Spring 2008 issue of Terry Magazine - (Page 57)

designated as a senior real estate specialist by the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council. 1985-1989 Lee Henson McKinney (BBA ’85) of Peachtree City and her two sisters joined Prudential Georgia Realty as the Henson Team. Mike Viers (BBA ’85) of Savannah was named president of First Chatham Bank. Darren DeVore (BBA ’86) of Marietta was elected to the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees. Dana Lupton (BBA ’86) of Atlanta and Leah Mann (BSEd ’85) are co-founders of the teen performing company and leadership training program, Moving in the Spirit, which was designed to instill confidence, discipline, and commitment in inner-city youngsters through dance. Kent “Kip” Plowman Jr. (BBA ’87) of Sandy Springs is partner-in-charge of the Atlanta practice of CB&H, a top 30 certified public accounting and consulting firm. Chandra Stevens (BBA ’88) of New York, N.Y., participated in a Microsoft United Nations program in Uganda, where she helped launch information centers in rural areas. Julie Cochran Clement (BBA ’89) of Apollo Beach, Fla., was promoted to vice president of sales operations for Gevity, a human resources outsourcing firm. James A. Manley III (BBA ’89) of Macon was named president and CEO of SunTrust Bank in Middle Georgia. 1990-1994 Michael Martin (BBA ’90) of Marietta and his wife Julie Jaroch Martin (MA ’97) welcomed their second son, Joseph Eugene. Wayne Hartley (BBA ’91) of Lyons was named to the board of Darby Bank & Trust Co. Todd Trawick (BBA ’91) of Franklin, Wis., accepted a position as senior director of Maserati Financial Services in Racine, Wis. Todd and his wife, Stephanie Bailey Trawick (BSEd ’89, MEd ’91), have two children — and Terry College of Real estate whiz By Krista Reese (MA ’80) Mark Spain (BBA ’93) won a lifetime achievement award from RE/MAX at the age of 32. His mantra: “I love to work.” For a guy who turns 37 in May, Mark spain has an unashamedly mature world view. “i’ve always had an old soul,” says spain (BBA ’93). “i always knew i’d be an entrepreneur.” the atlanta realtor and his team of 12 employees consistently rank among the top two or three re/MaX agencies worldwide. with $175 million in sales last year, team spain closed 705 “transaction sides,” with each ”side” representing a buyer and seller. spain won a re/MaX Lifetime achievement award — at age 32. But it might be argued that he actually started his career at 14, when he worked on yards with a landscaper, read Success Spain and his Atlanta-based team did $175 million in sales last year, which and Money, and studied suc- explains why they typically rank among the top two or three RE/MAX agencies cessful entrepreneurs like the in the world. He started out in construction, selling new homes, but switched to Ceo of Mailboxes etc. he also sales to avoid forces out of his control — like bad weather. picked up valuable tips from listening to motivational tapes supplied by his father, who is also a realtor. ”they transformed my thinking about being a winner,” says the former high school wrestler. “you become what you think of most.” while studying management at terry, spain drove home to snellville on weekends to work, which aggravated his beer-drinking buddies. “i love to work,” he shrugs. By his senior year, he was selling houses. spain’s professional career took only one major turn: after starting out in the construction business, selling new homes, he decided that aspect of the business “was very, very hard to manage. there are external features that you just cannot control — like the weather. i just knew my sweet spot was in sales.” “a house is like a big, man-made piece of furniture,” says spain, who, though he was young, could explain to buyers why their hardwood floors had knots (“it’s real, not manufactured pergo”) or rely on his teenage work experience to help them figure out landscaping issues. his terry background helped him advise young clients on their tax problems. and when selling new homes, his experience with construction crews meant “i could relate to both sides,” he says. Construction companies would often end up steering potential buyers to the knowledgeable young man who was often told by clients, “i thought you were the greeter.” spain says a high-performing team like his succeeds because of a softer market, not in spite of it. “First of all, the market is soft, not dead,” he notes. “it’s actually not bad, except in a few areas where construction exceeds absorption. we take on a lot of expired listings.” spain’s tips for success in real estate: Establish your brand. “in your first few years, put aside 10 percent of your income towards marketing and establishing your brand,” says spain, who uses billboards and other media to establish his presence. “think of aoL: they don’t have the best internet service, but they’re the best marketers.” Don’t take every house, or every seller. “we never take an overpriced house, and we won’t take some sellers because we know we’ll never make them happy.” Keep learning. spain still reads motivational and how-to business books, recommending jim Collins’ Good to Great and Built to Last and the E-Myth, by Michael gerber, among others. and he worries about the work ethic of america’s young people, who, in his view, want a raise and promotion before they’re ready. “they’ve got it backwards,” he says. “i tell them, ‘you need to start showing up early and working late, doing whatever needs to be done‚’ earning it first, before asking for it.” ■ BuSineSS Spring 2008 • 57 Bert MCDoNoLD

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008 Contents Quick Bites Research & Innovation Gatherings Best CEO in America An Unlikely Rock Star Fire & Flavor Beyond the Bench Terry Memo Economic Scorekeeper Class Notes

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

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