<\/p>\n
These real estate leaders are changing the face of real estate.<\/h1>\n
Whoever said that Generation Y would be changing the face of real estate hasn\u2019t met these Gen Xers. They\u2019re tech-savvy, business savvy and building businesses that go beyond tech to get to the heart of what real estate is really about\u2014relationships. They have the in-person skills of the Baby Boomers mixed with the tech know-how of the younger generation, and they\u2019re making their mark on today\u2019s real estate industry.<\/p>\n
LORE magazine interviewed five carefully selected leaders to find out how they got their start and what they\u2019re passionate about. Ironically, three of the five started in the financial market\u2014as stockbrokers and analysts. One worked in the corporate world, owning a company, and another dropped out of college and worked odd jobs until he landed in real estate. The one thing they all have in common is drive and passion. They all love what they do, and it shows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Jennifer Shemwell<\/strong><\/h1>\nPresident
Phyllis Browning Co.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Jennifer](\"https:\/\/www.realtrends.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-09-14-at-3_11_11-PM.png\")
Despite having a mother who is a prominent real estate leader, Jennifer Shemwell didn\u2019t exactly plan to get into the family business. \u201cI graduated from Yale University in 1991 with a degree in economics and political science,\u201d says Shemwell, who went to work for a stock brokerage firm upon graduation. \u201cI also worked for the U.S. government at the World\u2019s Fair in 1992.\u201d Working at those jobs made Shemwell aware that she would rather be an \u201cambassador for people.\u201d At the time, her mother\u2019s company, Phyllis Browning Co., was four years old and expanding. \u201cI came on board as a relocation director in 1993,\u201d she says. She earned her real estate license and \u201clearned very quickly that I loved sales.\u201d Driven by the need to earn the respect of her peers, Shemwell worked hard and was a top sales associate in San Antonio. \u201cI got my brokerage license to prove that I was capable of being successful on my own, not just because Mother owned the company,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> she says. Since 2008, Shemwell has run her mother\u2019s company, which has five offices and 150 sales associates.<\/p>\nHelp Me Help You Like<\/h3>\n
Like most flourishing brokers, Shemwell is passionate about helping people achieve their goals. \u201cI love to train agents to be successful and to be the best they can be,\u201d she says. That\u2019s why she spends a lot of time training agents new to the company on how to be the most professional agents in the city. \u201cWe give them the tools they need to differentiate themselves,\u201d she says. She takes pride in the culture of her business, which, she says, is \u201ca very formal office. Men wear coats and ties; women come to work well dressed. People have a lot of respect for each other.\u201d In fact, says Shemwell, her office culture reflects the very essence of Texas, where everything really is bigger. \u201cWe take our work and each other very seriously, but we also have a lot of fun.\u201d So much so that the local newspaper voted Phyllis Browning Co. a top San Antonio workplace in 2012. Because of this company culture, \u201cPeople naturally become good friends with other agents in the office. We\u2019re competitive against ourselves, not each other,\u201d says Shemwell.<\/p>\n
\nWe challenge each other to beat goals from last year,but not at the expense of the person sitting next to [us] It\u2019s part of her ideal of offering good, old-fashioned customer service to both buyers and sellers and to their peers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Game, Set, Match<\/h3>\n
With a schedule like Shemwell\u2019s, downtime is vital. \u201cI enjoy Bikram yoga because it builds time for stillness and deep breathing into my life. It allows me to slow down and collect my thoughts,\u201d she says. As a former high school and college tennis champ (she won a state championship in high school), Shemwell stays fit by playing the game, although she doesn\u2019t have time to join a club team. After all, she has three young children at home\u2014Paris, Browning and Reed.<\/p>\n
![\"Jennifer](\"https:\/\/www.realtrends.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/01\/Unknown-1-3.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cI make my famous homemade pancakes almost every Saturday morning. We really love to cook together.\u201d The family, including husband Bob, who is a partner in an architecture firm, keeps busy participating in a host of activities, including cross country running, baseball, tennis, lacrosse and ballet dancing. And through it all, Shemwell is crystal clear about how she wants to be perceived in both her business life and her personal life\u2014 as the consummate professional who truly cares about the people with whom she works and plays. \u201cMy mother inspires me because she treats people so well. She is the ultimate model for taking care of people and for providing impeccable customer service. Not only that, but she can balance so many things in a day,\u201d says Shemwell, who notes that her mother is still the No. 1 agent in the market. There\u2019s no doubt that Browning\u2019s careful attention to people has rubbed off on Shemwell. \u201cI love what I do and love helping people. When you share your passion, people respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
RELATED: Read Part One of The Rising Stars Archived Article <\/a><\/p>\nJimmy Dulin<\/h1>\n
Phyllis Browning Co.<\/a><\/p>\n
Like most flourishing brokers, Shemwell is passionate about helping people achieve their goals. \u201cI love to train agents to be successful and to be the best they can be,\u201d she says. That\u2019s why she spends a lot of time training agents new to the company on how to be the most professional agents in the city. \u201cWe give them the tools they need to differentiate themselves,\u201d she says. She takes pride in the culture of her business, which, she says, is \u201ca very formal office. Men wear coats and ties; women come to work well dressed. People have a lot of respect for each other.\u201d In fact, says Shemwell, her office culture reflects the very essence of Texas, where everything really is bigger. \u201cWe take our work and each other very seriously, but we also have a lot of fun.\u201d So much so that the local newspaper voted Phyllis Browning Co. a top San Antonio workplace in 2012. Because of this company culture, \u201cPeople naturally become good friends with other agents in the office. We\u2019re competitive against ourselves, not each other,\u201d says Shemwell.