North Fort Worth Real Producers - July 2023

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This section has been created to give you easier access when searching for a trusted real estate affiliate. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the businesses sponsoring your magazine. These local businesses are proud to partner with you and make this magazine possible. Please support these businesses and thank them for supporting the REALTOR® community!

ATTORNEY Sullivan Law Offices

Christopher Sullivan (214) 784-9900

sullivanlawoffices.com

BRANDED MARKETING MATERIALS

Lovehandle (281) 778-2051

www.lovehandlepromo.com

BUILDER

Perry Homes, LLC

(972) 629-3900

perryhomes.com; brittonhomestexas.com

BUSINESS COACHING

Rialto Academy (512) 743-4330

RialtoAcademy.com

CLIENT AND REFERRAL GIFTS

Board + Brie (817) 693-1908 boardbriedfw.com

Buttermilk Sky Pie Colleyville (817) 581-7437 buttermilkskypie.com/ locations/colleyville/

FOUNDATION REPAIR

DW Foundation Repair (817) 706-3430

HANDYMAN

Ace Handyman Services

Craig Young (817) 809-6138

acehandymanservices.com/ offices/colleyville

HEALTH

Restore Hyperwellness & Cryotherapy (817) 912-1550 Restore.com

HEALTH CARE COVERAGE

Impact Health

Stephanie Ziemann

(817) 682-1356

HOME INSPECTION

Endeavor Real Estate Inspections

Chris Carathers (817) 726-5333 endeavorinspect.com

Greenworks (855) 349-6757 greenworksinspections.com

HomeTeam Inspection Service

(972) 400-7034 HomeTeam-DFW.com

Inspect360

(817) 754-0360 inspect360.com

Semper Fi Home Inspections, Inc.

(682) 351-2267

SemperFiHome Inspections.com

Super Team Services

Robyn Jordan (940) 367-1708 superteamservices.com

HOME WARRANTY

Achosa Home Warranty (817) 933-8707 www.achosahw.com

Tarrant Home Warranty (817) 554-2196 tarranthws.com

INSURANCE

Duren Jenkins Agency (817) 445-0120 insurinwithduren.com

Jason Ridley Agency (817) 281-4500 jasonridleyagency.com

JUNK REMOVAL

Junkluggers of Grapevine, Irving & Denton Rajagopal Ramanujam (630) 470-8307 junkluggersofgid.com

MORTGAGE LENDING

Ameridream Mortgage Group, LLC AmeriDreamMtg.com

Cardinal Financial Company, LP 972-777-5626 (LOAN) TheBryanConnatser Team.com

Cherry Creek Mortgage (817) 709-4683 NunisLending.com

Edge Home Finance (972) 333-7360

NicktheBroker.com

First United Mortgage Group (469) 629-0776 firstunitedbank.com

Movement Mortgage (469) 202-4195

LoanOfficerMark.com

Neighborhood Loans (817) 501-4255 mikeprotono.com

NXT Mortgage Corey Kastler (817) 715-5637 OriginPoint

Dan Carson (512) 878-3047

Titan Lending, LLC (817) 290-3464 titanlending.com

MOVING COMPANY

Black Tie Moving North Fort Worth JC Caldwell (615) 900-2641

MOVING SERVICES

Firehouse Movers Inc (972) 412-6033 firehousemovers.com

PEST CONTROL PROCO (817) 975-5948 procoroof.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Desiree Roberts Photography (972) 998-3133 DesireeRoberts.com

Katie Wallace Studios (817) 688-8557 katiewallacestudios.com

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

American Real PM (469) 620-0114

americanrealpm.com

RENOVATIONS

Renovation Sells Grapevine (817) 646-5040 renovationsells.com/grapevine

ROOFING

Alpha Roofing & Restoration (817) 330-9250 roofbyalpha.com

K&M Services, Roofing & Construction (817) 918-3940 kmservicepro.com

PROCO (817) 975-5948 procoroof.com

Tarrant Roofing (817) 571-7809 TarrantRoofing.com

Texas Direct Roofing & Construction (682) 408-8551 txdroofing.com

ROOFING & SOLAR

Rankin Roofing & Solar LLC (469) 952-9151 rankinroofingandsolar.com

SOLAR

Tarrant Solar (817) 571-7809 TarrantRoofing.com

STAGE & DESIGN

Evergreen Staging & Design

Sherwood Wilson (817) 513-3141 x1 evergreenstaging.com

TITLE COMPANY

Alamo Title Company

Cory Turner (817) 896-8686 www.alamodfw.com

Boston National Title of Texas (972) 584-9660 bnttexas.com

Fidelity National Title

- The Baker Firm (817) 377-4100 fidelity-usa.com

Independence TitleSchultz & Kellar

Matt Schultz (817) 308-3606 IndependenceDFW.com

Juniper Title, Inc.

