Janie Westmoreland has been the broker/owner of Re/Max Professional Group in Fernandina Beach since 1995.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
She manages the office and lists and sells real estate. “Most of my business comes from referrals.”
WHEN DID SHE GET INTO REAL ESTATE?
In 1986, when her husband was transferred to Blount Island with the Marines. After they moved to Fernandina Beach, Westmoreland decided to take the real estate course for her own information. “I never planned on going into real estate, but I found that I really really liked it and wanted to give it a shot. I’ve never went back since. My husband thought I was nuts going into real estate.”
WHERE WAS SHE BEFORE HER OWN COMPANY?
She started out her real estate career with ERA Fernandina Beach Realty. She then went to Amelia Realty and then became a site agent with Summer Beach until 1992. Someone beat her to the punch on buying the Re/Max franchise, so she went to work there at Re/Max Realty Achievers as an agent and eventually bought the franchise from the owner.
WHAT DID SHE DO BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
She was a nurse for 20 years. Her last position as a nurse was as the head of the surgical unit in Washington D.C. Since her husband was in the military, they moved a lot and she was in a profession that she could get a job anywhere. But, when she moved to Fernandina Beach, she decided she wanted a change.
SPECIALIZE IN?
Residential and resort sales.
WHY MOVE TO FERNANDINA BEACH?
Her husband was working for the Jacksonville Port Authority on Blount Island. “We came to this sleepy little community to see if they had any golf courses because my husband and I both like to play golf. We felt it would be an easy commute for him to travel to the port. We thought we would be here for a year or two, but I fell in love with it. I told my husband I didn’t know where he was going from here, but I wasn’t leaving.”
INVOLVEMENT WITH THE AMELIA ISLAND/NASSAU COUNTY BOARD OF REALTORS?
She is a past president of the board. Though she has been mainly been involved in the Grievance and Professional Standards committees on the board, she said has been involved in almost every committee on the board at one point or another.
“I enjoy the grievance and professional standards side of it and I think it is important to keep up with the laws and regulations. Professional ethics is real important to me.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
“I really like the people. Especially here, I get to meet people from all over the country and from places I have been or not been. I’ve never thought of myself as a sales person. I look at it like nursing, it’s problem solving. I help people find what they want and I give them the information for them to make a decision. I don’t sell anything.”
MORE INVOLVEMENT FROM THE WEST SIDE OF NASSAU COUNTY?
“Our association covers Amelia Island and Nassau County. But on the west side of the county, we don’t have that much involvement in the board from the REALTORS® and that is something we are all hoping to try and change. We want to bring them back in the pocket and feel more like us, which they are, they are Nassau County. They haven’t been very much involved with us because they feel like they are out there in the rural part of the county. The board is talking about ways to bring them back in. We are really going to try to reach out, even if it means taking the meeting out there once a month, so they don’t always have to be the ones commuting this way. We are Nassau County and we are all one.”
COLLEGE
She has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Arizona.
BIRTHPLACE
She was born in Ohio, but moved to Arizona for high school and college.
FAMILY
She has been married to Bud for 30 years. Between them, they have two children, Renee Bryan, who is Westmoreland’s assistant, and Schery Collins.
RESIDES
On the south end of Amelia Island.
FAVORITES
Her favorite movie is “Titanic.” Her favorite authors are Stephen King and Dean Koontz because she enjoys scary books. When dining out, she prefers either The Marina or The Down Under in Fernandina Beach. Her favorite place to visit, is right where she lives, Amelia Island. Her favorite television shows are “Dr. Phil” and “CSI.”
— by Michele Newbern Gillis