<\/p>\n We challenge each other to beat goals from last year,but not at the expense of the person sitting next to [us] It\u2019s part of her ideal of offering good, old-fashioned customer service to both buyers and sellers and to their peers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n With a schedule like Shemwell\u2019s, downtime is vital. \u201cI enjoy Bikram yoga because it builds time for stillness and deep breathing into my life. It allows me to slow down and collect my thoughts,\u201d she says. As a former high school and college tennis champ (she won a state championship in high school), Shemwell stays fit by playing the game, although she doesn\u2019t have time to join a club team. After all, she has three young children at home\u2014Paris, Browning and Reed.<\/p>\n \u201cI make my famous homemade pancakes almost every Saturday morning. We really love to cook together.\u201d The family, including husband Bob, who is a partner in an architecture firm, keeps busy participating in a host of activities, including cross country running, baseball, tennis, lacrosse and ballet dancing. And through it all, Shemwell is crystal clear about how she wants to be perceived in both her business life and her personal life\u2014 as the consummate professional who truly cares about the people with whom she works and plays. \u201cMy mother inspires me because she treats people so well. She is the ultimate model for taking care of people and for providing impeccable customer service. Not only that, but she can balance so many things in a day,\u201d says Shemwell, who notes that her mother is still the No. 1 agent in the market. There\u2019s no doubt that Browning\u2019s careful attention to people has rubbed off on Shemwell. \u201cI love what I do and love helping people. When you share your passion, people respond.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED: Read Part One of The Rising Stars Archived Article <\/a><\/p>\nDespite having a mother who is a prominent real estate leader, Jennifer Shemwell didn\u2019t exactly plan to get into the family business. \u201cI graduated from Yale University in 1991 with a degree in economics and political science,\u201d says Shemwell, who went to work for a stock brokerage firm upon graduation. \u201cI also worked for the U.S. government at the World\u2019s Fair in 1992.\u201d Working at those jobs made Shemwell aware that she would rather be an \u201cambassador for people.\u201d At the time, her mother\u2019s company, Phyllis Browning Co., was four years old and expanding. \u201cI came on board as a relocation director in 1993,\u201d she says. She earned her real estate license and \u201clearned very quickly that I loved sales.\u201d Driven by the need to earn the respect of her peers, Shemwell worked hard and was a top sales associate in San Antonio. \u201cI got my brokerage license to prove that I was capable of being successful on my own, not just because Mother owned the company,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> she says. Since 2008, Shemwell has run her mother\u2019s company, which has five offices and 150 sales associates.<\/p>\nHelp Me Help You Like<\/h3>\n
\n
Game, Set, Match<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nJimmy Dulin<\/h1>\n
![\"Jimmy](\"https:\/\/www.realtrends.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/01\/dulin-201x300-1.jpg\")
Jimmy Dulin had an epiphany as a college freshman. \u201cI was attending Broward Community College in Miami, Fla., when I raised my hand in my American history class. I told the professor, \u2018I\u2019m an Indiana guy, and I\u2019m going back home,\u2019\u201d laughs Dulin. \u201cThat was my last day of school.\u201d And that was the beginning of Dulin\u2019s realization that he needed to find a career that would provide him flexible hours and unlimited potential. He found that career in real estate. \u201cWhen I got back to Indiana, I delivered pizzas, bartended, waited on tables and cleaned a video store. I sold real estate during the day, saved my money and worked hard,\u201d he says. That was in 1991, when Dulin was 21 years old. In March 1992, a RE\/MAX broker recognized his work ethic. \u201cI was recruited by the No. 1 regional broker-owner, but I couldn\u2019t afford to join RE\/MAX,\u201d says Dulin. However, the broker believed in him and offered to cover his desk fee until he could afford it.<\/p>\n![\"Jimmy](\"https:\/\/www.realtrends.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-09-14-at-3_01_34-PM-300x232-1.png\")
married 15 years to Tamara, a pharmacist. He\u2019s also a foodie. \u201cI\u2019m studying to be a chef and getting an associate\u2019s degree in culinary arts.\u201d In fact, Dulin is currently building a new office that will have a full commercial kitchen so that he can cook for his sales associates. His son, Jd (13), is a junior-ranked golfer who competes nationally. His daughter, Alli (11), is a cheerleader, dancer, model and performer. \u201cShe recently competed in cheer nationals at Disney World,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m a softy. My son epitomizes commitment, dedication, focus and drive. My daughter wakes up every morning with the warmest and kindest disposition and heart. She will make the world a better place. And I\u2019ve never met anyone as pure and good as my wife.\u201d If all that doesn\u2019t sound like enough, Dulin loves to ride Motocross. \u201cI\u2019m not interested in risking my life, but I love to ride motorcycles,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n![\"Dawn](\"https:\/\/www.realtrends.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/01\/Head-shot-200x300-1.jpg\")
Dawn Lahlum, broker-owner of Park Co. Realtors, didn\u2019t sell real estate before becoming a broker owner. In fact, she didn\u2019t even become a manager before becoming a broker. \u201cI started in real estate in the most unconventional of ways,\u201d says Lahlum. Right out of college, she worked with Minnkota Power Cooperative as a records management specialist. Her next job was with a local hospital. In each of Lahlum\u2019s positions, her success depended on her strong people and organizational skills, which she had learned early on. \u201cI grew up on a small dairy and grain farm in central North Dakota, where I learned the meaning of hard work and earning a living off of a market-driven business,\u201d she says. Not only that, but she was in a serious car accident the night she graduated from high school. \u201cI should not have survived,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n![\"Dawn](\"https:\/\/www.realtrends.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/01\/Environment1.jpg\")
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