Portland? It’s not because of Maine
When Portland Stuart of The PARC Group, who’s the marketing director for the Town of Nocatee, moved here from Portland, Maine, that should have been enough to prompt me into one of my unusual name stories, but it didn’t. I needed more.
Her name has a very interesting history.
Stuart was named after Portland Hoffa, an American comedienne, actress and dancer who is remembered best as the stage and radio partner of her first husband, legendary humorist Fred Allen. Allen happened to be a distant relative of Stuart’s mother.
The name has served Stuart well.
“Having a different name has always, if nothing else, been able to stir up conversation,” she said. “If I were looking for an ‘in’ to talk with a new client or business owner, an introduction can usually begin a conversation more so than just an exchanging of names.”
Stuart said the only nickname she was given was “Port.” when her nephews were young, they called her Aunt Portie.
Was she teased a lot growing up?
“Are you kidding?” said Stuart. “Different names are popular now, but in the 1970’s, let’s just say my mother was ahead of her time. Naming her five daughters became a challenge for her and she got progressively more daring as she had us. In order we are Lesley, Whitney, Courtney, Portland and Wallis (Yes, Wallis is a girl).
Having an interesting name can get you teased, talked about and maybe even out of a trouble. What?
“I lived outside of Portland, Maine for about a year in 2000,” she said. “My name actually got me out of two speeding tickets. The two different policemen didn’t quite know what to make of the name. Both came back to the car to clarify then ultimately let me go with a warning.”
Stuart worked as director of the Sales and Marketing Council for the Northeast Florida Builders Association since 2001.
“A friend opened the door for me by recommending me to NEFBA,” said Stuart. “She was well embedded in the industry and insisted it would be a great fit for me. Needless to say, she was right. She will always be dear to me for introducing me to this incredible industry.”
Last year, she left NEFBA to join The PARC Group.
“I am public relations and marketing liaisons for the public at large, the builder site agents and the Realtor community regarding Nocatee information and training,” said Stuart. “I also coordinate all public relations efforts for the town as well as plan events for current homeowners, prospective homeowners and the realtor community as well as coordinate civic announcement and events for milestone and groundbreakings within Nocatee.”
Helping others feels good
Though it seems this is the time of year everyone is donating money or toys to charities, sometimes there are those in need that just aren’t reached by any organization.
Chris Romo of Exit 1 Stop Realty (he was formerly with Watson Realty) saw an opportunity to help a family in need. He also rallied the agents in his Watson Realty office and made things happen.
Romo heard of a family, which included A.J., 12; T.J., 4; Alura, 3 and Ayla & Heather, 2 (twins) and their father Anthony Gale and his wife. An illness to one of their children’s brought financial devastation to the family.
“I had met the family through a neighbor of mine that had worked with the husband,” said Romo. “Their story is incredible. They had a daughter who was born with a hole in her heart and went through many surgeries and countless nights in the hospital. It was really overwhelming to have a child born in that condition.”
The father ended up losing his job because he was spending so much time in the hospital with his daughter. They ended up losing their house and had to move to Jacksonville to live with his aunt.
“When they moved, they were so broke that they could not afford to bring a U-Haul or anything,” said Romo. “Each family member got one bag to bring with them. In the meantime, Anthony had found another job and the daughter was getting better but still had to have surgeries done to improve her condition. They ended up moving out of Anthony’s aunt’s house into a small apartment with their five children. The husband ended up losing his job again here. And that is when I was talking to my neighbor about the family. I spread the word through friends and family and we had a ton of things donated.”
Romo said they got everything from a king size bed to toys.
“The mom and dad were sleeping on an air mattress that had holes in it,” he said. “We had a twin bed for one of the kids. We had highchairs donated for the twins. We had food, shoes and toys. We had people go out and spend $800 on new clothes for the family. People were going out and grocery shopping for them as well. We had money donated and a ton of other things. We even had people offering to buy a new washer and dryer, a toaster and microwave for this family.”
Romo said it was very sad when he went to drop off all of the items and saw how in need the family was.
“I think reality set in when I got the chance to see how they actually did have nothing,” he said. “But then I also felt good because I saw how excited to see the kids were with us bringing in presents wrapped up as well as everything else that we had done to help the family out.”
If anyone is interested in helping this family contact [email protected].
Another Guy in the real estate industry - Marie Guy
I met Marie Guy on a recent trip to a Pulte Homes model in Nocatee. Since I had written a piece on another Guy in real estate (Cindy Guy,) I thought I better check this one out as well.
It’s a family name.
“People do comment on how unusual it is or ask me if I’m related to someone else with the last name,” she said.
Nicknames didn’t really suit her, so she said most people just said “Hi, Guy” when they saw her.
But, was she teased?
“Actually yes, when I was little,” said Guy. “People always asked if I was really a Guy. I am traumatized from it ... just kidding!”
She said her main problem with her name is not so much the name, but how to spell it.
“Every time I tell people my last name, they ask if it is spelled Gui. That’s strange,” she said.
So, if you want to see this ‘Guy’ for yourself or want to just say ‘Hi, Guy’ to her, she is a sales counselor at Riverwood by Del Webb at Nocatee and at Tidewater at Nocatee.
She’s been with Pulte Homes for three years.
“My best friends Mom worked for Lennar in Tampa. She really pushed me to get into it,” said Guy. “I’m so happy I did.”