Meet and Welcome Greg Gillespie to Active Rain

• How did you learn about Active Rain? Just a few months ago, I did a Google Search for some something, I can’t remember what I was searching for.  Activerain blogs kept coming up in the top results of my search.  I knew right then, and I didn’t  really know what Activerain was, but I knew I wanted to be part of  it.
• What drew you to this blogging platform?  A few weeks after joining Activerain, I wrote a couple of posts and nothing really came from them.  I almost decided  not to renew my membership for the second month.  Then I discovered the hyper-local pages and “Localism”.  My 3rd post, which I spent about 10 minutes writing about trick-o- treating in my neighborhood, Wrights Mill , Jackson TN.  Within a few hours, I had multiple phone calls with questions about our event.   That was pretty cool.  My blog had an instant audience.

• Tell me something about yourself.
• Background   After graduating from Mississippi State,  I started a site construction business, and was a licensed General Contractor in TN and MS.  We worked mostly for home builders and commercial contractors.  I also trade commodities, futures, and bonds inside my families investment accounts.
• Family  My wife, Mary Alice Gillespie and myself are both originally from North Mississippi.  We have 3 children who are eight and six, including our newest addition, Caroline, who is 5 months old.
• Hobbies  With our recent family growth, my hobbies have been put on hold for now.   I used to own a small airplane and enjoyed flying.  ( I even took it to the Bahamas and up to DC a couple of times).  I also taught scuba diving  at MSU, Ole Miss, and NEMCC.  I’ve recently replaced that time coaching  my kids soccer and basketball teams.  We are also into pewee football, baseball, and horse riding.

• How long have you been in the real estate business?  I caught the Real Estate bug about 9 years ago.  It has been a passion ever since.
• A history of your business experience, i.e. what brokerages have you been with, why did you choose the path you have chosen, etc.  I have always been a Dave Ramsey follower, which led me to RE/MAX.  I began my career at RE/MAX in Apex North Carolina with a focus on residential real estate.  I also leased out Executive Office Suites and rental property.  
• My wife, Mary Alice Gillespie, CRNA, has since moved us to Jackson TN .  Mary Alice and I have been in Jackson TN for 6 years.  She  attended Union University’s Nurse Anesthetist Program.  She is now a  practicing Nurse Anesthesia at Jackson Madison General Hospital.
• What are your goals for 2012?  Maintain a better balance between Real Estate and Family.  I admit that I am a workaholic and I let my career goals come before my family in the past .
• How can I help you achieve those goals? How can Active Rain assist you in achieving those goals.  I want to learn to how to 1)maximize my time. 2)Invest my time and money on what matters most in life and in business.  3) Discover tools and systems to help  manage my business.

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