In 1992, I formed a partnership with Bob George and Bob Stardoj, the principals of Mason and Morse Real Estate of Aspen and David Sawyer a real estate developer from Houston, to go into the real estate business in Telluride.

The plan was to launch the company by using my local contacts and past history and then utilize the connection to Mason and Morse which was Aspen’s most prestigious real estate company. We believed that the trade-offs back and forth would be brilliant.

From day one, we were incredibly successful. Within the first month we sold several properties and over a period of several months, we accumulated numerous listings and attracted eight to ten local realtors to our company.

The experience of doing business with the “Bob’s” was a great beginning to my real estate career. They were both gentlemen and exceedingly professional and honest. I was trained in real estate by two of the best.

It is unfortunate that more realtors when starting out don’t normally get the training, guidance and mentoring that I got when I started. It has been something that I have continually referred to over the years and passed on to real estate agents that work for me. Proper real estate practices, honesty, integrity, and understanding fiduciary duty is at the heart of the real estate business.

Fairness without compromise and being committed to doing the right thing—always are values which our company fully subscribes to and honors to this day.