Letter
from the
editor
The ability to adapt to sudden, unexpected change, always a valuable skill, is especially helpful these days. As we finalized details leading up to our original AVL Top 100 annual event date back in March of this year, it became evident that pivoting would be required due to this global pandemic. With disappointment, we delayed our event with expectations that several months would have us back to normal. Not once, but twice we have been forced to postpone our event celebrating the Top 100 real estate agents and Top 10 real estate teams for 2019. While normal these days looks different, we are grateful for the growth and challenge this pandemic has brought … after all, it inspired me to do this magazine! I say we are in a new normal, one in which the folks on these pages have not only navigated, but are thriving in. Inspired by their leadership and perseverance, we are happy to say the show will go on with an epic dual celebration recognizing the 2019 and 2020 recipients in 2021; peek inside for the details! On the cover, I am reminded that our Asheville real estate community continues to thrive, even during these uncertain times. In fact, two of our agents successfully closed the highest residential real estate sale in Buncombe County history at $7.7 million all during a global pandemic! Inside you will not only see the rankings of the AVL Top 100 of 2019, but also get an inside look at the Top 10 agents and Top 5 teams. A common theme amongst these top producers is mindset, determination, and servant leadership. You will meet the Condo King duo, who quite simply found their niche by hosting a good old-fashioned open house. Discover how a former designer in the cycling industry turned top real estate team is disrupting the market and ironically enough how one of our senior agents has a passion for cycling too…just the Peloton way. These are just a taste of the interesting back stories that make up the leaders in Asheville’s real estate community. Lastly, this event would not be possible without the collaboration and support of our sponsors! Every sponsor has continued to support the local real estate community during this time and meet these challenges with courage, tenacity, and innovation. I look forward to seeing you in 2021! Kim Winters Founder of AVL Top 100 Editor in Chief ~ AVL Top 100 Magazine
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AVL TOP 100 | 2019 Edition
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TABLE
Of
CONTENTS
TOP 5 TEAMS
Broker Asheville PAGE 4
The Matt & Molly Team PAGE 8
The Marie Reed Team PAGE 12
Puffer Properties PAGE 14
Eskritt Group PAGE 16
TOP 10 AGENTS
William Coin PAGE 18
Mike Figura PAGE 20
Vivien Snyder PAGE 22
Scott Mills PAGE 24
Heidi DuBose Fore PAGE 26
Janet Whitworth PAGE 28
Ann Skoglund PAGE 30
Gaia Goldman PAGE 32
Marie Reed PAGE 34
Marilyn Wright PAGE 36
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
ARTICLES
Top Realtors PAGE 41
Top Teams PAGE 42
Get Connected PAGE 43
SPONSORS
Oscar Wong PAGE 38
Platinum PAGE 46
Gold PAGE 47
Silver PAGE 48
Bronze PAGE 49
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AVL TOP 100 | 2019 Edition
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#1 Broker Asheville The #1 real estate team of 2019 has an unconventional start. Founder, Jeff Stewart, returned to his hometown of Asheville after graduating from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business to work in the cycling industry as a designer. A friend in the real estate industry kept nudging Jeff to get his real estate license. While designing bicycles had nothing to do with real estate, the focus on a happy client did. He quickly learned that what he needed to focus on was creating wins for his clients. He says “what traditionally would be a take away ends up being a gift”. This mindset propelled him to eventually build one of the top teams in Asheville. Kim: “What inspired you to make the jump from individual agent to team? And by the way, your team is the number one producing team in Asheville for 2019.” Jeff: “This is funny. Lots of people think that the Keller mantra is build a team, build the pyramid and you will conquer it. The truth of the matter is we break our business down into leads, listings and leverage, with the last being leverage. Leverage has to do not with how can I do more, but how can I service at a higher level? Our mantra with Broker Asheville has been our level of service can’t change from three clients to 20 clients, or to 40 or 50 or a hundred clients. When we get to a point where our success is penalizing our client base, then it’s time to make a hire. I have found success in literally hiring people better than me. So instead of passing it off to somebody and that client wishing that they were with you again, “Gosh, Jeff was better at this”…if you hire up, then you’re continually accelerating your business every time.“ Kim: “How do you find people better than you?” Jeff: “We find a lot of success with your traditional channels, Indeed, your personal sphere, Facebook, all those things. But after you find the person, you have got to know who to hire, how to hire them. We have an interview process and a personality assessment, basically a whole process for going through the hiring. And then, what are your expectations and how do they win with you? What we have learned is that if you follow that system, they’re set up for success. I hear agents say, “Well, I don’t want to build a team because I don’t want to train my admin,” or, “I don’t have time to train my admin.” You shouldn’t AVL TOP 100 | 2019 Edition 5
be training your admin. If you were an admin, you would be an admin. Hire an admin to train your admin.” These days, Co-owner/wife Leah Stewart is managing the Broker Asheville Team. Leah’s background of city planning and urban design brought another perspective to the team. She spearheads marketing efforts and acts as Chief Marketing Officer. Their logo, Become a LOCAL, was timely and relevant in a community that values local business. Leah says that her favorite thing about leading Broker Asheville is creating wins for the people around the team. She says 75% of their business is return clients. This approach has cultivated a community that feeds their business. Leah: “It’s not a transaction for us. It’s a community. It’s our clients that become friends; friends that feel like family…so wins for our clients, obviously, are one of the reasons we do what we do. But the other one is just breed’s wins for the people that we are in business with. I know that Jeff always talks about one of his moments, when his first admin was able to buy a house, her first house all by herself! That was a game-changer for him. My favorite part of our business is creating an environment that everybody wins.”
