Deborah Childers and Ingrid Friend are Realtors with the Ponte Vedra Club Realty office in Sawgrass and are working as a team to develop a commercial division at that company.
WHEN DID THEY JOIN THE COMPANY?
Friend has been with Ponte Vedra Club Realty for a year and Childers joined in January. They teamed up to do commercial a few months ago.
COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE?
Childers has a commercial background in Jacksonville which she gained by working with Childers Commercial Properties, which her sister-in-law owns, for 13 years. “I wore a lot of hats. We were a small company that specialized in shopping center management and leasing. I also did office leasing and sales while there,” said Childers.
Friend gained her commercial experience outside the Chicago area for 11 years.
GOAL AS A TEAM?
Friend and Childers are doing both commercial and residential at Ponte Vedra Club Realty but are really trying to get the commercial division up and running. “There is a lot going on,” said Friend. “There are all kinds of spaces for lease and new projects going on that we are getting involved with.” Many of their listings are outside of the Ponte Vedra Beach area including downtown, Southpoint, Orange Park and the San Marco areas. “We are not limited to Ponte Vedra Beach,” said Childers.
HOW DID THEY BECOME A TEAM?
Childers lives at the beach and was looking for a change. Since Friend has been at Ponte Vedra Club Realty, she has been researching the commercial market and gearing up to focus more on commercial. “I have taken this last year to get to know the area and who the major players were on the commercial end of the business,” said Friend. “When Deborah came on board with all her extensive commercial experience, we started talking and decided that we probably had a pretty good fit between the two of us.”
Friend said that Scott Williams, the broker at Ponte Vedra Club Realty, is very excited about the new venture. “The residential Realtors here are an excellent referral source for us,” said Childers.
WHAT DID THEY DO BEFORE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
Friend was an assistant manager at a country club. “The reason I got into real estate was because they were one of the first areas in Northwest Indiana that started developing a golf course community,” said Friend. “I got my license because we started developing a golf course and they wanted to build homes around the golf course. I was involved in the whole process from getting the approvals to getting everything going.”
When Childers got into the business, she worked for a developer who did both commercial and residential. “So, I had a taste for both, but I decided I liked commercial because it is a non-emotional business decision. Since I’ve come here, I’ve been trying to move into some residential as well.”
HOW DID YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU IN REAL ESTATE?
“Once you are in sales of any kind, you can transfer the information readily,” said Friend. “I was involved in membership drives and membership events, so I worked with people all of the time, kind of in a sales way because I was promoting the club. So, it was a natural thing to get into real estate.”
Before real estate, Childers was in advertising sales. “I was in charge of real estate advertising sales, so that transferred real well.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“I like being able to work independently,” said Friend. “You make your own hours and work as hard or as little as you want to. If you want to be successful then you will work hard. But, nobody tells you what you are going to be doing or the best way to do things. If you have an issue, you can ask your peers for advice. You just pick and choose how you want to work.”
Childers agreed. “It’s a challenge, but it’s a new day every day and that’s kind of fun,” said Childers. “It’s a creative process everyday. I think it takes undying tenacity.”
HOW IS IT
WORKING AS A TEAM?
“I think we have a good balance,” said Friend. “Deborah knows everyone in the commercial industry, so she has that strength and background. With me being the new kid on the block, I throw in some questions since I am always learning.”
“I think our personalities blend well together, too,” said Childers. “We are aggressive in a way that is non-threatening and we are not competing against each other.” They go out on appointments together when meeting with clients.
LESSONS LEARNED?
“You need to be honest because a lot of people are not,” said Friend. “Also, being thorough, understanding your customer as well you can and really listing to people is important. These are skills you need in any area of your life, but if you stick with the basics it works.”
BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED FROM A CO-WORKER?
“I was working in a real estate company on floor duty and had gotten a call,” said Friend. “One of the agents said to ‘Follow up, just follow up.’”
ADVICE FOR NEW AGENTS?
“Know your market,” said Friend. “We’ve been working with new agents in the other office. They are scared to death and don’t know what to do. I tell them to be really organized and have as much information as you can and really know the inventory out there.”
Childers agrees that it is very important to know your product and what you are selling.
WHAT’S GOING ON COMMERCIALLY IN PONTE VEDRA BEACH?
“It’s a tough market,” said Friend. “We have very little inventory and it’s very limiting because of the zoning issues. It’s very difficult to change anything over to commercial zoning. There is a lot of interest in coming into Ponte Vedra Beach.”
“We also have developers that we are looking for acreage here for as well,” said Childers.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
Both women are involved in the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, the Ponte Vedra Council of NEFAR and the Ponte Vedra Chamber of Commerce.
HOMETOWN?
Friend is originally from New Jersey and she moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 2003. Childers is originally from Virginia and moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1965.
COLLEGE?
Friend has a bachelor’s degree in English from Rowan University.
RESIDES?
Friend lives in the Marsh Landing development and Childers lives in Fairfield development in Ponte Vedra Beach.
PERSONAL SIDE?
Friend has been married to Foreman for eight years. Together they have three children: Melissa, 27; Allison, 25 and Katie, 21.
Childers is single and has two children: Chris, 35 and Matt, 29.
When Friend is not working, she enjoys going to the beach, walking, gardening and singing. When Childers is not working, she enjoys dining out with friends, listening to music and she is an avid reader.
A movie Friend would recommend is “Cinderella Man.” “It was a very well done movie.” A book she would recommend is “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. When traveling, she enjoys London and her favorite television show is “Sex and The City.” When dining out, she enjoys Eleventh Avenue South in Jacksonville Beach.
Childers all-time favorite movie is “Out of Africa” and she cites “The Prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy as her favorite book. When dining out, she enjoys Café Adiamo and, when traveling, she enjoys Paris. When relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into is “American Dream.”
- by Michele Newbern Gillis