Julia Mitchell (817) 358-9500 junipertitle.com

McKnight Title (817) 500-4146 www.mcknighttitle.com

Texas Premier Title (817) 577-5111 www.TXPrem.com

TRANSACTION COORDINATOR

Controlled Transactions

(817) 889-0864 controlledtransactions.com

VIDEOGRAPHY/ PHOTOGRAPHY

StudioUSA

(469) 955-5833 studiousa.live

WEBSITE DESIGN

MPC Studios Inc.

(956) 423-2233 mpcstudios.com

WINDOWS

Glass Guru Southlake

(817) 424-3500 theglassguru.com/southlake

JONATHAN ALEXANDER 972-523-1055

JAlexander@FirstUnitedBank.com JAHomeLoans.com

TYLER SPEAKMAN

Tyler.Speakman@FirstUnitedBank.com MortgagewithTyler.com

SAM ELDER 214-228-8774

Sam.Elder@FirstUnitedBank.com

SElder.FirstUnitedTeam.com

JWeston@FirstUnitedBank.com

JWeston.FirstUnitedTeam.com

PATRICIA MAHONEY 214-952-6077

PMahoney@FirstUnitedBank.com MahoneyHomeLoans.com

STANLEY P. SMITH 214-223-1724

SPSmith@FirstUnitedBank.com

SPSmith.FirstUnitedTeam.com

MEET THE NORTH FT. WORTH REAL PRODUCERS TEAM

lance.dunahoe@realproducersmag.com.

If you are interested in contributing or nominating REALTORS® for certain stories, please email us at lance.dunahoe@realproducersmag.com.

DISCLAIMER: Any articles included in this publication and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of The N2 Company d/b/a Real Producers but remain solely those of the author(s). The paid advertisements contained within the North Fort Worth Real Producers magazine are not endorsed or recommended by The N2 Company or the publisher. Therefore, neither The N2 Company nor the publisher may be held liable or responsible for business practices of these companies.

Landon Robinson Director of Client Relations

Jordan Espeseth Co-owner

Julie Altemus Executive Director

Lance Dunahoe Co-owner

Katherine Fondren

Kareen Delos Reyes

Dave Danielson

Mark Fadden Writer

Jessica Nelson Social Media Director

Desiree Roberts Photographer

Missy Kremer Editor

Landon Day Photographer

First-Time Homeowner! I Am a

On June 1st, my wife Jess and I closed on our Windsong Ranch home in Prosper, Texas!

I must say that we are beyond grateful and excited to be homeowners. Ever since I moved out of my parents’ home at 19 years old, I have been bouncing around from place to place. In fact, in the five years I have been living in Texas, I have lived in five different apartments. I promise it is not because I love moving! Although, shout out to All My Sons Moving for making our move as enjoyable and stress-free as a move can be.

It’s funny, 15 months ago after church, I decided to take Jess out to Windsong Ranch to show her the famous 5-acre Lagoon. Jess moved from the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, and now she’s a beach girl living in Texas, and I knew how much she missed the beach. So, I thought I would just give her a little taste of the beach by showing her the lagoon and brightening up her day.

Once she laid eyes on it, she turns to me and says, “You have ruined me.

We must move here!” Eight days later, we were contracted on a new build. That sure escalated quickly! However, I knew within two years we would have wanted to move into a home and the new build timeline was around 14 months, so…close enough, right?

amazing, and the whole team was topnotch. Jess and I really enjoyed every step of the process.

I have to give a big shout out to my great friend and remarkable REALTOR®, Travis Hitt. Travis was someone I connected with in the first year I moved to Texas back in 2018 and has helped me with multiple apartments and home searches over the years. Jess and I couldn’t have imagined doing this without him. To anyone who says REALTORS® are overpaid… well they are just simply wrong.

We were so blessed to be able to build with Shaddock Homes, who at the time, was our only Real Producers Builder Partner. We fell in love with their Conroe floor plan! Shaddock was incredible to work with. Michelle Tornes, our sales rep, was beyond

Jess and I are so thrilled to plant our roots here in Prosper and build our family in this incredible neighborhood and home. I say this all the time, but not nearly enough, God is so good! As said in Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Cheers to homeownership!

Jordan Espeseth Founder/Co-Owner

Sarah Gunnip is a small-town girl. But there was nothing small about her dreams and goals from the start.

“I grew up in Wellston, Oklahoma. The population was less than 700. Our claim to fame was that we were located on historic Route 66,” she said.

Having set her sights on adventures beyond her hometown, Gunnip attended the University of Oklahoma. During that time, a chance meeting at her brother’s wedding would end up in wedding bells for her as well.

