Page 160 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2023

FINAL SAY DANNYLEE
CEO,
Gulf Coast Association of REALTORS®
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for homes and real estate. As a child, some of my favorite toys were Lincoln Logs and Legos because I could use them to build and create. In my teen years, it became more and more obvious that I want-
ed to pursue a career that revolved around houses, residential design, or real estate, but it never occurred to me that I’d do a little of it all.
While a senior in high school, I took my first job as an assistant to my aunt who was a top-producing mortgage lender at one of the local mortgage brokerages. Though I enjoyed the experience, it was clear to me that the real estate agents we interacted with daily seemed to have a much more adventurous career. I had already enrolled in college to pursue a degree in drafting and design, but I decided to go ahead and attend real estate school at the same time.
In 2007, I graduated from Pearl River Community College with an Associate’s Degree in drafting and design, and I had recently obtained my real estate license. I started working immediately
for Ashman-Mollere Realty, Inc. and began drawing house plans for local builders on the side. During this time, I also became very involved in our local REALTOR® association as a volunteer leader. Fast-forward 15 years to now and my career in real estate has gone in a whole new direction.
The Gulf Coast Association of REALTOR® (GCAR) is the second largest local REALTOR® association in the state of Mississippi. With just over 2,000 members, it serves the majority of the real estate professionals on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In late 2021 the previous CEO announced his plan to move into another position, and the board of directors was on the search for a new leader. Having been active in the association for several years, I was encouraged by many to apply for the position. It
was never something I had considered doing, but moving into this new sector of the world of real estate was a very exciting prospect, so I went for it.
Now here I sit as the executive leader for this amazing organi- zation. Our mission at GCAR is to provide support and services that develop successful and professional REALTOR®, and it is up to myself and our outstanding board of directors to make
sure we’re living up to that promise. Over the last few years, we’ve invested in a complete remodel of our association office to give our members a building they can be proud of that will serve them for years to come.
We’ve put a huge emphasis on offering training and classes that will help our members reach all of their professional goals and to be the best REALTOR® they can be. We want more than anything to see our members succeed. In addition to taking care of our members, we also try to give back to the communities that support us by hosting several charity fund- raisers throughout the year where we raise sizable donations for our chosen recipients.
Through all my experiences, I remain humbled to have such a rewarding career in the real estate industry, and I hope to be a part of the REALTOR® family for many years to come.
160 | March 2023
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