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It is fascinating to see this power couple compliment each other. While Jeff has stepped away to act as CEO of Keller Williams Professionals, he summed up Leah’s involvement and steady hand perfectly... Jeff: “When I said I hire people better than me, I also marry people better than me. So as much as my ego doesn’t like to believe it, Leah is better at managing the team than I was. I think that I am or would be a better agent, but as far as creating a culture and driving the business forward, it’s allowed her to shine by stepping into that. It was another example of me having to get out of the way. She (Leah) was growing faster than I could get my bubble ahead of her. Eventually I said, “This is all you; you got this babe.”
Issue #1
2019-2020 AVL Top 100 Celebration April 22, 2021 6:30pm-10:30pm The Renaissance Hotel Asheville 31 Woodfin Street Asheville, NC 28801
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#2 The Matt & Molly Team Matt Tavener and Molly De Mattos are the dynamic duo behind the Matt & Molly Team. Early on, these new agents struck out on their own after a career in textiles for Matt and non-profit work for Molly. Matt’s late father, Mike Tavener, was a driving force in bringing Keller Williams to Asheville and getting into the family business seemed like a good idea to Matt. It is at Keller Williams that he met Molly De Mattos. Molly came to Asheville to attend UNCA and after working for the Girls Scouts, got a real estate license and eventually ended up at Keller Williams too. It is there that they began a friendship over beers that morphed into collaboration. Matt’s passion was sellers and Molly seemed to enjoy working with buyers. When they finally made it official forming Matt & Molly Team in 2015, many were skeptical including Matt’s dad. Kim: “What is your favorite part of having a team besides the extra time off and vacations?” Matt: “I think that when you have more people around, you have a camaraderie that develops, which has been fun. I like getting to see everybody in the mornings and hear what their wins are. They tell us what’s going on and I like helping plan out. ‘Okay, what’s your goal?’ ‘I want to make X amount of dollars this year. Fantastic. Well, let’s crunch the numbers.’ I like the number side of things.” Molly: “Just understanding that real estate is the vehicle that drives the big why. Helping people learn how to drive well. Particularly for me, on my side, Matt said that he loves the numbers and looking at it that way. For me, it’s watching the growth mindset and seeing people go, ‘aha.’ When it comes to mindset and helping people change huge swaths of their personal development, not just business.”
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Matt and Molly are passionate about pouring not only into their teammates but community as well. They consistently support Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Montford Park Players, UNCA, AYM, and many other organizations near to their hearts. Their culture of giving back is one thing that sets them apart. Molly says “you have to get up, dress up and show up. If you treat this as a career, if you treat it as a business, you can fail your way to the most epic levels of success.”
to be accessible, so if there is someone reading this, we want you to know we’re invested in your success too. We believe strongly that as a community and as colleagues, when we’re all better together, our entire industry is lifted up. We are really serious about that. We want to be in relationship with more agents. So call us, let’s have a socially distanced lunch or coffee or a beer, whatever. Matt and I really, really love our real estate community. And we want to encourage people to engage with us.”
This advice and passion to help others achieve is central to the way they do business.
Matt & Molly, thank you for the impact you continue to make! I would say you failed your way forward to build an amazing business and proved the skeptics wrong!
Molly: “I have one little thing that I think is important. I want people to know we used to be brand new agents too. We built something with purpose, intention, care, and love. I think a lot of times there’s kind of this feeling like, “Oh, then they’re so big and they’re too busy for us ...” we’re not. We work really hard. We care about this community and we care about our real estate community too. We want
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Presenting Sponsor
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The Marie Reed Team 12
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#3 The
Marie Reed Team
The Marie Reed Team makes our list as one of the Top 5 teams for 2019 AVL Top 100. Marie is also in the individual Top 10 for her personal production. She founded the Marie Reed Team after moving to Keller Williams from a smaller firm. Marie brought Jessica Stringfield and Patti Shelton into the business several years ago. She says that leading and growing a team has stretched her and allowed her to increase her impact. Given the fact she really didn’t start in the business until she was almost 30 years old, her rise to the top is impressive. Marie says “It was like God put some key people in my life, and these relationships were woven together by Him to help me grow and thrive.” Kim: “What’s your long term plan?” Marie: “I say this, we’ll see if it comes true, I’d like to retire by the time I am 50. I have five more years to go really hard and I want to kick back some. This is a hard job that takes a lot of sacrifice from your family and your loved ones and I don’t want to look back when my daughter is 18 and be like, “Golly, I worked my whole life away and didn’t spend it with her.” I’m so High-D that I don’t know that my mind will ever slow down to not work, but I want to have the things in place to where I’m not working on the level that I am. This is the reason I started a team. I love this business but want to empower my team to take the reigns so I can be in the background. I imagine I will still be in the business, but maybe just part time, checking on it, making sure that it’s running correctly. I have the people in place to run it, I just want to cultivate them to drive it forward.” The Marie Reed team has a work ethic that is undeniable. While Marie is the driving force, all the ladies on the team consistently deliver exceptional service which is now largely propelled by past clients. This powerhouse of ladies is sure to continue to stay at the top of the leader board.