“At their wedding in 1995, I was a bridesmaid and my sister-in-law’s cousin, Scott, was a groomsman,” Gunnip recalled. “He was from Fort Worth and a senior at TCU. I was a freshman at OU. He was interested in me, but I had a boyfriend. A year later—I was single at the time—he called me and invited me to come to Fort Worth for a visit. Within a month, we were inseparable.”

Gunnip finished her last two years of college at the University of Texas at Arlington where she earned a degree in Organizational Communications. A month after her graduation, the pair got married.

Gunnip stayed working at the car dealership where she had worked during college, and Scott began a career as a stockbroker. While a close friend who was a realtor would often encourage her to become one herself, Gunnip was gun-shy about the financial uncertainty.

“My husband was early in his career which was commission-based,” said Gunnip. “We needed a steady income in our lives, and it didn’t make

sense to pursue my interest in real estate at that time.”

The years ticked by, and Scott grew more successful in his career while Gunnip transitioned into the pharmaceutical research industry. The two had their first son, Gage, in 2005 and then their second, Jackson, in 2009. Gunnip became a full-time mom and got busy designing their dream home. As the boys grew up and started going to school, she decided it was time to check off a bucket list item that had been in her head since 1996.

“I was already spending five days a week in the gym and being very regimented about my diet,” she said. So, in 2014, she competed in two bodybuilding shows in the ladies’ figure category. She won 2nd place in a local Fort Worth show and then entered a huge pro-am show in Austin with hundreds of competitors.

Life was firing on all cylinders. Her family was thriving; they were living the American Dream and then some. Then, life reminded her that it’s not always sunshine and rainbows.

“Scott came home from work one day and told me that he was struggling with a very poor work situation, a corporate issue and that he needed to start preparing for a change in his career. He said that we would need to make changes at home and downsize our lifestyle. To make matters worse, I was losing my mom who had been sick with MS for 30 years,” Gunnip said. As she walked around the dream house that she designed, the house where she and Scott had brought their babies home from the hospital, she cried at the thought of having to leave it. She didn’t know what the future would hold, which was pretty scary. But then, she remembered something.

CAPITALIZING ON HER METICULOUS

NATURE HELPED SARAH GUNNIP TRANSFORM HERSELF FIRST INTO A COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDER AND THEN INTO AN AGENT THAT ENSURES NO DETAIL IS EVER OVERLOOKED.

SMALL STUFF

THE

GUNNIP SARAH SWEATING

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Desiree Roberts, Desiree Roberts Photography

®

“I was taught how to work hard, be honest, help, and genuinely care about people,” she said. “Those traits will take you anywhere in life and make you a success.” She had always worked; in high school, she worked at a shoe store in the mall, and she had side hustles as a babysitter and working at the local golf course. She always worked in college, too. By selling the house, they had some money to live off for a while, and Gunnip used that time to get her real

estate license. “I had no choice but to succeed,” she said. “My family was depending on me. I don’t know that I would have been as successful as I have been if the difficulties and pressure weren’t there. I didn’t know what I was truly capable of achieving.”

Fast forward five years, and Gunnip realizes the huge hurdles she overcame have helped to make her the realtor she is today.

“When we sold our dream house, I realized that our agent made several mistakes,” she said. “After becoming a realtor myself, now I know just how big those mistakes were.” But going through that experience has made her strive to pay attention to every detail for her clients.

“If I am selling a home, I do everything I can to make sure that it’s perfect,” said Gunnip. “I spend hours

and many trips to the home to do everything I can to bring the best to the market. I advise my clients of what needs to be done. If they are not able to do it, I do it myself.”

She also prides herself on her ability to know her clients’ needs, both separately and as a couple. “Getting to the root of what a couple wants is sort of like being both a matchmaker and a peacemaker,” Gunnip said. “You must find out what the non-negotiables are. You must be a good communicator and a good problem-solver.”

She also said that knowing the market by being a good researcher is key. “I’m on MLS all the time so that research helps when trying to narrow the field. It’s almost like when you find the right spouse. You look back on the others and know they weren’t right.”

Bryan joined the mortgage business in 1994

Bryan has been in the "Top 1% of all Originators" nationally every year since 2016, as listed by Mortgage Originator magazine.

The Bryan Connatser Team was voted the Silver Award winner in the Best in DFW People's Choice Awards, by The Dallas Morning News for 2022 in November.

Bryan has been named Best Mortgage Professional by D Magazine every year since 2016, and PLATINUM PRODUCER in 2020 & 2021.

REAL PRODUCERS YOUR

BADGES

CONGRATS on being one of the top 500 real estate agents in North Fort Worth!

Our RP-vetted businesses have been carefully selected to be a part of this community and have their own badge as well! They have been recommended by your peers in the top 500 and are some of North Fort Worth’s most elite businesses. Look for this badge to know that you are working with one of the best, recommended by the best!

