Posted 8:43 pm Sunday, February 19, 2012
RE/MAX Tyler Named State Broker/Owner Of The Year
By CASEY MURPHY
Business Editor
Business Editor
Tom Woldert and Jim McCain grew up in Tyler together, attended Texas Tech University at the same time and both returned to their hometown to become real estate agents.
Now, the men co-own RE/MAX Tyler and are franchise owners of three branches -- RE/MAX Professionals, RE/MAX Properties and RE/MAX Impact.
Woldert, 57, and McCain, 58, were recently named Broker/Owner of the Year out of the 250 RE/MAX franchises statewide in the RE/MAX of Texas network.
"There are 250 RE/MAX offices from El Paso to Texarkana and Amarillo to Brownsville, and to be singled out among them is a great thrill," Woldert said.
GETTING STARTED
Woldert's family was in the food business while McCain's family was in the lumber business. Their parents were good friends, so the boys grew up together. After college, the men went to work for their respective family businesses while earning their real estate licenses.
After McCain graduated from college in 1975 he had to work a year for a broker in Tyler before he could take the test for his broker's license. When Woldert graduated college, McCain sponsored him to get his salesman license, he said.
McCain started McCain Realty in 1977 out of his family's Coats-McCain Lumber Co. He thought getting a real estate license would go well with the business, which built homes.
His office was housed in the lumber company for 10 years before it expanded and moved to Fifth Street in 1986.
His wife of 36 years, Chaley, worked as a Realtor in his office then and continues to work as a Realtor for him at RE/MAX. They have three children and two grandchildren, and their daughter-in-law, Blythe McCain, is also a Realtor there.
In 1986, Woldert bought a well-established realty company with 15 agents, Rozell-Barrett.
He and his wife of 35 years, Amy, have three children and three grandchildren.
In 1999, Woldert and McCain merged their businesses into Woldert McCain Realtors, which had about 25 agents.
McCain said the men talked about going into business together for years before doing it because of their friendship. But the decision has paid off.
"It's been a wonderful partnership because we complement each other very well," Woldert said of his years working with McCain.
DIFFERENT CONCEPT
In 2002, McCain and Woldert acquired RE/MAX in Tyler from Jean Hartin, who started it here in the mid 1980s.
When McCain and Woldert entered the real estate business, agents split sales commission 50-50 with the office they worked for. Agents everywhere began saying they should get a larger piece of the pie for more production, and some offices began upping the percentages given to agents, Woldert said.
RE/MAX was founded in the early 1970s in Colorado by Dave Liniger.
Since buying RE/MAX Tyler a decade ago, McCain and Woldert have about 50 agents working under their brand and did more than $130 million in 2011, the men said.
The main office is at 4300 Kinsey Drive. McCain and Woldert also are franchise owners of three branches, including RE/MAX Professionals run by Danny and Rebecca Burks at 3302 Old Jacksonville Highway. There is also RE/MAX Properties, run by P.J. Hartley and Doug Crutcher, at 3225 University Blvd.; and the newest office which opened last summer, is RE/MAX Impact, ran by Shelia Turner Cooper and Russel Enright, at 126 W. Amherst Drive.
HONORED
McCain and Woldert received Broker/Owner of the Year at RE/MAX's state conference Jan. 28 in Galveston.
"It was a big honor to us because here we are in Tyler, Texas, competing with huge offices," such as Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth, McCain said. "We just never thought we'd win an award, something like this."
Woldert said most of the awards are given in divisions depending on the size of the agency. Tyler is in the Vanguard network, which is made up of all cities in Texas that are not considered large cities such as Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. The Broker/Owner of the Year Award transcended that criteria and was given to one RE/MAX broker/owner in the entire state, he added.
The honor is given to "franchises who exhibit excellence in every facet of owning an office in a metropolitan market, a Vanguard -- small market area or a network of offices," the award states. "They excel in reporting, recruiting, promotion and involvement with the broker/owner council and community."
"We were very surprised," Woldert said.
RE/MAX Tyler also was given a second award for Top Office Listing Volume for Vanguard Council.