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#4 Puffer Properties Puffer Properties has a steep tradition in real estate. Brad and Wendy Puffer make up the team that was founded years ago by Brad’s mom, Sherrie Puffer. Originally, Brad resisted going into the family business. Kim: “Tell me Brad, how did you get into the family business?” Brad: “I was an army officer. In the mid ‘90s, I got out of the service and got my CPA license. I went into consulting and I was making good money, but I was traveling a hundred percent of the time. My daughter, who’s 21 now, at the time she was like three, grabbed my leg one night when I was flying out on a Sunday night for an early Monday morning meeting in Chicago and said, “Daddy, don’t go.” That was the longest hour and a half flight from Raleigh to Chicago in the world. My mom had been talking to me about real estate, but it seemed like it was really what I considered just a sales job, that was until she took me to an event in Austin to meet Gary Keller. This was almost 20 years ago, so it was back when the groups were small and everybody who was there knew Gary on a first-name basis. He knew everybody else on a first-name basis and would use flip charts and Sharpies to write stuff down and we’d talk about things. I was like, wait a minute, this is more like a business than a sales job. So after having done that trip, I had an epiphany…if I was going to keep doing a job which was a hundred percent travel, that life is not
super compatible with being a dad. So yeah, I quit my job two weeks after that and told my mom I’m moving to Asheville, and you talked me into this, so let’s do this. That was December 2002.” Brad says that the hardest thing about working with family is making sure you’re keeping family dynamics out of business decisions. He said he loves getting to see them all the time, especially his wife Wendy. Puffer Properties has worked on streamlining their team in the past year and it has paid off. They have already closed more than all of last year with less people and when asked about the key to this team’s success, he says “the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is extra. It’s the extra work. It’s the extra rolling your sleeves up. In the last three years, we’ve done a lot of staging our clients’ homes to get them sold for more money and quicker, and that’s not something we charge for. Wendy and I have invested in buying four sets of staging furniture, and so about every other week we wind up renting a moving truck, not hiring it, renting it from Penske, and she and I roll up our sleeves and wear grubby clothes and move furniture and get houses staged, all within days” He says this strategy has blown away sellers and created loyalty. Puffer Properties commitment to the extra has created a brand with staying power. This team is well respected in our real estate community and we are honored that they are one of the Top 5 teams in the 2019 AVL Top 100.
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#5 Eskritt Group The Eskritt Group rounds out our Top 5 teams. Co-owner Greg Eskritt is another real estate prodigy that comes from a family of realtors. Kim: “So my first question for you is how did you get into real estate?” Greg: “That’s a common question I hear all the time. The long story short is my grandmother, Mary Jo. I basically got a degree from college in California in finance and minor in real estate because I’ve always been interested in real estate. I was working a full-time job after graduation on an eight-month contract. I was finishing the contract in about four months and I was like, “Well, what do I do next? There’s no more.” I can continue working there at a different job maybe, but the progression of the corporate ladder, I guess, would take a little bit too long. I called up Mary Jo one day and said, “Hey, I’m thinking about getting into real estate. Would you train me?” I ended up moving out here probably less than a month later and jumped right in. I shadowed the team she was on at the time. Then once I got licensed, I started with Keller Williams. Initially, I went as a solo agent and progressed from there. My intentions were to go back to California with a license here and then get a license there. But after about a month of being here, I decided Asheville’s a great place to live, so here I am.” Greg says his team excels in negotiations and they love helping clients who become friends through the process of buying real estate. First time home buyers are a focus of the team and he says seeing the joy this group has is always rewarding. Greg says he follows the Keller William’s model, the Millionaire Real Estate Agent. This model has allowed him to impact more people because of leverage and he quickly learned that when he was too busy for the smaller stuff, he had to be able to pass it off. This approach has allowed them to increase their capacity and refine their client experience. Greg says “people can see that it is not about the money for us, it is about serving them and that’s where I think our business has definitely exploded the last couple of years. I think some agents will turn away people that are looking at a hundred thousand-dollar condo. We take on all that business. Clients say “God, you’re the only agent who returned my calls. I’ve talked to six or seven other people.” Congrats to you Eskritt Group for being a 2019 AVL Top 100 team. You guys are killing it!
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#1 William Coin William “Willie” Coin, better known as Asheville’s native son, has been a staple in the real estate community for over 15 years. He was born and raised here in WNC and attended AC Reynolds High School. After attending UNCW, he moved to Charlotte to start searching for jobs and ended up with a real estate license and a strong desire to move back home. He saw real estate as an avenue to get back to an area where most opportunities were service based. His business really took off after partnering with Scott Mills and tapping into a largely underrepresented condo market propelling him to earn the #1 spot on our list. Kim: “How did you choose a niche and get into the condo market?”
and this time yesterday I was showing a house. Every day is different. I meet so many wonderful people, and I’ve made so many wonderful friends that are colleagues or clients. And I have flexibility to go swimming with my four-year old at one o’clock on a Wednesday, if that’s what the day calls for, while tomorrow I’ll be downtown showing a condo at six o’clock in the evening.” A “client first” philosophy has always been his approach and it requires him to continually improve his skills and ways of doing business. He says he has found that the latest technologies are enabling him to do everything he has always done, only much more quickly and efficiently. Clearly his strategy is paying off earning him the top real estate agent in 2019! Hat’s off to you Willie!
