AE Spotlight on Jacqueline Huff and Rip Ripley

AE SPOTLIGHT JACQUELINE HUFF

AE for Montrose Association of REALTORS® Since May 2022

How did you get your start as an AE? My sister is Halley Combs, who is on the MAR’s Board of Directors. She said, “We need you-you have the skill set to do this job and you’ll be great.”

What do you love most about the job (so far)? It is testing all of my skills. There is so much planning and organizing, which I’m used to, but now I’m more social since I’m meeting lots of new REALTORS® and putting names and faces together. I’ve always been really organized; I’ve always loved numbers and solving problems. I also work in our family business, which is a dietary supplement company called Honey Combs. I do all the FDA regulation compliance work, which is in a back room in my house. Now I have to get my hair done and meet people!

What is your biggest success (so far) as an AE? That’s tough to say because I’m still figuring things out. I did really learn a lot at the NAR Leadership Summit in Chicago. I went with our MAR Chair-Elect Dana Gleason. The speakers and event production were amazing and so informative. I learned about a program called OnWatch, which helps people learn about the signs of human trafficking. REALTORS® are a great fit for this program since they are driving all over the place, in people’s homes, and meeting new people all the time. They are already trained in observation so are a natural fit for this program.

What would your members be most surprised by about your job? How much time I spend alone. Even though I’m getting know everyone, for the majority of my day, I am alone.

CAR benefits you and or your members use most: We just had CAR’s General Counsel Scott Peterson out for his 10 Things education program. Being new in this job, I learned a lot and he is a great resource.

Which talent would you most like to have? I’d love to be able to play the piano. I’m amazed when I see people’s fingers fly across the keys. I don’t have the patience to practice, but it looks so fun.

What is your most treasured possession? I love my home because that’s where we gather. And my love language is acts of service. So, getting all of my kids together, feeding them, and taking care of them is what drives me. I love that they want to come to our house and tell me about the most amazing news from their lives. I’m just a little mommy duck.

Which historical figure or literary hero do you most identify with and why? I identify with Oscar Wilde because he has a dry wit and sarcasm and that is my inner dialogue with myself constantly.

Motto or piece of advice you live by: From Lewis Carroll from Alice in Wonderland, “I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.” I do this every day.

AE SPOTLIGHT RIP RIPLEY

AE for Grand Junction Area REALTOR® Association since June 2022

How did you get your start as an AE? The majority of my career has been spent in marketing and advertising. It grew to 800 people, and I needed a change. One of my clients was REColorado (Metro List at that point in time). I ended up working with them on a contract to help them rebrand and change the name. I then was the CEO for corporate Metro Brokers and then took time off.

Just as my wife Linda (a REALTOR®), and I wondered what was next this opportunity came up. We moved to Grand Junction. I have always been based in Denver, but was an east coast transplant who went to CU.

A fun sidenote: I started as the CEO of Metro Brokers the same week that Tyrone Adams began as CAR CEO. We were at a meeting together, and I told him he had by far, the hardest job ahead of him.

What do you love most about the job (so far)? I love the variety of what my staff and I get to do on a daily basis. You’re everything from a high-level strategist to a party planner, to a coach and a psychiatrist.

What is your biggest success as an AE? In my short time, I have made a concerted effort to get to know our Grand Junction REALTOR® community. I’ve made one-on-one connections and am trying to build bridges between our leadership and the members.

Since you’re new, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve done in your job (so far)? I participated in cutting up a lockbox because we couldn’t get it open with the key. We used power tools and a sledgehammer.

CAR benefits you and or your members use most: Accessing CAR’s Legal Hotline, Scott and his team has been huge. Government affairs is also big--one of the things about the western slope is you feel disconnected from the rest of state. Their work helps us feel connected. We also like the conventions and networking meetings. We have always had a very engaged group with CAR and NAR who have been involved and they are a huge help.

Which talent would you most like to have? Just like my grandmother told me I would say, I wish I could play the piano. She tried to teach me. From my long career in marketing, I was involved with people who could easily write and produce creativity. That same magic in my fingers is what I would have liked for the piano.

What is your most treasured possession? People and relationships first. I do have an heirloom dresser from my family that was a wedding gift to my great great great grandmother in 1851 along with the lineage of the family. There is also my little 1973 BMW. My dad was a car dealer and a racer for years. That car was something that I bought once I sold my company, something I bought for myself. Its old, crotchety and kinda stylish, just like me.

Which historical figure or literary hero do you most identify with and why? Teddy Roosevelt said he was born in the east but was a westerner at heart. Like him, I am happiest in wide open places. He did great things for the country but caused a lot of change, too. I’m not afraid of change. He did what was necessary even though it wasn’t popular.

Motto or piece of advice you live by: It comes from my father: Rip Rules of the Seven P’s. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Potentially Poor Performance. It’s gone with me in all of my working life, and so far, it’s worked pretty well.

One more thing: I am very appreciative of the help and support of my fellow AEs around the state. It’s really a hallmark of the real estate business that there are people who are willing to help you in a noncompetitive environment!