Jason

Ridley of the Jason Ridley Agency

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Katie Wallace

Photography

rp vetted business spotlight

Faith-Family-Work

Jason Ridley decided to be a servant leader a long time ago. That not only goes for his customers, but it goes for the people that he depends on every day to serve those customers.

Jason Ridley is a born salesman. And it’s not just because he can read people well and genuinely wants to help them. He’s had experience selling in many different industries.

“I’ve sold almost everything you can imagine,” Ridley said. “I sold home siding before I was in college. After college, I got into the car business and did that for six years.”

Ridley did well selling cars—he got promoted to sales manager after a couple of years—he was looking for a career that better suited his desire to own his own business.

“I got into selling reprographics, you know selling copiers and fax machines for a while, but then that became a beatdown on a daily basis,” said Ridley. He had always had a strong faith—he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior at nine years old—so he combined that with his interest in music to sell Christian music.

“The company was based in Tennessee and had customers in multiple states,” Ridley recalled. “It was my job to sell

new and backlist albums to locally owned bookstores and to service Mardel, the big Christian bookstore chain.”

While Ridley liked the fact that had merged the two passions in his life, the church and being in sales, traveling wore on him. He and his wife Sheila had just purchased a home in Corinth, and he didn’t want to travel anymore. “I was gone five out of six weeks, four out of every five days in six-week cycles,” Ridley said. Fortunately, sitting down to read his new home insurance policy became the starting point of a new career.

“After purchasing a policy from an agent friend of mine, I read the entire policy,” Ridley said. “I called to discuss it, and I was asking him questions he couldn’t answer. He believed I would make a great insurance agent, so that phone call turned into him recruiting me to join him.”

Ridley became an agent with Allstate and chose to locate his office in Grapevine. “I always wanted to be in the Grapevine/Southlake/Colleyville area, so I opened my office on the corner of Hall Johnson Road and Heritage Avenue,” Ridley said.

After working with Allstate for a few years, he realized that it would be more beneficial to his customers if he had access to all the insurance carriers. “Even if the market

changes, I could have relationships with multiple carriers and shop different policies, so I could help my clients change when their pol icies negatively affect them,” said Ridley. “But education is the key.

Sometimes the policy is better at another agency, so I would advise them to change to that new agent. Or, they might have had a policy with an agent they liked. So, why would you change?”

As an independent broker, Ridley likes where he sits now. He has access to many carriers and is able to pick the best solution alongside the homeowner. He and his team have a multitude of products to insure their customers’ needs, whether it’s for a boat, motorcycle, RV, or for a business. “I find that I’m in an ethical place when it comes to my business,” he said. “If someone chooses not to do business with me, it’s not the end of the world. I want their business, but I want them to be educated on the better product. Our job is to tell customers about various products, so they can compare them and do the right thing for them.”

Ridley has 15 employees that come from all different faiths and walks of life that he considers a family. Having that familial environment helps ensure that his clients walk

DALLAS COPPELL FLOWER MOUND SOUTHLAKE COLLEYVILLE ARGYLE ROANOKE

cover story

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photo by: Desiree Roberts, Desiree Roberts Photography

Hampton Dani

THE DEEP END OF THE POOL

Growing up with struggles at home gave Dani Hampton the urge for deeper relationships with others. She’s been making meaningful connections with everyone she meets ever since.

Dani Hampton is an open book. Her story begins with her growing up in North Richland Hills in a toxic environment.

“I grew up in a hoarder home,” she said. “I was around alcoholism, abuse, and financial struggles. When I got into high school, I got mixed up with the wrong crowds and did a lot of things for attention. Ultimately, that led me to fall behind in school.”

Given Dani’s upbringing, she was able to be creative in finding ways to make money. “I went door to door to rake leaves and offered to walk dogs. I even started helping friends with their chores to earn part of their allowance,” she said. “This ultimately led to me learning how to make balloon animals, and on the weekends, I would earn the money I needed to buy the Hollister jeans I wanted.”

Who knew that just a few short years later she would meet her husband “I met Josh when I was 15, and he supported me in getting out of that toxic spiral I was going down,” Dani said. “I moved out of my parents’ house at 16, and after living with friends for a while, his family took me in. What a blessing in disguise.”

They got married when Dani was 18 and Josh was 21, and they worked various jobs doing what they could to support themselves while Josh finished his bachelor’s degree. “Ultimately that time led me to figuring out my natural ability to connect with people,” Dani said. “Being in front of customers, and the challenge of sales, was exciting to me. Who knew that working at a tanning salon would influence this skill I

had to boost the confidence I needed that landed me the job working for apartment complexes as a leasing agent?”

During that time, Dani saw a homebuilder’s flyer at the apartment where they lived that offered a chance to purchase a new home. The two took a leap of faith to see if they could qualify… and did.

“We really didn’t know what we were doing or what we were signing when we closed on that house,” Dani recalled. “All we knew is that building equity in a house seemed like a smarter thing to do than throwing money away in rent.”