Willie: “Our entry into the condo market was not engineered. We didn’t plan this. This was not strategic. Scott and I set this goal 15 years ago, and here we are today. It just so happened that Scott had a listing, a downtown condo building, and I said, “Scott, let’s do an open house there.” And we did an open house, and I think the first day we picked up two sets of buyers and a listing. And from there it just evolved.” Willie says that more and more buyers are moving to Asheville but desire an urban feel. He says the downtown condo market has boomed as a result. When asked about what advice he would give to a new agent looking at his success, he says... “My piece of advice is, you get out of real estate what you put into real estate. If you expect to make a hundred thousand dollars a year, you need to put in a hundred thousand dollars a year worth of work. That’s not going to be an easy thing. And if you work 15 hours a week and you don’t take it very seriously, and you’re not doing the things daily that you need to do to ensure success, then you’re not going to be successful. It’s a beautiful business, because it is one that’s set up to where, if you do apply yourself and try and learn, you’re going to be successful. No way you can’t be.” Kim: “What’s your favorite part of your job?” Willie: “The fact that no two days are the same, ever. Here I am here checking the mail at three o’clock, AVL TOP 100 | 2019 Edition 19
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#2 Mike Figura Mike Figura moved to Asheville from a similar town, Charlottesville, Virginia. After graduating from the University of Virginia with degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Thought and Practice, he decided that Asheville was the place for him. He obtained his real estate license in 2005 and worked in real estate brokerage while also doing green building development and urban planning consulting. In 2009, Mike moved into real estate full time and founded Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty. He wanted the company to operate in the progressive parts of Asheville, so he decided to focus the company on Asheville’s in-town neighborhoods and immediate surrounding areas.
one-year-old. I was only doing real estate part-time and my company was called Eco Concepts Realty, which was quite narrow. Our only focus was to sell our own product being developed. When the crash came, it was either go back to graduate school or double down on my real estate license. All the planning and development consulting had dried up overnight. Real estate had taken a gut punch, but it was still going, even though at a much-reduced capacity. Sounded miserable going to graduate school with a one-year-old, so I decided to start a real estate company. In hindsight, that probably didn’t take any less time than going to graduate school, but at least I was able to build it into something.”
Kim: “The first question I have is how did you get into real estate?”
Build it into something he did! These days the firm he built is a powerhouse of experienced agents servicing greater Asheville, many of which grace our list. One thing that strikes me about Mike is he is amazingly humble and unassuming. I imagine his approach with this client is diligent, intentional, and steadfast. He seems to be a steady hand in the sea of chaos we call real estate. What a captain to have at the sails. Mike, thank you for the way you elevate our local real estate community!
Mike: “I got into real estate through urban planning and real estate development. I was working as a planning and development consultant and got hooked up with some developers who were doing green building and development projects together. I started doing the real estate and planning end of things while they did construction. When the market crashed in 2008, they went bankrupt and I had a
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#3 Vivien Snyder Vivien Snyder has a rich history of working with people. The road to her real estate career makes perfect sense in hindsight. Vivien came to Asheville in 1989 to work at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. This gave her a great introduction to the special places and people that make Asheville a wonderful place to live. From there, she went on to work in advertising at WLOS-TV, started her own advertising agency, and then eventually went to work in the mortgage industry.
Originally from Maryland, in the suburbs of D.C., Vivien then came south to attend Clemson University. After calling Asheville home for 25+ years, Vivien has a deep appreciation and an extensive knowledge of this area. Vivien has a network of people and businesses that are a priceless resource for her clients. It extends beyond real estate, as Vivien is able to be an invaluable asset to her clients in making a full transition to feeling like Asheville is now home. And naturally, after getting so close to the people that she helps with their real estate needs, they usually become friends and repeat clients. These days, Vivien and her husband, Tom, are the proud parents of 8 children/bonuschildren and 6 grandchildren. If you see her, be prepared to see photos and posting pictures of the kids and grandkids on Facebook as that is her new hobby. Vivien says that her job is her mission field and her goal is to help make the real estate process less stressful. “My husband tells both myself and all of our children every day, touch someone’s life and make it a little bit better. And I think that if that is our goal, we will make a positive impact on somebody.” The impact of your contribution to our real estate community is undeniable Vivien. Congratulations on being one of the AVL Top 100.
Kim: “Tell me how you got into real estate?” Vivien: “I came to Asheville to work with the Chamber of Commerce. I left the Chamber because you do that every two years and went to work for another company before starting my own advertising business. After resigning, I got a brain tumor because that is what you need to do selfemployed! One of my clients owned a mortgage company and after getting better, I decided to get into the business. It was a very interesting time. While doing mortgages, I would call on Beverly Hanks. Neal Sr. used to laugh and say, “Now when you’re ready to be a big girl, come this way”. Basically, I was single mom and one day walked in and told Neal I was ready. And he said, “it’s not brain surgery, just work hard.” And it’s been going good ever since.”
