Derek Anthony: Revamping the real estate industry with The Woodmont Company

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 an 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.”