Derek Anthony: Revamping the real estate industry with The Woodmont Company
The 10 Most Innovative Leaders Changing the Face of Business, 2022
Having the flame to have a pulse on the
community and see things grow and prosper, Derek Anthony, Vice President of The
Woodmont Company, is taking the necessary steps with the company to see
landlords and tenants grow and fulfill their goals.
He expresses that the real estate industry
demands different things from an individual than a normal 9-5 job. If the
status quo is what people are looking for then, this is not the industry for
them.
Journey to success
With the passion for seeing the community
grow, Derek focused on gaining good knowledge in the marketing domain. He
completed his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Marketing from the Missouri State
University. Then, later became Texas Licensed REALTOR® with the Texas Real
Estate Commission.
To further expand his skill set, he
attained the license of Graduate of Realtor Institute (GRI) from the
Texas Association of REALTORS® and completed Texas Economic Development
Council Certification from the Texas Economic Development Council in 2018.
While expanding his knowledge base, he
stepped into the corporate market to understand the basic principle of working.
In 2007, he joined Coby Electronics
Corporation and became Director of Sales. Then, he progressed to become
Director of Sales & Marketing – North America with Uniden. Later, he
grabbed the role of Director of Sales & Marketing in TMAX DIGITAL, INC.
In 2016, he became Texas Licensed Realtor,
and in 2017, he joined forces with the Woodmont Company and took the
responsibilities of the Vice President Real Estate role. The same year, he
became Economic Development Committee Board Member with the City Of Justin,
Texas. In 2018, he became the Economic Development Committee Board Member with
the City of Keller.
He always felt comfortable in the domain
and adds, “Every deal is different and unique, and that’s what makes it
enjoyable and gratifying to try to solve a different puzzle every day of the
week.”
Focusing on the positive in the chaos of
COVID-19
With pandemic disrupting everything around
the world, several brokers were hit severely. Many just complained about the
situation without taking any actual course of action.
However, that was not the case with Derek
as he likes to focus on the positive elements when tackling challenging
situations.
He states, “Well, we at Woodmont kept our
head down and eyes forward and shifted as needed and kept pushing. And
because of that, we ended up coming out ahead of the curve and had a record
year in 2020. And now 2021 is set to be another record year.”
Reshaping the real estate sector with
The Woodmont Company
The Woodmont Company has three solid
pillars, namely, Brokerage, Development, and Property Management, with offices
in California, Arizona, Fort Worth, Dallas, and folks spread out through the
upper Midwest. They manage over 30 million square feet across the US in all
types of assets but mostly focused on retail.
Derek expresses, “Closing is an art, not a
science, it can be taught. Training and TREC mandates continued education
courses every two years to keep your license active, but we have plenty of
role-playing and case studies on actual deals that made it to the finish line
and deals that didn’t, and the reasons why. Sometimes, you learn more in
failure than you do in success.”
He believes relations are the key to any
successful business, and in the commercial real estate world, it’s all about
the people.
He states, “We are in a technology
revolution right now, since 2003. The world is moving at such a faster pace,
the cheese is moving before it even gets stale. Industrial is off the charts
with the “shark tank” model and direct-to-consumer, and the office asset is
going to continue to struggle given the pandemic and a new way to the office with
a hybrid model most likely for years to come. The retail sector is still strong
outside the LARGE box retailers and the restaurant business. Spaces are getting
more manageable and economically feasible. No more 10,000 sqft restaurants we
will see. More 3000-6000 sqft with patio and an experience with your dining.”
Wearing the hat of the VP of the company
Taking the onus for the role of VP, Derek
focuses on assisting his team in growing their skill set, reading people, how
to manage and deal with situations, the mindset of multitasking, and learning
how to close. He says, “If you accomplish all these, you will be very
successful in real estate.”
Handing the brokerage domain for the
company, he gives his best in fueling the growth and keeping the team motivated
along with Grant Gary, President of Brokerage Services. Having deep knowledge
about the domain with a strong back hold of his skills and past experience, he
is progressing in his career and paving the way for the company to reach new
heights.
He adds, “I have also been the type to
continue to press forward and make aggressive, calculated risks in my career.
With 25 years in the corporate world selling consumer electronics, managing a
group of 50, and traveling the world, I was burned several times by corporate
leaders that have made poor decisions. Real estate offers me and others
the ability to learn, create relationships, and make as little or as much money
as you desire. Happiness is relative and is different for every human being on
this planet.”
He believes Texas is a very healthy trade
area and has plenty of growth potential left to explore. He aims at the
long-term growth of the company and is focused on expanding the roots of the
company to new regions in the US.
Future plans for the company
The team wants to continue to expand its
footprint within the commercial real estate space. He states, “The business is
becoming very tech-driven with data analytics, and it’s a game-changer for our
clients and us. We can now track the number of visitors at a store or
location via cell phone data yesterday, three months, six months, three years,
and be able to pull co-anchor data and other information to triangulate an
educated guess on the top spot to place a tenant, or have a landlord develop or
purchase an asset.”