An Interview with
Q &A
Andy & Ashley Williams Andy and Ashley Williams are veterans with extensive experience in real estate. They’re founders of Recon Realty and Veterans Buy America, and hosts of HGTV’s Flip or Flop-Fort Worth. Currently, they’re empowering veterans to not only successfully reintegrate into society, but do so in a way that leaves a sustainable impact on the economy, local communities, and the country. We sat down with them to hear more about how their passion for real estate, lifestyle, and design has empowered veterans to take ownership of their home.
What are some of the ways that you’ve created viable opportunities to create a sustainable impact in community revitalization and veteran reintegration? Recon is a partnered back public benefit corporation with a clear mission. How we operate we provide the veteran with unprecedented access to capital, people, properties, and training as they seek to pursue this industry. We allow selected veterans the opportunity to utilize our projects as a way to get exposed to the industry. Additionally, we have a workforce development component built into our practices. So each project, we learn a little, but we teach more. So it’s not just a transaction, it’s a transition. In early 2018, I ran a successful pilot empowering a dozen veterans to buy, flip and rent income properties. Taking that pilot
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to market, I built it as partnered back organizations, looking at the recent press releases, you see we took RECON nationwide overnight, but it’s because we strategically understood the problem and created the solution. What drew you to real estate after you returned from war? Real Estate was a safe haven for Ashley and I. It was a safe investment vehicle and it allowed us to serve our community in a small way as building a portfolio of rental properties. After a few projects, we really realized impact investing was our calling and we would use it as a bridge to get from Iraq back home to start a family and ultimately build a business.
As a veteran what was the catalyst for you to start Team Recon and Veterans Buy America? “Today’s veterans are uniquely qualified to properly engage America’s communities to revitalize and rebuild as a continuum of service to our nation.” – Andy Williams We noticed all the initiatives surrounding veterans and housing was geared toward workforce development and or homelessness. Recon Realty is B-Corps. You see, “America runs on capitalism, not charity.” Veterans Buy America is an initiative to empower our fellow veterans with the tools, resources, training, within a community built on purpose. We noticed after being landlords for 10 years, it as a viable career path for those