With eight-foot ceilings and a less than desirable neighborhood, they spent just two years in that home. They came across another builder who referred an agent to them. “That agent influenced me to get my real estate license after selling our first home,” she said. “He was

with Keller Williams, and I ended up falling in love with KW’s culture.”

That culture consisted of teaching new agents about the power of teamwork. “I was young—just 22 years old—and I felt like a small fish in a large pond,” Dani said. “But the attitude of everyone there was like southern hospitality at its best. Top agents would offer advice and give their time by teaching classes and giving their knowledge back. Everyone was willing to help new agents like me become successful.”

Coming from the apartment world made Dani’s transition to buying and selling real estate a smooth one. She had experience with showing property and following up with prospects. “I was driven and knew I wanted to work on a team to help build my experience,” she said. “I had the opportunity to join the team of the agent who sold my first home.” After only four years, she created her own team. But while her professional life was firing on all cylinders, two events would happen in her personal life that would nearly torpedo everything she worked so hard for.

The Hamptons have two daughters: Breelan was born in 2015, and Landree was born in 2018. Landree was born at 35 weeks through an emergency C-section after doctors discovered her heart was beating at 300 beats per minute during an ultrasound examination.

“Our daughter was delivered within hours, and we had found out she had supraventricular tachycardia (SVT),” Dani said. “We were transferred to Cook Children’s in Fort Worth to be in the heart unit of the NICU. We spent three weeks there getting to know what medicine Landree’s heart needed and helping her grow more. We spent the first year of her life having to juggle her two heart medicines and hospital visits. We knew we needed a parent home with her.”

As a business analyst, Josh had always been there to help Dani run the business side of her real estate career, but he never considered quitting his job to join her full time. “He quit his job to stay home with Landree and started to build out the beginnings of DHG,” she said. “Quitting stability for my 100% commission job was scary, but we knew

I had the capabilities to make what we financially needed if I had his full-time support. It turns out we just needed a traumatic event in our lives to help Josh take that leap of faith.”

The second challenge Dani would face came in 2020 when her mother passed away on Christmas Eve. She and her mother had always had a challenging relationship, but they stayed connected so her mother could maintain a relationship with Breelan and Landree. Dani had not only sold the most homes she ever had to that point in 2020, but she also doubled the size of her team from three to six members. But after her mother passed away, Dani felt broken. She didn’t feel in control any longer and could sense her team was falling apart.

“I didn’t know how to handle the stress of growing a real estate team while balancing my family life during a pandemic,” Dani said. “I had fallen away from the purpose of the business. I didn’t have a plan, and I didn’t know how to grieve. This is when Jesus saved me. I have always believed, but I have never felt God move in my life like he

did in that moment. I started to read God’s word, worship, and devote time to him. I realized that life had forced me to grow up at a young age, and now I had to grow up in business. It was time to put on my big girl pants and face these challenges head on. This was a big turning point in my life, and everything has changed for us since.”

By being an open book and a person who sincerely desires to get to know those in her life on a deeper level, Dani has built a business that is truly relational, not just transactional. Her goal is to continue to inspire others that have been dealt a difficult hand in life that success is possible through telling her story on social media and through a podcast that she’s currently developing.

“I am unapologetically me,” Dani said. “Because I have chosen to be vulnerable through my storytelling on social media, I have built an amazing community of people in our life. I lead that way on my team as well. I never want anyone to ever think the leader of a business is perfect. We are constantly failing forward.”

Pie It Forward

& Buttermilk Sky Pie Sheila Ridley

As a teacher for 10 years, Sheila Ridley would regularly go the extra mile to help students that needed additional help. Now she’s doing the same thing in her community as the owner of Buttermilk Sky Pie.

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Desiree Robert, Desiree Roberts Photography

rp vetted business spotlight

“I’ve always liked to leave the world better than I found it.”

That simple, yet lasting phrase Sheila Ridley learned from her parents sums up how she embraces the world around her. Simple and lasting could also be said for the ingredients that she uses in the pies she and her staff make every day at Buttermilk Sky Pie in Colleyville.

“Providing amazing pie and using it as a way to give back to the community combine wonderfully,” she said.

Raised in the mid-cities area, Ridley married her high school sweetheart, Jason. She earned a BBA in Strategic Management from the University of North Texas and after working for a while, she and Jason decided to start their family and Ridley became a stayat-home mom.

When she went back to work, Ridley quickly realized that she wanted to make a difference by teaching school.

“I chose to work in the district I attended, so I could give back to the area I was raised,” Ridley said. She also chose to work in schools where the students needed that little extra from their teacher.

“My goal was to make a lasting difference in my students’ lives,” said Ridley.

