Business: President, Park Co. Realtors
Education: UND – social science and education degree
Community volunteering: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Board, Fargo Renaissance Zone Committee, MeritCare Foundation Board of Directors
On leadership: “Someone who creates an environment where others can succeed and flourish. Helping others to achieve their personal and business goals.”
Answering a 1974 newspaper employment ad for a realtor opening at Park Company propelled Kris onto a path of success, leadership and service to others in a community that was new to her. Two years earlier, Kris, her husband and the first two of their four daughters moved to Fargo from Colorado, where she had taught at the junior high level for several years.
By 1974, Kris had been a stay at home mom for several years and she felt that she would be a better parent if she worked outside the home but a job would have to fulfill her criteria of flexibility, financial reward and most importantly serving others. When Kris answered the Park Company employment ad, Barb Buchanan was the Residential Resale Manager and soon Kris joined her team as a new residential salesperson.
Ownership of the company evolved and in 1981, Kris bought stock in Park Company and she and Barb became business partners. Besides business partners, Barb has been Kris’s greatest mentor and friend along the way. Kris says that she has also learned a lot about the real estate business from Barb over the years.
More changes took place when Kris and Steve Stoner became co-owners of Park Company after Barb’s retirement in 2000. Interest rates rose to 18% just after Kris and Steve took the helm of the business and Kris now says that nothing about business scares her after overcoming that financial test. Outside of meeting challenges together, Steve is responsible for looking into the future of their industry and leading the company down the path towards new initiatives and projects. Kris adds that Steve is also her best friend.
Kris is in charge of running Park Company day-to-day and that includes personally handling all employment recruiting efforts, helping agents to be successful and running sales meetings for their employees. At the start of each day, Kris never knows what the work day will bring and what her employees will need to do the best job possible serving their clients through buying and selling homes.
Even though Kris is deeply involved in the business day by day, and many times minute by minute, she is always thinking about business plans and goal setting for a solid and successful future. She wants Park Company to continue to be the leader in real estate in this area, to continually increase the company’s market share, and is constantly looking for new opportunities for the business. Kris mentions the formation of Park Company’s new mortgage company as an example of pursuing new business ideas. In every business venture, it is important to differentiate yourself from the crowd and Park Company remains the leader in meeting customer needs.
It is very obvious that Park Company is committed to being a consumer-driven business with a strong emphasis on customer service. Their mission statement reads, “To provide premier real estate services” and the company vision is, “To be the region’s industry leader in service, company integrity and community involvement.”
To further the company vision, Kris says that they strongly encourage and support employee volunteer activities in the community. They also survey clients after each real estate transaction for suggestions and comments in order to improve and react to what clients want and need in a realtor.
In order to best serve client needs, Kris reads publications constantly, attends conferences and is in close contact with other realtors across the country. She especially learns a wealth of information and hears of potential trends from real estate companies located on the east and west coasts. Kris says that their agents are always attending conventions and that this active learning contributes to high achieving results within the company.
A current trend in real estate business, is the fast growth and use of technology. Kris says that customers are doing their home purchasing homework online first and then come to a realtor with a lot of information. The accessibility of this type of information has raised the bar as to what people expect from a realtor. Customers also want immediate information from their realtor such as emails and phone calls answered quickly which contributes to making the profession an extremely fast-paced business.
Kris’s favorite saying is also Park Company’s 2007 motto and it is: Do Not Live to be a Success, Live to be a Blessing. She says,” It reconfirms to all of Park Co. that we are a consumer-driven company with a strong emphasis on customer service.”
This former teacher, mother of four daughters and grandmother of 10 leads a very public and fast-paced life during business hours. But personally lives a very private, quiet life. As part of her public life, Kris mentions that she has needed to overcome her conservatism in business, learn to take risks and move out of her comfort zone and ultimately believe in herself.
From spunky and awkward junior high students to family to business… Kris serves by investing an incredible amount of energy to create an environment where others can succeed and flourish and where she can help others to achieve their personal and business goals.
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