At Family Reunion 2017, the International Associate Leadership Council (IALC) voted to approve two additions to the company’s mission statement: careers worth having, businesses worth owning, lives worth living, experiences worth giving and legacies worth leaving. Meet Keller Williams associates who are living this mission and creating huge lives for future generations to come.
The Belt Team
(Left to right: Gail, Terry, Jerry and Christy Belt)
Brother and sister Terry Belt and Christy Belt Grossman, of the McLean, Va., market center, are following in their mother Gail Belt’s footsteps, running the highly successful real estate team she began in the 60s.
When asked what she loved most about seeing her children carrying on the legacy she’s built, Gail says, “I am in total awe of what they have done. I know that the business I built is in the best hands it can be and will continue to provide for future generations.” Gail’s husband and business partner Jerry adds, “Who wouldn’t dream of working with their children and seeing them achieve such great success? It is very rewarding.”
As Terry and Christy continue to build the successful business their mother started, they are planning for their children’s future as well as their parents’. “One of the great things Keller Williams offered was the opportunity for our mom to build profit share and still earn while she entered a new chapter in her life,” notes Terry.
“We were living the Keller Williams mission statement long before we joined the company,” says Christy. “And this is why we wanted to be in business with a business that shares our common values,” adds Terry, who encouraged the family to move to Keller Williams in 2008.
In addition to passive income opportunities, Terry and Christy utilize a host of tools provided by Keller Williams to help them in all aspects of the company’s mission. “The MREA budget model and agent financials have helped us get real about our business and be profitable,” says Terry.
The Belt Team is truly living lives worth living. “In the beginning, I couldn’t believe the Keller Williams culture was real,” says Christy. “But we quickly experienced it firsthand in our market center when our father was ill and everyone stepped up to help us. It’s like an extended family.”
The Finkelstein Reader Team
(Left to Right: Saria Finkelstein, Laurie Finkelstein Reader, Gabrielle Beane and Eric Beane, Sitting: Marilyn Finkelstein)
The Finkelsteins of the Plantation, Fla., market center have real estate in their DNA. Laurie Finkelstein Reader, a second generation real estate agent, wanted a flexible career with unlimited earning potential so she could provide for her two children. Unknowingly, when Laurie joined her mom Marilyn Finkelstein in the business, she embarked on a venture that would provide for much more than her own children. It was the beginning of her legacy.
From crawling under her grandparents’ desk to being recognized as one of REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 Under 30, seven-time BOLD graduate Saria Finkelstein loves being in business with family. “To be able to share every aspect of your life and build a relationship beyond family is incredible,” she says. Active in her local Keller Williams Young Professionals (KWYP) chapter and a KW MAPS Coaching client, Saria’s success and passion for the business inspired her cousin Eric Beane to join them.
“Working with people you like is key, but working with people you love is priceless,” says Beane.
Gabrielle Beane is also building the family business as an administrative associate, truly making this a family affair.
While the Finkelstein Reader team is on track this year to hit $4.5 million in GCI, Laurie notes that it is about so much more than money. “Nothing can match the satisfaction of being part of such a great company and getting to experience it with family,” she says.
“Our daily question is, ‘How many other people can we help?’” says Saria. “How many lives can we change? As a family we are making the effort to change lives.”
The journey has been nothing short of exciting for Marilyn to watch.
“In 1974 when we opened our first of five offices, we did not realize how our business would affect our children. I am grateful that my daughters and grandchildren love what I did and they are truly paying homage to my life’s work.”
The Van Poole Team
(Left to Right: Barbara and Seychelle Van Poole)
Barbara and Seychelle Van Poole, of the Dallas Preston Road market center, are a dynamic motherdaughter duo. Barbara became an agent in 2001 with dreams of building her own business. She hit the ground running, earning the honor of International Rookie of the Year her first year in business.
“We are blessed to be in the real estate industry, because we make a difference in people’s lives,” says Barbara. “To have my daughter and family share this vision and passion of helping people is profoundly rewarding, exciting and fun!”
When her daughter, Seychelle, decided to get into real estate, it actually wasn’t at Barbara’s urging. Seychelle wanted to find a career that would not only sustain her, but allow her to provide for her parents in the future. “At first I wasn’t attracted to real estate, but then I learned about real estate investing and my interest was piqued,” says Seychelle.
From not having any industry interest to closing 36 deals her first year, Seychelle became a successful real estate agent before she was a homeowner. “I purchased three rental properties before I bought my first home,” she notes.
Together, Barbara and Seychelle are empowering their team to invest in real estate and fund their “big why.” Using The Millionaire Real Estate Investor and HOLD books, they can show people how easy investing can be. “These books break it down into a process and they help eliminate the fear of the unknown and the risks,” says Seychelle.
Seychelle adds that when people build their legacy, they have an idea that what they are doing is bigger than themselves. “I wanted to build a life to protect my parents and give them freedom to do what they want.” Mirroring Seychelle’s sentiments, Barbara says, “Seychelle is a talented leader who inspires the best in everyone around her. It is an honor to be her mother and business partner.”
Every family has a different story to tell, but these three families have quite a bit in common. Even though some stories began almost 50 years ago and others are just getting started, they are all fueled by the desire to enjoy careers worth having and businesses worth owning. These families are not only living lives worth living, they are also providing others with experiences worth giving, and, as a result, they are creating legacies worth leaving.
Written by Allison Teegardin
Originally published in OutFront Magazine issue 14.2. Read the digital issue! Click the photo below.