After being a teacher for 10 years, Ridley decided it was time to make a career change. When she was ready to transition from education to running her own business, two resources helped her make the switch. First, her college degree, and second, Jason was already an entrepreneur who was successfully running an insurance business. She knew that she could lean on him to provide guidance where she needed it.

But while Ridley wasn’t looking for any old pie-inthe-sky business, it turned out that finding her new business was a bit of a piece of cake.

“When I decided to leave teaching, we heard that the pie shop was for sale. We had always loved eating these delicious pies, so I knew it was my turn,” Ridley said.

While running a pie business couldn’t be further away on the job spectrum than being a teacher, Ridley sees several similarities. As a teacher, she tried to make a difference in the lives of her students. As a business owner, she tries to do the same thing with pies.

“Now I am using pie as my method to make a difference in my community,” Ridley said. “We regularly support our area first responders and teachers. We also have the Pie-It-Forward program that allows us to donate proceeds to a deserving organization.”

Ridley went on to say that North Texas Special Needs Assistance Program, Serving Our Seniors, Mothers Abandoned or Widowed, Stupid Strong, and Catholic Charities of Fort Worth are just a few of the worthy organizations that she and her staff support.

products.

She and her staff also support first responders by taking them pie on holidays when they’re working while many others of us get time off to enjoy our families.

“My favorite thing to do is bless people working on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day,” said Ridley. “We always make extra pie so we can go to the hospitals, police, and fire stations. This year on Christmas Day, we also visited several nursing homes knowing the staff there were away from their families to care for the residents. They were so surprised and grateful.”

For Ridley, pie is really a tool that she uses to help people make stronger connections in their lives.

“The mission of our pie shop is to connect the past and the present through the tradition of homemade pie,” she said. “We have a vision to share delicious pies in a caring way where guests are treated as friends and strong relationships are built around great products.”

When she’s not helping make her community stronger one pie at a time, Ridley and Jason love to help

other local business owners by eating out at local restaurants. As empty nesters—their two grown children are Hunter and Paige—vacationing is a big part of their lives. But no matter where they go, they always keep other local business owners in mind and choose to support them.

“Even when we travel, we dine at local spots instead of well-known chains,” she said.

No matter where the road of life takes Ridley and her husband, she knows that she will always use her skills and abilities to improve the world around her and always try to do the right thing. To do that, she keeps her favorite quote from Mother Teresa in mind … “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Oh, and she said that wherever the road of life takes her, she will continue to make people happy with pie.

We have a vision to share delicious pies in a caring way where guests are treated as friends and strong relationships are built around great

Were you, your broker, or the team featured in an issue of Real Producers?

Want a copy of your article or full magazines that you were featured in?

REPRINTS!

What the heck is a reprint? A reprint is a four-page, magazine-quality grade paper with your full article and photos and you on the COVER of the publication.

WHY DO I NEED THOSE?

These reprints are a professional marketing tool that can help brand you, your team and/ or your business.

• Use on listing appointments

• Send out to friends and family

• Sent to clients with your holiday greetings

• Brokers, use as recruiting tools for capturing new talent.

• Use when farming your favorite neighborhood

WHAT IF I CHANGED COMPANIES OR NEED SOMETHING CORRECTED ON MY ARTICLE?

No worries! We can make any changes needed. We send you a proof, you approve and they are sent to you via FedEx.

WHO CAN BUY THESE?

The REALTOR® that was featured, the Broker or family. Anyone that wants to promote you.

HOW DO I ORDER?

Email Katherine Fondren at katherine.fondren@n2co.com or call 985-518-1991.

MAGAZINE RELEASE PARTY: MAGAZINE RELEASE PARTY: April/May/June 2023

Starting in 2021, Real Producers started doing mini-magazine release parties! In attendance for these events, we will have those real estate agents and businesses featured in that issue, along with a few non-featured advertising partners.

Last party, like all of our parties, was an absolute blast! At this event, we showcased the April through June 2023 issues. These events are a fun way to debut the magazine and connect with a smaller group of incredible people.

Congratulations again to Jeremy Smith, Holly Oestereich, Lucia Rushton, Katherine Allen, Texas Direct Roofing, Semper Fi Home Inspections, Kimberly Brown, Leslie Riccitelli with Ameridream, Tyler Kreis, Leeanne Hackney, Christy Hart, Kyle Hansen and The Glass Guru Southlake, Bradley Crouch, Craig Powers, Lani Hendrix, Kimberly Reding, and Henry Espinoza with Alpha Roofing & Restoration.

Our team feels very grateful to have had the chance to share your stories and celebrate with you.

We look forward to continuing these smaller celebrations in the months and years ahead!

Photos by: Cruz Acevedo, StudioUSA

event recap

WHICH REAL PRODUCERS TERRITORY

WHICH REAL PRODUCERS TERRITORY ARE YOU A PART OF?

ARE YOU A PART OF?

