Summary
Chicago MSA awarded to Artemis for Zillow Flex. St. Louis program recognized as a model flex team by Zillow. Expansion validates the loss-leader strategy with hard data.
Chicago Expansion
The Chicago MSA has been assigned to Artemis for Zillow Flex operations. Key personnel leading the Chicago area:
- John Barnak III — former managing broker
- Anthony Lopez — co-lead for Chicago territory
High-performing agents are not limited to a single MSA. Agents who demonstrate consistent conversion and close rates can be assigned leads across multiple markets.
St. Louis Performance
Zillow has recognized the St. Louis Artemis program as a model flex team. Key validation metrics:
- Smallest lost GCI gap in the entire STL market: $60K vs. hundreds of thousands for competitors. Lost GCI measures the dollar value of leads that were assigned but never closed. Artemis loses almost nothing.
- Alicia Howard exceeded Zillow's own projections — she actually earned MORE from Flex than Zillow predicted she would. This is rare and notable.
Strategic Significance
Fred has operated Flex as a loss-leader: invest heavily in conversion infrastructure, accept thin margins on early leads, and scale once the system proves itself. The Chicago award and the STL performance data validate this strategy.
The combination of lowest lost GCI and agents outperforming projections makes Artemis an outlier in the Flex ecosystem. Zillow rewards teams that convert — and Artemis converts at the top of the market.