Every ship needs a captain. At the John L. Scott Real Estate office in Port Orchard, skipper Jacqui Curtiss is at the helm. Curtiss took over the Port Orchard office in 1987. At that time, there were 12 agents working at the relatively new office. There are currently 37 employees working at the office located adjacent to Starbucks on Lund Avenue.

Under her leadership, the office has been the leader in the South Kitsap real estate market for the past six years. In fact, it was most recently third in the entire county in overall productivity. Usually, success comes at a cost. That’s not the case here.

Jeanne Foster, the office receptionist, said that Jacqui “really cares about every agent. She either mentors the new agents herself or has a senior agent act as a mentor. She won’t leave new people out of the loop.” The mentoring includes hands on training and expert advice when a project hits a snag.

Curtiss was asked if the agents in her office were experienced and if she encountered frequent agent turnover. She replied that her experienced agents work in a strong team atmosphere, and that’s what keeps people happy and productive. “There is no back-stabbing. Everyone is willing to share ideas and succeed together.”

One of the agents interviewed indicated the same thing. He said, “everyone stays because of the family atmosphere. Jacqui is concerned about the personal side. That’s why we stay.”

Curtiss insists she wants her staff to have a balanced life. The feedback from her employees indicates that both she and they are successfully achieving that goal.

Curtiss grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. Her grandmother immigrated to “the last frontier” from Norway. She moved to the Puget Sound region with her husband in 1979, when his job as a commercial pilot required relocation. Although he retired soon after, they have remained in this area since.

Curtiss’ career has always been real estate. In fact, she’s been at it for 29 years. Twenty-two of those years have been with John L. Scott. Ten years ago, she became a Certified Residential Broker (CRB). That makes her the “broker” for the Port Orchard office, as well as the new McCormick Woods satellite office that she recently opened up.

Curtiss enjoys listening to live music, especially Jazz. She and her husband travel to jazz festivals throughout the Northwest and enjoy dancing to Big Band tunes. The pair also likes to travel and explore, recently completing a trip to Nevada that included visits to ghost towns.

Even though she’s enjoying the recent birth of three grandsons, there is no end in sight for her career at John L. Scott. With the future in mind, I asked her what she would change in her community if she had a magic wand. Her answer: provide funding for passenger ferry service from South Kitsap to Seattle.