REAL PRODUCERS IN THE DFW METROPLEX

A Quick Look at the Different DFW Real Producers Markets

Real Producers in the DFW Metroplex

A

Quick Look at

the Different DFW Real Producers Markets

Real Producers has 100+ franchises nationwide and there are four in DFW alone. In each of these markets, we pull the top 500 agents based off annual residential MLS sales volume. Where your broker address is located will determine which publication is for you. This map shows the territories for each of the four DFW franchises. If you are a top-500 agent in any of these markets, you will be receiving a publication every month and have the possibility of being featured at no cost to you!

Real Producers has 100+ franchises nationwide and there are four in DFW alone. In each of these markets, we pull the top 500 agents based off annual residential MLS sales volume. Where your broker address is located will determine which publication is for you. This map shows the territories for each of the four DFW franchises. If you are a top-500 agent in any of these markets, you will be receiving a publication every month and have the possibility of being featured at no cost to you!

North Dallas Real Producers

Fort Worth Real Producers

Dallas Real Producers

North Fort Worth Real Producers

Always on the Run

agent feature

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Ilona Jade Photography

From the time he was a kid, Danny McElroy has always been a mover and a shaker. That energy has helped him to become a husband and parent, a successful real estate agent, a partner in a coral import business, and still find time to read a book or two.

As a writer, my philosophy is that words can—and do—change lives. As a former teacher, I also believe that a good teacher can leave a lasting impression on his or her students. Danny McElroy would agree with both of those points.

“My 6th grade teacher, Ms. Davidson, got me into books,” McElroy said. “That love of reading turned me into a voracious learner.”

Another powerful influence during his childhood was the church. McElroy named the most pivotal point in his life is when he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior as a young man.

“It’s everything about who I am. My entire identity is in Christ,” McElroy said. His passion to serve Christ in everything he does is just as evident today as it was when he earned a Gold Medal of Achievement at age 16 in Royal Rangers—a program similar to Boy Scouts but is a part of the Assemblies of God church denomination.

As one of nine siblings in a diverse family, McElroy learned to be bold and fearless while cultivating the ability to relate to different types of people. He was what his mother called a “mover and a shaker” who had a hard time staying still—a trait that would make school difficult. Still, if McElroy found a book he liked, he would pump the brakes and devour it.

When he was 21, he read the landmark guide to building wealth, Think and Grow Rich. Reading that book fueled a fire within him to sell real estate. The only problem? He had no idea where to start. But, he was sure he could find the answer in a book.

“I read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent which prompted me to create the desire and definiteness of purpose to become a millionaire real estate agent,” said McElroy. But while he had no experience, he was determined and focused to be successful.

Plus, he had truly unique—and extraordinarily bold—idea on how to land a job interview.

“I wrote a resume and FedExed three copies to vice presidents at three

different residential construction companies with signature confirmations,” McElroy said. “As soon as I saw that one had signed for it, I called them and left ten messages—one every ten minutes—on their voicemail. Every time I said the same thing, ‘I’m going to be selling homes for somebody. It can either be for you or for your competitor. Call me back.’”

The strategy worked. McElroy was granted interviews with each company and received job offers from all three, as well.

While McElroy sold new homes for the first eight years of his real estate career and was a top producer for three different publicly traded home builders, after a few changes in management he faced a fork in his career path.

“The new culture that came with each new management change was not very positive,” McElroy recalled. “It seemed that all they cared about was the stock price. Three times in a row I put my heart and soul into it and new management would come in and change things and gut the company.”

McElroy’s mother was an agent with Keller Williams at the time, and she encouraged him to attend a KW real estate conference called Mega Camp. While he was there, he learned about KW’s culture. He learned insights from top producers. He networked with other agents.

“I came away from that experience knowing what was possible,” McElroy said.

Over the years, McElroy has used what he learned at that seminar and from motivational leaders to create a successful real estate career, first at KW, and now out on his own with McElroy Team Realty.

“We don’t see ourselves as salespeople,” McElroy said. “We take tremendous pride in serving our clients with what Dave Ramsey calls The Heart of a Teacher. We don’t push anyone to do anything. If we can just teach people how to reach their goals, then we are helping them discover our knowledge.”

And when it comes to knowledge, McElroy knows that while he and his team don’t have all the answers, they recognize that no two real estate transactions are the same.

“We do not promise a perfect experience to our clients because real estate is not perfect,” he said. “There are no two houses the same, no two buyer and seller combinations the same, no two markets the same, so it’s impossible to predict how each transaction will go. For these reasons, we do promise ‘Proven Results You Can Trust’, our trade marked promise.

This means we will always be up front and honest with our customers and solve the challenges one at a time as they arise. We will never make excuses, and we will always get our clients across the finish line.”