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#4 Scott Mills Scott Mills ranks number 4 on this years’ AVL Top 100. Scott has a background in the import/export business and has literally been everywhere. The Boston native relocated to the Asheville area after living all over the world…think Africa to California! Scott is happily married to his wife of 21 years who officially made him a southerner. He is the other half of Willie Coin by day as they crush the condo market in Asheville at Beverly Hanks.
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right now, have patience, because it’s going to take some time.” Kim: “What is one piece of advice that you would give somebody who’s selling/buying a home?”
Kim: “What’s your favorite part of the job?”
Scott: “That it’s a rough ride, but I’ve been a good Sherpa, and I can walk them through the hills and valleys, and the emotional pitfalls. You can go from the highest high one day to the lowest low the next day, just stay the course.”
Scott: “I’ve always been in sales and customer service. I like that satisfaction, sitting at the closing table, and back before COVID getting a hug from the clients. That’s what really drives me. I enjoy the bumps of real estate as it goes through the process. It’s always challenging. It’s always new. It is one of the things I love most. The one word I would use to summarize what it takes to find success in this business is patience. It is a long process to earn people’s trust and keep it. And so, if you’re getting into the business
This servant leadership is one of the things that keeps clients coming back. One of Scott’s favorite places to visit is Grand Cayman Island. He is a licensed Scuba Driver and loves to spend vacations under water. He says he has been very blessed by the Asheville real estate community and looks forward to a bright future in the business. He tries to live by the “GET BY GIVING” philosophy. I think it is safe to say this his philosophy is working. Hats off to you Scott Mills!
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#5 Heidi DuBose Fore Heidi DuBose Fore grew up in the real estate business and always knew it would likely be her career. After graduating UNCA with a degree in business/marketing, she took a little time off with her son before joining her father in his real estate company. These days she has not only returned to her roots in real estate but also her love of farming. She and her husband Jason enjoy farming and even have chickens! Kim: “Well, who would have thought that we would be here, this time last year? But we are, so the first question I have is, tell me how you got into real estate?” Heidi: “My dad is Steve DuBose with Mountain Home Properties in Madison County. I have basically been around real estate my whole life. My grandmother, on the other side, was a realtor too. I just grew up with my dad doing it, and I remember being around twelve years old and seeing all the contracts on the carbon paper and the typewriter on one page. That exposure to real estate planted the seed and then when I hit about 23, I was like, “I think I really want to do this.” I ended up not starting until 27 but I
worked with my dad the first two years and he was a great teacher! Eventually, I decided I really needed to be more centrally located in Asheville so I joined Beverly Hanks in 2009.” Heidi says the diversity of experiences she gets to have combined with helping people is one of the favorite parts of her job. No two days are ever the same and she thrives with the required multitasking. Her biggest piece of advice for new agents entering the business is “not giving up when it’s hard in the beginning. Most agents coming in that I’ve mentored and ones that I’ve talked to as they come in are really surprised to hear that the first three years of this business were really hard for me. I came in during the recession which made it especially interesting. It is just not going to be easy. You have to stick with it, even when it’s really, really hard. I think that’s where most people exit the business.” Heidi’s passion for real estate is the driver of her success. She is consistently a top producer at Beverly Hanks and is a third time recipient of the AVL Top 100 Leadership award. Bravo Heidi, bravo!
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#6 Janet Whitworth Asheville native, Janet Whitworth, made her way down south to Florida. After receiving her MBA from the University of South Florida and having a successful career in corporate sales, she finally returned home in 2001. Her move into luxury real estate began in 2003 at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove with over $44 million sold in land and luxury homes while there. After the recession, she broke out on her own founding Whitworth Properties, Inc. After five years, she decided moving back to an affiliate would help her take her career to the next level. That is how she landed at Sotheby’s International Realty. Kim: “Is there anything that you want to share about your journey in real estate that you think would be helpful to all these agents that look up to you?” Janet: “I always tell the new ones you need to treat real estate like a profession. Be very professional in everything that you do; dealing with your clients, dealing with other brokers. You need to develop good relationships in the broker community so that when
you call someone or work with someone, they know that they’re going to get a quality experience, a professional experience. I think those relationships are vital. And learn to ask for help from the people that you know are better than you. Don’t hesitate to reach out, to collaborate, to network with other high-producing brokers, because that’s how you learn. You don’t learn sitting in front of the computer. You’ve got to work with those people who have been there and done that and know how to do it with you.” Janet says that one advantage she brought from the corporate world is she was accustomed to having goals to meet every year. The accountability and self-discipline she cultivated in her previous life is one reason she has found success. Hard work and the habit of doing whatever it takes to hold herself accountable is evident in all she does. Whether serving her community through Rotary or collaborating with fellow agents, Janet Whitworth is a class act!
