral Network.
-
2026Today
$3 billion+ and growing
#53 real estate team in the U.S. by transaction sides (RealTrends 2026), #1 in Ohio and more than $3 billion in homes sold since 2008.
Today
One Network, Six Teams
Every team runs on the same values, systems and support that built the Cleveland office.
- The EZ Sales TeamKeller Williams Citywide · Westlake
- Select Ohio Sales TeamKeller Williams Living · Solon
- Capitol Ohio Sales TeamKeller Williams Greater Columbus
- Champion Ohio Sales TeamKeller Williams Consultants · Dublin
- The EZ Home NetworkKeller Williams Steel City · Pittsburgh
- VacationlandLake Erie shores & islands
Meet our Executive Leadership Council →See our awards & rankings →
Work With Ohio’s #1 Team
Buying, selling or building your real estate career, we would love to help.