In December, Joey Hale went from a real estate agent at Town & Country Realtors to owner, when he purchased the agency from Reggie Smith, who owned the business for 50 years.
NEWS/TALK 101.5 FM & WNWS.COM visited with Hale – who has worked at the agency since 2016 – for a question and answer session.
Question: First, some background information on yourself. Where are you originally from,
education, family and when did you decide you wanted to sell real estate for a living?
Answer: My wife Katie and I have two children, Grayson and Kaelyn. My wife is a life long Jackson resident, but I grew up all over – my dad was in the Air Force. That said, I consider myself being from Jackson, because I spent a large part of my youth here; 1991 – 2000.
I was home schooled during my time in Jackson.
Initially, I never planned to settle in Jackson. My wife and I married in 2007 while I was on US Air Force active duty stationed near Omaha, Nebraska.
While active in the Air Force, I held a top secret clearance, working alongside the Secretary of Defense, as well as the President of the United States as they traveled around the world.
Afterwards, my intentions were to get out and find a job in security or a government agency based on that experience. My wife and I then planned to move to middle Tennessee in 2009, but a Christmas holiday visit to Jackson changed all that.
I fell in love with Jackson, and was offered a position at Union University. I later joined the Jackson Police Department. In the meantime, my wife Katie, was an independent chef, but started to gain an interest in real estate. In 2012, Katie’s career in real estate really began to explode.
In 2015, our son Grayson was born. After his birth, my (direction) really began to change and I decided to leave law enforcement. I always loved the business aspects of real estate, so I decided to assist Katie and begin my career at Town & Country.
In 2016, I became a licensed realtor and never looked back.
Question: When did the idea come to you that you wanted to purchase Town & Country Realtors?
Answer: I’ve always enjoyed the people side of business as well – meeting them comes naturally to me and I feel like I can connect with anyone and make them feel comfortable.
I knew that I wanted to grow and felt the desire to lead, but I was torn because I wasn’t ready to leave Town & Country.
I didn’t want to leave the family-like atmosphere that Reggie Smith and Judy Vailes (co-owner/president) created.
Reggie is a Godly man and I always admired him, and I just didn’t have peace about leaving.
I finally worked up the courage to flat-out ask Reggie about selling. One day after a sales meeting in October, Reggie said “maybe we should have that conversation.” Last year we worked out the details, the transition and timing, and it all came together.
Question: Besides running the operations, will you continue to sell property – residential,
commercial, land?
Answer: My job is to support our agents, so I have transitioned away from personally selling real estate … giving agents the tools and resources they need to grow in their careers and reach their goals.
Question: Did the transaction also include the rental department? If so, do you have any
new ideas you would like to implement?
Answer: No, we did not purchase the rental business. It is however going through redevelopment, and those changes will be announced at a later date.
Question: In the time you’ve worked at Town & Country, has it been more enjoyable to work
for Reggie Smith or to work with him?
Answer: Good Question. I’d have to say that both have been an equally phenomenal experience. A student is only as good as his teacher, and the opportunity to learn and grow under Reggie has been invaluable.
However, eventually earning his stamp of approval by him handing over the business that he built from the ground up is truly an honor. I don’t think I could’ve ever asked for a better mentor than Reggie, and I will work hard to carry on the traditions and family-like culture that he and Judy meticulously created.
Question: When you went to work the first day after purchasing the business, you walked inside as the owner of Town & Country Realtors. What was the feeling like?
Answer: The best words I would use to describe my feelings were excited, humbled, and overwhelmingly grateful. I know that I have a big task ahead of me–to carry Town & Country’s torch and guarantee that the legacy Reggie Smith and Judy Vailes founded continues.
I’ve definitely hit the ground running and I’m eager to serve in leadership. It’s just a good feeling to know that you are exactly where you belong.
(PHOTO: Joey Hale, left, and Reggie Smith – courtesy Stephanie Riley, Brand Futurist & Founder B3 Creative Agency)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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