by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
After years of building other people’s businesses, Pat Alters is ready to build her own.
She has joined with her sister, Sandy Kahle and daughter, Celena Blunk, to open a Keller Williams First Coast Realty on Park Avenue in Orange Park.
The three family members used to work at Re/Max but left in September 2002 to open a branch of the Mandarin Keller Williams Realty Jacksonville in Orange Park.
The owner of the Keller Williams Realty Jacksonville in Mandarin, Gene Rivers, will be partnering with the trio in the ownership of the new office.
“We set it up as a branch so we could incubate and grow before we actually launched a whole new business,” said Kahle.
The branch office has closed and the 18 agents moved into to the brand new Keller Williams office. Two more family members have joined the company as agents, Kahle’s sister-in-law, Donna Kowalenko and her daughter Cindy McLain.
They are looking to grow the office to 50 to 60 agents and are actively recruiting agents.
The office handles both residential and commercial. Kahle is working with several agents to get them more acclimated with commercial projects.
Kahle, Alters and Blunk have purchased the Keller Williams franchise rights covering all of Clay County.
Alters has been in real estate for 25 years. Both she and Kahle have their broker’s license.
The trio decided to open the business using the strength in sales from Alters and Blunk and the business experience from Kahle.
“Together we bring a lot of scope to the table,” said Kahle. “Pat and I are very close so this works well for us. We get along very well.”
As the broker, Alters will be handling recruiting and training as well as handling her residential real estate business.
Kahle will be overseeing the financial and operations aspects of the company as well as handling her commercial real estate business.
Blunk will assist with the operations of the office and handle her residential real estate business.
Plans for the office include adding an on-site title company, property management and loan officer.
Alters started her career with Vanguard/Better Homes and Gardens as an agent. She was recruited to South Florida with Better Homes and Gardens where she trained and recruited, and then became a national trainer for Better Homes and Gardens. When she returned to Orange Park, she went back into sales for about a year before she was asked by Pete Dalton, owner of Vanguard, to manage the new Vanguard/GMAC Fleming Island office. She managed there for three years and then re-entered sales at Re/Max on Park Avenue.
Alters’ 23 years in the business gave her a market presence which allowed her to purchase the franchise.
“You can’t just walk in and buy a Keller Williams franchise,” said Alters. “You have to have a market presence.”
Kahle was an engineer with BellSouth before pursuing a law degree and becoming a bankruptcy attorney. Her business savvy background was utilized heavily in the opening of a new business.
Alters, Kahle and Blunk have a history of working well together. The group worked together at Re/Max for four years before they moved over the Keller Williams. Alters and Blunk worked as a team while Kahle was their assistant for a while before going in to commercial real estate.
Most recently, they worked on a deal for the new residential waterfront subdivision, Paradise Moorings on CR 220.
“Pat and I worked with the developer on selling him the land and then he gave us the listing on the lots,” said Kahle. “Then I sold the lots to the builders. We have sold the lots now and have a listing on about half of the houses. Pat and I really enjoy the residential developments, so we will be trying to work more on that as well.”
Keller Williams offers a profit sharing system based on recruiting agents.
“It is a progressive company and they encourage their agents to look at their real estate as a business of their own,” said Kahle. “Keller Williams provides a lot of training opportunities, encouragement and education having to do with growing your business.”
After three years, agents are vested and will continue to receive profit sharing even after they retire.