Speaking of the finish line, McElroy and his wife Karen have two children who are both reaching significant finish lines of their own. Their daughter, Brittany, just finished her junior year

business and a saltwater coral import and wholesale business.

McElroy has 375 gallons of worldclass saltwater aquariums in his home that feature live corals and saltwater fish from all over the world including Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Solomon Islands.

“The saltwater coral business is definitely a passion project,” McElroy

NORTH FORT WORTH REAL PRODUCERS FIRST & ONLY, EXCLUSIVE SOCIAL EVENT OF 2023

Marty B’s

Our North Fort Worth Real Producers’ first and only social Event of 2023 was highly anticipated and went amazingly! With over 200 of the best real estate agents and most highly recommended businesses in North Fort Worth in attendance, taking place on the second level of Marty B’s, the event was certainly one to remember.

We have changed up our event structure a bit over the years as we have expanded across DFW. Although this was the only social style event specific to the North Fort Worth RP Community this year, there will also be a North Fort Worth Masterclass coming later this year! That event will have education along with the opportunity for

networking, as well. We will also be hosting the ESPE Awards Gala this November, so if you missed this event, there are still more opportunities for you this year!

I would like to give a huge shout-out to all of our RP Vetted Businesses and a special thank you to our event sponsors: Juniper Title, Perry Homes, Titan Lending, Junk Luggers, Independence Title – Shultz & Kellar.

Thanks to each and every one of you for making Real Producers the most elite real estate community in DFW.

See you at the next event!

Photos by: Cruz Acevedo, StudioUSA

event recap

Desireé Roberts, Photographer

ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE FAQ

Real Producers magazine started in Indianapolis in 2015 and is now in over 100 markets across the nation and continues to spread rapidly. Real Producers first launched in DFW in August 2018 with North DFW Real Producers (now called “North Dallas”). In May 2019, Dallas Real Producers launched, and then Tarrant Real Producers in March 2021.

In 2022, Tarrant Real Producers split into two publications, North Fort Worth and Fort Worth Real Producers. Fort Worth Real Producers launched in August 2022!

Q: WHO RECEIVES REAL PRODUCERS MAGAZINES?

A: The top 500 real estate agents in each of the four markets in DFW based on their MLS production for the previous year. Refer to the map in this publication for the exact territories. If your broker address is within that given territory and you are in the top 500, you will receive that publication for the year. There are approximately 60,000 licensed real estate agents in DFW. The list will reset at the end of every year and continue to update annually.

Q: WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS MAGAZINE?

A: We believe that we are better together. When we surround ourselves with other successful, like-minded people, we grow to new heights. Real Producers is a platform that brings together the most elite individuals in DFW real estate.

We take the top 500 real estate agents and RP-vetted businesses in every market, and we build an exclusive community around that group. We share their stories, successes, market trends, and upcoming events — really, anything that will connect, inform and inspire, we put in our monthly publication.

Q: DOES REAL PRODUCERS HAVE EVENTS?

A: Yes! Each community will have two main events a year, and then we do a combined event at the end of the year, which is an awards gala called The ESPEs. For these events, we invite the top 500 real estate agents and our RP-vetted businesses. Top 500 agents are allowed to invite members of their team as well. These

events are an incredible opportunity to connect with the best of the best in DFW real estate. It is amazing to see the power in the connections made at these events. Be on the lookout for your exclusive invites!

Q: WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR BEING FEATURED IN THIS MAGAZINE?

A: It’s really simple. You have to be on the top 500 list, and we take nominations seriously. You can nominate other real estate agents, businesses, brokers, owners or even yourself! Office leaders can also nominate real estate agents. We will consider anyone brought to our attention who is in the top 500 because we don’t know everyone’s story, so we need your help to learn about them. We cannot guarantee a feature, but we encourage you to meet with one of our team members, support Real Producers and attend our private events to increase your chances.

You can email your nominations to jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com.

Q: WHAT DOES IT COST A REAL ESTATE AGENT/TEAM TO BE FEATURED?

A: Zero, zilch, zippo, nada, nil. It costs nothing, my friends, so nominate away! We are not a pay-to-play model. We share real stories of Real Producers.

Q: WHO ARE THE RP-VETTED BUSINESSES?

A: They are one of the best businesses in DFW in their category, and you can find them listed in our index! We don’t just find these businesses off the street, nor do we work with all businesses that approach us. One of many of the top real estate agents has recommended every single business you see in this publication. We won’t even meet with a business that has not been vetted by one of you and “stamped for approval,” in a sense. Our team will further vet every business to make sure they are a good fit and bring value to our community. Our goal is to create a powerhouse network, not only for the best real estate agents in the area but for the best businesses, as well, so we can grow stronger together.

Q: HOW CAN I RECOMMEND A BUSINESS?

A: If you know and want to recommend a business that works with top real estate agents, please email us to let us know at jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com.