Professional Experience
I first considered what it would be like to become a real estate agent in 1977 when my family moved from Austin to North Alabama. Our agent in AL was Betty Wiggington. Even though I was only a teenager, her professionalism really made an impression on me. But I especially noticed how much she was obviously enjoying her job. She knew a lot of things, she knew a lot of people, and she was still nice. Not like some of the pompous prima donnas who sometimes gain visibility in real estate.
After earning an MBA in finance, I got into the real estate industry in the mid-90s as a mortgage broker with a small, new firm in Arlington. The top people in the company, including the owner, were only 28-years-old.
Interacting with real estate agents during purchase transactions convinced me that they were the ones who had the job I really wanted. But I had to wait until my children were older so that my entire family would support the schedule I knew would be required. When my oldest son went to college in 2004, I took the opportunity to become an agent.
Prior to real estate, I spent the first 10 years of my post-undergraduate career in the aerospace industry as a cost accountant - which I got with an English degree.
Cost accounting was all about sitting at a desk in a building with no windows, evaluating what happened last month and guessing about what might happen next month. I was pretty good at it. But there were no windows.
Also, I had this growing sense that what I was doing didn't really matter to humanity. I wanted to do something meaningful for real people who might then remember me for it, just the way I remember Betty Wiggington - even though I spent only a few days riding around in her car way back in 1977.
Personal Background
I was born and raised in Austin, and I have lived in the Metroplex for 25 years, having moved my family to Southlake from Arlington ten years ago.
I cherish the time I spend with my wife, Karla, especially the weekly coffee dates we've enjoyed for the past 13 years. Karla is the Coordinator for Accounts Payable at a company that buys and manages dental practices in several states. Her company recently relocated their offices to a nice building where Karla can't see out the window. I'm sure it will work out okay for her, though.
Our oldest son Zachary is a TCU accounting grad, and he works for an accounting firm in Midland. Clarissa graduated from U.T, Austin and is now a nurse at Children's Hospital in Dallas! Sarah, like her brother and sister, graduated from Carroll Senior High, and she is a junior business student at TCU. If you'd like to buy some fine jeans, visit Sarah at Lucky Brand in Southlake's Town Square. She's one of their top salespeople. Our youngest son, Spencer, graduated from Carroll Senior High in 2010. He was active (a gross understatement) in Carroll theater and choir and now attends TCU, where he's double-majoring in theater and business.
I love playing acoustic guitar, so for the past 36 years I've played at church services, weddings, and community theater performances.
On stage with my daughters, Clarissa & Sarah
Teaching kids about theater is another joy for me. I was an adjunct director for five years at Immanuel Lutheran School in North Richland Hills, and I was priviledged to work with some very fine students. Our latest project was the one-act play "Infancy." The students were amazing!
My hope has been that some of my graduating eighth graders would get involved in extra-curricular activities by joining their high school drama departments, and you will still find some of my former students on stage at Richland High, Carroll, the HEB school district and Crowley.
One 2008 grad, Brooke Etter, participated in March 2009, running tech for Crowley High School's U.I.L. competition show. They made it to state for the first time in many years.
My son, Spencer, had the title roles the past two years in Carroll Senior High's competition shows, "Chemical Imbalance: A Jeckyll and Hyde Play" (2009) and "The Elephant Man" (2010). http://www.dragondrama.net. Carroll advanced all the way to the Regional Finals in Lubbock in April 2009!! Along the way, Spencer accumulated some hardware: Best Actor, District and Area; All Star Cast, Regional. This year he earned an All Star Cast award, plus a Betty Buckley nomination for his role in the musical "White Christmas." He's come a long way from his first role as Pyramus at Immanuel in sixth grade (below).
My son Spencer as Pyramus in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (2004)
This is my sixth football season to volunteer as the "e-cheerleader" on the Carroll Dragon Stadium scoreboard. In all that time I have never witnessed a home loss. My oldest son Zachary played in one of the first games at Dragon Stadium when it was built.
My family has attended Immanuel Lutheran Church in North Richland Hills since 1999. I serve as Education Chairman and am a recent past president. We love Immanuel.
