Honoring Jeff Riber’s Legacy with a New Award Celebrating Those Who Embody The ERA® Brand’s Core Values
MADISON, N.J. (March 24, 2026) – ERA Real Estate, a global franchising leader, has named Eddie Wilder of ERA Wilder Realty in Columbia, South Carolina, as the first-ever recipient of its new Spirit of ERA Award Honoring Jeff Riber.
Riber spent over 30 years with the ERA® brand, displaying unwavering dedication and passion, and leaving an impact still felt over a decade after his passing. Known for his innovation and creativity, positivity and encouragement, and genuine care, camaraderie, and enthusiasm, Riber has inspired generations of ERA professionals. Following careful deliberation by the ERA National Advisory Council and the broker/owners of the prior year’s Top 25 companies, the award given in his name is presented to the individual who best exemplifies those same core values that Riber did.
For the past 30 years (25 with ERA Real Estate), Eddie Wilder has led ERA Wilder Realty, helping it to eventually become one of the largest real estate companies in South Carolina. Earlier in his career, however, Wilder was a young, aspiring broker/owner when Riber invited him to join him at a national convention for the brand’s largest brokerages. Quickly, Wilder realized his company didn’t meet the criteria of the companies around him, prompting him to ask Riber, “How do I get here?” Riber readily shared the same guidance and encouragement he gave to so many other ERA professionals.
“Joining the ERA brand presented me with the incredible opportunity to surround myself with people I could learn from and develop truly beneficial relationships with,” said Wilder. “Before joining, we were a much smaller company, but thanks to the willingness of Jeff and the other members of the network who gave me all the answers I needed at the drop of a hat, I’ve become who I am today, and I couldn’t be more thankful for their assistance in that transformation.”
Under Wilder’s leadership, his brokerage has been named an ERA Circle of Light for Community Leadership Award winner for its philanthropic efforts in 2023, ranked among the Top 500 brokerages by sides on the RealTrends Verified list in 2025, and has been a winner of the ERA Gene Francis Memorial Award for Top All-Around Company, the ERA brand’s highest honor in 2006.
More notably, however, are Wilder’s long list of community accolades, where he truly shines as a representative of the ERA brand and as the perfect embodiment of Riber’s values. Wilder’s community contributions have earned him national recognition for his fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the USAA Eagle Award for his dedication to military service members, and inclusion on Columbia Business Monthly’s 50 Most Influential List, recognizing his efforts as one of the most devoted members of the Columbia/Lexington community.
“We put great thought into selecting the inaugural recipient of the ERA® network’s newest honor, named after one of its most influential contributors,” said Alex Vidal, president of ERA Real Estate. “Despite the significance of the award, it didn’t take long for us to land on Eddie. Eddie has been one of the most visible faces in the brand for decades, and for all of the right reasons. Whether he’s winning another award, mentoring another broker/owner, or making tangible differences in his community, Eddie represents the very best of what it means to be part of the ERA brand.”
