Rob Cook of Robert D. Cook Properties:

Rob says riding his Harley is an experience like no other. He wants the HAR experience to be just as unique for members. Rob was born in Louisiana, but spent his formative years in Hayward, California. Rob’s first job in real estate was as a leasing agent for a shopping center developer. But that came after his first job in retail, which is where he says he learned about service and patience. But it was when he formed Robert D. Cook Properties in 1988 and had the FDIC as a client working with their Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas offices, that his career in real estate really took off. And like taking to the open road, Rob says working in real estate is multi-faceted, flexible and never dull!

Rob points to the HAR staff and offerings from tech tools, government affairs and education to the best MLS site in the United States, as amazing and unbelievable support for HAR members.

When asked how the people who know him best would describe him, Rob says he would want them to say he’s open, available, empathetic, creative and dedicated. We know that he’ll be all of that and more as the 2007 HAR Chairman!

Michael Levitin of HTownRealty.com:

Michael got his start in real estate selling homes in The Woodlands. But his first job was in the uniform rental business in Dallas where he says he learned discipline and how to do a job right the first time, from Chuck Howley, a disciple of the late Tom Landry. Later, Michael began a full service real estate company selling foreclosed Houston homes to out of state investors. That experience led him to build a residential property management company.

Michael says the best thing about his career life in real estate is helping their agents reach their personal goals and helping people get into the home of their dreams. He credits HAR with providing resources to improve his business, to obtain training and to meet like-minded friends devoted to improving the quality services provided by HAR members. Outside of real estate, Michael spends time reading the profiles of prominent business leaders, reading great books and spoiling his grandchildren. He is an avid sports fan and says friends know he doesn’t take life too seriously; Michael reminds us that none of us will “get out alive.”

Vicki Fullerton of RE/MAX The Woodlands & Spring:

Vicki began life in Iowa before coming to Houston. Vicki says her first job at the Northern Natural Gas Company in Omaha, Nebraska set a great foundation for her future in real estate. As the company’s Women’s Program Coordinator, she learned to be adaptable and flexible. Vicki’s first position in real estate was in 1978 with John Daugherty Realtors® at their Seagler Road location. In her current position, Vicki says she loves the opportunity she has to solve problems related to a client’s individual transactions in a way that is “seamless.”

When Vicki served as Education Chair for the Montgomery County Association, she learned the importance of the Realtor® Association and the impact one person can have on the lives of others. She says HAR keeps her on top of fantastic technology and expertise in industry-related issues. Vicki says her favorite hobby is golf, which has afforded her the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful real estate in the country.

The people who know her best say she is “a very considerate person.”

Margie Dorrance of Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan:

Margie is originally from Illinois but moved to Texas to attend The University of Texas at Austin after she auditioned and won the spot as the featured baton twirler for the UT Band because no other Big 10 schools had girls in the band.

She actually got her start in real estate almost against her own will. She had a friend who owned a small real estate firm, and she kept pressuring Margie to obtain her real estate license. Margie did it mainly just to get her friend to leave her alone, but it turned out that clients came—and most importantly, Margie found her true calling and has loved the industry ever since.

She can certainly be called a people person. When asked what she enjoys most about her career, she immediately chimes in that it is the people she works with. She loves her clients and loves the agents with whom she has the opportunity to work. She said that she has been in real estate for quite a while so she hopes that she can teach some younger agents a thing or two, but that she enjoys learning just as much from them.

Carlos Bujosa of McDade, Smith, Gould, Johnston, Mason + Co:

Carlos was born in Havana, Cuba and came to Houston at the age of five. He says that many factors led to his position in commercial real estate today. One of the most significant is when he was a summer intern and when he got his first real estate job at the Horne Company, which was the largest independent commercial brokerage operation in Houston at that time. The company produced many leaders in the industry and several HAR presidents/chairmen such as Howard Horne, David Cook, Kelly Parker and Todd Mason.

Carlos says the great thing about working in commercial real estate is that he never stops learning. He offers kudos to HAR for providing the Commercial Gateway Web site, for hosting Commercial Expo and for sponsorship of the Commercial MCE course in October. He also says that HAR and TREPAC are a great benefit in looking out for the industry.

When not knee-deep in commercial real estate, Carlos loves sailing and tennis. As for what friends think of him, he’s not sure, but they know he loves Houston and says he would not live anywhere else.

Lorraine says she has great admiration for Julie Greenwood and Linda King, and she loves working for the company. Lorraine came to real estate after studying fashion merchandising and working for her father in property management, historical preservation and restoration in New Orleans. Lorraine’s father was, at the time, one of the largest property owners in the French Quarter.

Lorraine says working early on in retail and customer satisfaction gave her a great foundation for real estate. Recently, an agent moved away and told Lorraine how much she missed HAR and its tremendous resources because there was no comparison with other associations. Lorraine says it makes her proud to be a part of HAR and to have served as 2006 Chair. Lorraine can handle things when they get too deep because not only does she scuba dive, she is a dive master. When asked how her friends would describe her, she said, “Mary Poppins----perfectly pleasing in every way.” At HAR, we call her “Simply the Best,” the embodiment of her theme for 2006.