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#7 Ann Skoglund Ann Skoglund is a trailblazer for women in the real estate industry. After an advertising career in New York, she moved with her husband to Asheville in the early ‘80s and started a family. She owned a small retail shop in Biltmore Village but sold the business to her partner to move back up North with her husband for an assignment. Upon her return to NC, she decided going back into retail with interest rates at 17% was not a smart move. She decided that she preferred to use her brain to make money and became a real estate agent, one of few careers that females had a fair chance of success at back then. That was 34 years ago! Kim: “What’s your favorite part of your job?” Ann: “I have the most fascinating clients, I believe, in the world. I’ve had houses with the most incredible art. I’ve had houses that were just architectural gems. I’ve had houses that have been in families for three and four generations, since the 1920s. Most people came to Asheville to retire after having an amazing career somewhere else. It’s only recently have you been able to have fascinating jobs in Asheville, because we can telecommute. I think that a lot of them I would not have met other than real estate. I have a very interesting group of friends myself, that I’ve known for decades. But that’s not the same, it’s not the same group. I never have one day that’s like the last day. Each day is unique and different. Every transaction, and every group of people ... Recently I was working with two authors. Let me tell you…I had to think every time I sent an e-mail. Have I got my grammar right? Is my syntax correct? What have I done here? It really makes you conscious of what you’re doing.” Ann takes a team approach with her clients. She says she lets her clients know that she is there to coach them through a successful transaction. Her degree in psychology has been put to good use to work to understand each client’s needs. An interesting fact about Ann is that she is interested in sports and fitness. She says that exercise keeps her more mentally young and one favorite pastime is riding her Peloton. Ann brings vitality, wisdom and grace to our real estate community and we thank her for being a female pioneer!
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#8 Gaia Goldman
Gaia Goldman was born in Europe but came to the US to attend college in Florida. After graduating, she and husband Damion decided to take a real estate course to be more familiar with how to buy a house. Halfway through the real estate class, they decided a career where they could work together and be their own boss was worth a try. They loved the unlimited income potential and ability to define their own success. After working 12 years in Florida, they decided to head back to France to manage a vacation resort. Missing the US, they researched their next adventure and decided Asheville had everything they were looking for. Kim: “What is your favorite part of real estate?” Gaia: “Well, my favorite part is that I get to meet a diverse client base and be part of their lives at a time where they feel a little vulnerable, and usually at a time where this move comes after so much intention and effort that can sometimes span years. I’m just so honored and grateful that I get to shepherd them and guide them through something that’s joyful and feels like a homecoming. You know as well as I do that people move to Asheville
because there’s a calling, there’s something that calls them here. They don’t know why half the time, they just feel they want a piece of what we have, and seeking that quality of life that’s here, it’s such a privilege to do that.” Gaia says she has learned to move with the rhythm of her business and understands that she is just one of the cogs in the much larger wheel that has a lot of moving parts. She loves the fact she gets to work with her husband daily. Continued personal growth is important to her and she works to make time for her budding meditation practice. She focuses on a healthy lifestyle and is a certified Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition Consultant. Gaia can be found serving the community through Rotary Club, Jewish Family Services and the Asheville Vegan Society. Thank you, Gaia, for bringing a diverse and fresh perspective to our real estate industry!
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#9 Marie Reedn Marie Reed has an energy that is contagious. When you meet her, you are immediately stuck by her warmness and willingness to really listen to what you have to say. Her love of real estate began in the flipping business. Initially, she took a real estate class to be more proficient at navigating foreclosures. After flipping 25+ properties, she expanded her knowledge of construction and design. Eventually her friends and family were telling her that she should consider selling real estate full time. She has a vast sphere of past clients that continues to grow. Marketing via platforms such as Facebook and staying connected with her past clients make for repeat business.
without His hand on her business. She continually strives to give Him the glory. Her success has morphed into a mega team, The Marie Reed Team, who also earns a spot in the Top 5 team category. Marie’s story is inspirational and a testament to hard work and perseverance.
Kim: “What is your favorite part of your job?” Marie: “People ... helping people figure out solutions to problems when buying and selling a house. Determining what their needs are and helping them figure out how to reach their end goal is so much fun. It can be challenging and exciting on the roller coaster of real estate. At the end of the process I find that most clients feel like the process was smooth, simple, and fun.” Marie says the secret to her success is her faith. A former alcoholic, she says that God took her brokenness and rescued her. She says she knows that there is no way she would have realized success
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#10 Marilyn Wright Marilyn Wright knows real estate and has built a name in the luxury home market. She has a rich history of experience in design, construction and home building. She has enjoyed 35 years of marriage to husband Tim, a luxury home builder. Since making the leap to selling real estate full time in 2005, she has been awarded numerous accolades. Kim: “How did you get into real estate?” Marilyn: “In 2007, the economy started turning. Tim and I had 5 million in inventory at that time. The neighborhood that we were working in required we list with their realtor, so we found ourselves in a tough spot when we couldn’t get them sold. My husband got tired of hearing me and told me to put my big girl pants on and do something about it. I got my license and eventually worked to get everything sold and turned around and had an amazing six months. At that time, I was Beverly-Hanks’ “Rising Star” with just six months of sales. That was a terrible situation that we were going through, but I’m not a quitter and we just backed up and looked at how we could change our situation. Sometimes you have to experience some really bad things to get you to where you are supposed to be.” Fast forward to 2020 and Marilyn just hit another milestone, the highest closed residential sale in Buncombe County history…$7.7 million dollars! Marilyn says her approach with clients is to focus on the story of the house. The use of photography including drone photography is a major component of that strategy. She has earned a reputation of excellence. Her biggest piece of advice for new agents is to focus on what is between your ears. She says “the most important thing that you can do is guard your mindset. Most ships don’t sink from the water they’re in, it’s when they let the water inside them.” Way to go Marilyn!
