If you could describe the most important thing about business in general, what would that be?
I belive in great customer service. I learned that early in retail. People thrive on that, they want good customer service. It’s just a matter of being honest and hardworking, and you’ve got to have knowledge about the business.

You started your career in retail?
I worked for almost two decades in retail, and now have that many years in real estate. My emphasis on customer service is the most important lesson I brought to real estate. You have to make sure your customers are satisfied, always.

How did the transition from retail to real estate come about?
My wife Carol and I have always targeted Austin for our two sons and our daughter, but the opportunity to move to Austin hadn’t come up in retail. My first 11 years with Beall’s Department Store took me all over Texas, including San Antonio, Waco, Beaumont, and Corpus Christi. Then Mervyn’s recruited me to run their largest store in El Paso. It was a great experience. After several years in El Paso I was in line for a promotion that would take us to California. We compared what life would be like there to living in my home state of Texas. I turned them down.

I had always been interested in real estate, so we decided it was time to change careers and put my management background to use in a different way.

Was the transition to real estate a hard one?
I think real estate is one of the hardest businesses for anyone to get started in. You can wake up in the morning knowing you have no deals or money coming in and that can pull at you. You’ve got to keep a good attitude and keep going out there. But basic principles applied to both businesses. Hard work pays off.

What have you learned about dealing with your clients?
My clients come from all over and each one brings a  unique set of cirumstances to the table. I try to be sensitive to that. When I close a deal, I stay in touch with them. The key is to do that consistently. I believe in sharing good things with my clients. If I run across a good, honest painter, I’ll send a message to my clients about him. They return the favor with future business and referrals.

Well, it’s obvious that Real Estate worked for you. You were named REALTOR of the year in Austin in 1997 and 2004. You served as the ABOR President, on the board for TAR and NAR, and also as the President of the Austin Women’s Council of REALTORS. What motivates you now?
Giving back to the industry has been very important to me. In part it was a way to pay back all those people who helped me during my career change. With a family to support, the advice from the people I met in all those organizations was invaluable.

Tell us about your family, Joe.
My father and mother were great cooks. My dad was a cook in the army during WWII. He served under General George Patton. Mom was a great Spanish cook. I had the best of all food. I have been married 31 years and Carol and I have three children. Clayton is 27 and Scott is 24, and they both work at the Capital. Morgan is 20 and a sophomore at the University of Texas. I am very blessed.

You have said that faith plays a big part in your spirit of giving. Do you have any personal examples?
There was one particular event during my college years that changed me forever. I was a junior in college and one of a select few picked by the Southern Baptist Convention for a mission trip to a red light district in Puerto Rico. My first week in Puerto Rico was almost too much of a challenge. My mission was to put a Bible school together and preach on Wednesday nights to people who only spoke Spanish. My contact there picked me up at the airport, took me in the mountains, and said “we’ll see you in a week.”

But two ladies took me under their wing those first few days. They fed me, encouraged me, and went with me as I visited people who lived on the hillside. The first Wednesday night I was able to deliver my message completely in Spanish and the crowd responded very well. That was my routine for the next three months before returning home.

I realized I was not going to be a Baptist minister, but it was an incredible experience in faith and commitment.

Anything else you would like to add?
I firmly believe good work comes back to you. Visions can come true. You’ve just got to have a vision in our business.