GAY SMITH

Gay Smith of Sidney, Ohio, has enjoyed thirty-five years of success in the real estate industry by grounding her work in growing her community, pursuing a free spirited lifestyle, and holding the desires of others above her own. “I just love meeting people and working to help them find what fits specifically for them. I’ve got clients now who went to school with my kids, or I took care of their grandparents – when people come back to you like that, you know they trust you, and there’s no better feeling.”

Gay has been a licensed REALTOR® since 1988, and she was part of a national franchise before breaking out on her own three years ago. Since then, she has steadily grown her business while living on a farm in Sidney alongside her husband. “We have livestock and animals everywhere, but we each have our own space where we can give 100% to our business. We have two horses, nine donkeys, three goats, two parrots, and a pony. Plus my two Scotties and my two German Shepherds,” she itemizes happily. “It’s a bit of a zoo, but when you can come home from a busy day at work and snuggle up with a horse – let’s just say my life is a little different. I love it.” Her passion for individualism helps her connect with everyone in her geographic service area, which Gay describes simply as “everything country!” She works everywhere between Dayton, Lima, Columbus, and along the Indiana border, serving a county of nearly 40,000 citizens.

In addition to building her book of business by connecting with clients, Gay’s entrepreneurial streak helps her lead a team of ten agents at Gay Smith / Associates who collectively represent a wide swath of professionals and personalities. “I’ve got a sheriff’s deputy, a captain of the police force, an auctioneer, a surgical nurse, and one new agent who starts next week – everyone is different and has their own group and skills. I learned that from my first broker: if you’re going to have a business, you don’t want everyone to be the same. You want people to expand on their own horizons, and I love that each of them have their own thing going. It’s great to watch them grow.” Gay has purposefully built a team that represents all of Shelby County, and in addition to imparting her industry specific expertise, she encourages her agents to embrace “the little things” that help businesses thrive. “The small things are what’s important. I’m not big into gifting clients and that sort of thing, but I have a phone rotation so that I can keep up with them and call them frequently. Plus we deliver doughnuts to almost eighty companies here in town – it’s only once a year, but they look forward to it! You have to be a part of people’s existence if you’re going to do a good job.”

While Gay prides herself on the long lasting impact she will have on the industry, she is equally boastful of the footprint she has left on her extended community. “I’ve been on the school board, I’ve worked with the Kiwanis club, I’ve done just about everything you could do –but you figure I’m eighty now, so I kind of pick my specialties. We support the Turkey Trot, Compassionate Care, the downtown revitalization Sidney Alive, and we helped raise over $4 million in a couple of years to build our animal shelter and support SCARF – that’s the Shelby County Animal Rescue Foundation; my husband and I love being a part of that organization. We may be spread out, but we’re all connected here!”