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oscar wong Highland Brewing Co.
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Our Key Note Speaker ASHEVILLE – Highland Brewing Company was founded in 1994 by retired engineer, Oscar Wong. It was the first craft brewery in Asheville since Prohibition and has grown to become the largest family-owned, female-led brewery native to the Southeast.
founded on April 21st, 1994 and became Asheville’s pioneer and first brewery founded in the city since Prohibition and the third oldest craft brewery still in operation in the state of North Carolina.
Wong immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in the 1960s to attend the University of Notre Dame. While there, he studied structural and civil engineering and took an interest in home brewing between study sessions. After graduating, he opened his own engineering firm. The business was a success and allowed him to sell it and retire at a young age. He had been a home brewer in college and decided to open a brewery in Asheville for the start of his second career.
Brewing operations began in a rented space in the basement underneath what is now Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria in downtown Asheville. The first brewing equipment was made from old Sealtest dairy equipment that Wong retrofitted to fit the brewery’s needs. Those tanks are still used by the brewery to store spent yeast, trub, and hops. Highland brewed in that basement for 13 years as beers like Gaelic Ale, Black Mocha Stout, and Oatmeal Porter grew into the region’s favorite brews.
Wong and his family enjoyed vacations in Asheville for many years and felt connected to the creative community of independent thinkers and doers that had long called the region home. After a few years of retirement, Wong was ready for his next challenge and when a local brewer reached out about an opportunity to start a craft brewery, he was ready for the adventure, but only in Asheville. Highland Brewing Company was
In 2006, Highland moved from the downtown basement to the former home of Blue Ridge Motion Picture Studios in East Asheville. When the movie studio folded, Highland was able to purchase the entire 40 acre property. Since then, the brewery has continued to grow and expand into the 180,000 square foot building, adding the Taproom, Meadow, packaging hall, Event Center, and Rooftop Bar. From
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this rehabilitated manufacturing facility on a hilltop, the brewery affords space for thousands of visitors to enjoy limited release beers, tours, and live music. In addition, the Event Center and Rooftop are available for private events. Through it all, Highland remains committed to quality and sustainability, boasting the sixth largest solar array in an American craft brewery and a host of other sustainable initiatives that honor their home in the mountains. Today, the company is led by Wong’s daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn, and she serves as President and CEO. Highland Brewing Company has grown into a regional leader shipping 50,000 barrels annually with distribution across six states in the Southeast including North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. Gaelic Ale, an American Amber Ale, remains the brewery’s flagship and bestselling brand 25 years strong. More award-winning beers like AVL IPA and Highland Pilsner have since been added to Highland’s line-up of 9 year-round, 4 seasonal, and 4 limited release beers. Every week, Highland releases new small batch and limited release beers in the Taproom totaling over 100 one-off beers in 2019. Highland’s new barrel-aged beer program, The Southern Nouveau Series, will also gain momentum this year with limited clean and sour barrel-aged beer
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releases planned. Highland will also celebrate 26 years of brewing and innovation with a return to downtown through the opening of a new taproom in the S&W Market. Highland’s taproom within this restored Art Deco food hall in the heart of Asheville represents an exciting homecoming and a new chapter to kick off the next 25 years for the brewery. For more information, please visit the website at www. highlandbrewing.com. Follow Highland on Twitter at @HighlandBrews and Instagram at @HighlandBrewing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ HighlandBrewingCompany.
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Congratulations to the
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
William Coin Mike Figura Vivien Snyder Scott Mills Heidi Dubose Fore Janet Whitworth Ann Skoglund Gaia Goldman Marie Reed Marilyn Wright Matt Tavener Brian Etheridge Jamie Turner Lisa Jackson Clarissa Marshall Barbara Fiedler Randall Blankenship Luiz Leonetti Eric Albee Billy Taylor Vanessa Byrd Elizabeth Putnam LeNoir Medlock Brad Puffer Neil Battle
26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
Jeremy Laster Tracy Veteto Lynn Phillips Megan Shook Katie Prendergast Valeria Carrizo-Wyda Misty Masiello D’Ann Ford Kelly Frady Athena Cermak Julie Smith Dave Cash Don Rongstad Alan Wray Libby Mijanovich Nancy Witek Jon Corbin Donna Prinz Steve Norcia Randi Beard Sandi AuBuchon Scott Russell Clary McCall Alec Cantley Mary Jo Eskritt
realtors in asheville 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75.
