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John L. Scott, a Scottish immigrant, had the vision to offer the highest quality in real-estate customer service. So after working for a Seattle Realtor, he opened his own office in 1931.
Two generations later, that vision continues to be carried out by his grandson, J. Lennox Scott, who is recognized nationwide as an industry visionary and pioneer. Though Lennox Scott found himself as a company senior manager suddenly, at age 23, when his father unexpectedly died, he was able to learn his way through. He wasn’t entirely a stranger to the industry, writing all his papers in college about real estate and having been involved in the company as a youngster, doing odd jobs.
“I was encouraged by the managers and sales associates to continue on,” he said. “We moved forward together as a team.”
Today he’s chairman and CEO of the Seattle-based real estate firm which has more than 100 offices in three states, including local branches in Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Port Ludlow, Kingston, Silverdale, Bremerton, Port Orchard, and Gig Harbor. Scott says he’s looking forward to the 100th anniversary in a couple of decades, and the company is really proud of its tremendous growth and reputation.
Scott was one of the first brokers to embrace technology and to mentally grasp the power of the internet. He understood very early and clearly, the dynamics of how it would change the way homes are bought, sold, marketed and financed. He geared his company for this paradigm shift before anyone else even realized what was coming.
“We just keep moving forward on the great foundation set by my grandfather and father, of community involvement and phenomenal work ethics. We created a new vision the last couple of years: Living life with purpose and passion, and we are focusing on that as a company,” he said.
Barb McKenzie got started in real estate as a broker 14 years ago. “It just grew in the family,” she said — her mom retired 15 years ago from the industry. After working as an agent for Marie Gallagher’s Coldwell Banker for more than four years, she and her husband bought the agency.
Rod McKenzie has been a real-estate developer for many years. “We found this would be a natural thing for us to do since I was actively selling his new construction,” Barb McKenzie said. Rod is not a Realtor at Coldwell Banker McKenzie Associates, but he does have an office in the building to manage his new construction business.
“He’s always been self-employed and continues to do development and his other businesses, but he is also a lot involved in the business aspect of the agency,” she said. Since taking over, McKenzie has made some changes, especially in advertising choices and bringing in quality agents — and business grew. By July this year, sales and listings had exceeded last year’s totals.
Fred and Linda Depee have sold homes together for a decade. He’d been a Realtor in California since 1979, she was doing it in Washington. Their paths crossed when he moved to the evergreen state — and they started life and work together.
The husband/wife agent team now work at John L. Scott Real Estate in Port Orchard. “We’re still very independent as agents, but we help each other all the time,” Fred Depee said. “She’s better at some things, I’m better at others, and we feed off each other’s strengths.”
Even though independent, they still cover for each other’s vacations and time off, so the business can be open virtually all year long. “Sometimes 24/7 can wear you out, so we sometimes take separate time off to play by ourselves,” he said. “It gets you rejuvenated.”
Rick and Martha Ellis, another Port Orchard John L. Scott husband/wife team, have been married for 13 years after meeting at a 20-year class reunion and getting reacquainted. Martha at first planned to teach after moving from San Francisco, but instead obtained her real-estate license.
They like working together because it gives them the chance to spend time with each other. But more importantly, they both understand the stressful nature of the business and support one another through tough times.
“I love being around her, and we have an open and honest relationship,” Rick Ellis said. Being an agent couple has some advantages for clients too: Some are more comfortable with women, others with men.
RE/MAX Town and Country is owned by Linda and Martin Rowe and a third partner, Rhonda Edwards. Linda has been selling real estate for 15 years while Martin developed affordable housing for low-income families. But five years ago, the couple decided to create together a real estate team, and worked for another agency before buying into RE/MAX.
“We’ve always loved real estate and used to shop for houses as a hobby and dream,” Martin Rowe said.
When the opportunity came up to own a RE/MAX agency, the couple worked to make it happen, knowing the agency name was well-known anywhere around the country. The agency now has 23 Realtors.
“We have really put together a nice team and we’re proud of what we’ve done,” Rowe said. “It took a lot of education to get there, a new customer service approach and a new perspective of agent support.”
Doug Nelson opened RE/MAX Unlimited on Bainbridge Island after working four years for a competing agency. “RE/MAX is where all the best agents are, and you have a bunch of individual businesses under an umbrella,” he said. “You work for yourself but not by yourself, and you have more flexibility.”
Doug’s wife, Kristi, worked for RE/MAX in Texas — they met at a company function in 1998 and got married shortly after. Doug also pulled his father, and industrial salesman, into the company. “I told him he didn’t have a choice because I have so much business, I need help,” he said. The agents he brought on board had all worked together previously, and the team grew strong. It also helps that he doesn’t make decisions by himself, Nelson said: They brainstorm and discuss options, then vote before making policy decisions. | 