Laura Moye Aviva Pitt Alyssa Augustine Cain Cox Madelyn Niemeyer Susan Barnes Jody Whitehurst Laurie Reese Scott Ambler Amanda Simpkins Toby Davis Debora Buchanan Skye Streppa David Bluth Byron Greiner Rory Heller Ben Woolf Jessica Colley Devorah Thomas Caroline Kalpinski Nicholas Hinton Bob Gardner Brandie Huffman Eric Attreau M.E. Gray
76. Eva Hartman 77. Ameliah Davidson 78. Julie Tallman 79. Bret Frk 80. Troy Flack 81. Hadley Goodman Cropp 82. Brian Marshall 83. Justin Purnell 84. Greg Palombi 85. Sandy Austin 86. Lynn Hathcock 87. Todd Kaderabek 88. Sharon Lingelbach 89. Eddie Delaney 90. Christina Gallegos Merrill 91. Scott McKenzie 92. John Haynes 93. Holly Martin 94. Gene Sandlin 95. Angie Cullen 96. Lisa Hagan 97. Sam Rule 98. Neely Neu 99. Mark Taylor 100. Debbie Hrncir
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Congratulations to the
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TOP TEN TEAMS
#1 Broker Asheville
#6 Firefly Group
#2 The Matt & Molly Team
#7 The Dwell Realty Group
#3 The Marie Reed Team
#8 The Mike Miller Group
#4 Puffer Properties
#9 Mountain Star Team
#5 Eskritt Group
#10 Home in the 828
AVL TOP 100 | 2019 Edition
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Let’s Get Connected! I am really into community. I think it is critical—and especially now, in 2020. An observation is that we now feel so comfortable behind the screen, we tend to lose our humanity, and the humanity of the ones we are “talking” to, or shall I say, typing too. The problem is, real life has not stopped with its incessant hardships and trauma, but also celebrations, houses being sold, babies being born, finally getting this magazine done! People still need people seeing people, really seeing them. Across the street or on a walk, in the grocery store behind the Plexiglass, new mom’s trying to fit in with the kindergarten class that they can’t even volunteer in, a friend who lost his job. Now more than ever, we need to be out from the screens and inviting people in. But how! What anxious times we live in! I wouldn’t want to offend! You can still be involved in real life but just with a few tweaks, and I have a challenge for you: for the rest of the year, intentionally try the following things:
1. Make a point to take a walk with the purpose of seeing another person and connecting. Be prepared to take out those headphones when you see a neighbor to say something very Southern like, “How y’all doin?” I went on a walk the other day and saw an older gentleman working on something fervently with pen and paper. After I said hello, I AVL TOP 100 | 2019 Edition 43
yelled, “Looks like you’re really cranking away!” And he stood up and said, “You know, I just retired, and I have to keep busy so I’m taking an algebra course to stay sharp. It’s been pretty lonely.” Now I have his name, and now I make sure to take that route and stay for a quick chat to brighten his day. You never know who will be impacted by your interest and kind words. And by the way, if you’re an introvert like me, practice makes perfect. Work on saying hello and it will get easier and easier.
2. Start a group chat with your neighbors, colleagues or faith family. Ask them over to the driveway for socially distanced wine or soda waters. Yes, put yourself out there—YES, even if you hate group chats. Yesterday, one such team on our list decided to do a client appreciation drive thru to hand out pies. How many hearts were warmed to feel that connection and community? Halloween just passed and our neighborhood had socially distanced trick or treating for the kids, complete with tickets and all. While steering away from bobbing apples, there are still other things we can do! Might as well put all those old Covid wine bottles to use with a ring toss!
Force friends. These folks are across the country but are facing the same struggles we all are, homeschooling kids, managing work! This one hour of connection is something we look forward to every week!
4. Find someone who needs help and physically show up for them with yard work, or a meal, or some kind of physical help. 3. Get involved (or initiate) in a happy hour, book club or a Bible study with friends. Figure out a book and get moving on finding a morning or evening to hang. This can obviously be done by zoom, but see if you can’t have it be outdoors or a patio space. Set the rules, make everyone safe and comfortable, and get moving. I also look forward to my Friday night zoom happy hours with my husband’s Air 44
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Listen, most people will not tell you what they actually need. When a friend had surgery recently, several friends on a group chat (SEE! This is why you need group texts!) sprung into action coordinating meals for the next week. She didn’t ask for it, and she never would. In this instance, I say “We are bringing you dinner and you can’t say no! So, make sure to tell me dietary restrictions or we’ll have to guess.” Boldness in initiating is a welcomed gift. Permission slip to be assertive and get into someone’s mess with them.
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5. This one is technically using technology, but just video or the voice message feature instead of texting someone. If you think of someone, don’t let it stop there, tell them! We are living in a very isolated time, send a quick love note or video. You can record a message to send instead of texting and the other person gets to hear your voice! I just celebrated a birthday and can’t tell you how grateful I was to receive personalized birthday videos from my friends. This keeps us connected, helps us to be vulnerable, and keep supporting friendships we want to keep. Like I said, we live in tough times. And with the election year we have had, behind the screen has been more volatile, more information saturated, and there will be more polarizing opinions as we wrap up 2020. It would be tempting to believe that politics matter more than people. That’s just not true, and we must fight to remember we are all humans fighting our own personal battles and doing our best. When we remove the screens and enter real community, even with a few tweaks, we will learn to love each other more deeply and thrive in those connections we so desperately need.
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PLATINUM sponsors
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Gold sponsors
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SILVER sponsor
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Bronze sponsors
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Bronze Sponsors
LINDA YOUNGBLOOD MOVEMENT LOAN OFFICER 50
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Bronze Sponsors
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