Coldwell Banker’s journey from wood-stoves to flat-screen TVs
By Stephanie Purifoy
Sun contributor
When real estate agent Mark Fisher began working at the Glen Arbor Coldwell Banker Real Estate in the 1980s, they were located in a small building with no heat except for a wood-burning stove.
“Whoever got in there first thing in the morning had to rekindle the fire so we wouldn’t freeze, so you never wanted to be the first one,” he said. “But it was a simpler life and we made it work.”
When the company moved to the corner of M-22 and M-109 in Glen Arbor, that building came with its own issues.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of insulation,” Fisher said through a chuckle. “Sometimes if you were there in the morning and the sun came up on you, it would get really warm and then cool in the afternoon and the other side of the building would be the exact opposite.”
Now Coldwell has a brand-new building in that same plot on the corner, and this building comes with both air conditioning and heat.
Coldwell Banker-Schmidt Realtors will celebrate a grand opening of their new office on Wednesday, June 19, from 4-6 p.m.
“There weren’t too many redeeming qualities that we felt bad about knocking down when we leveled the building,” said Mark’s son Peter, now Coldwell’s sales manager.
Construction on the new building began in October 2018 and continued for six months throughout the winter. Co-owner Ken Schmidt said they couldn’t be without an office for the busy season which goes from April through July and wanted to give the company a new space while also adding to the landscape of Glen Arbor.
“We wanted to do something that would fit in with the town,” said Schmidt. “We love the county and the workforce and the clients we get over the years so we have a strong commitment to do the best we can for them.”
Peter Fisher said the biggest advantage of the new building is the updated technology. The company now has high-speed wireless internet and flat-screen televisions to make their work more efficient.
“The reality of 2019 is that if you are in your office too much, you probably aren’t working enough,” the younger Fisher said. “A lot of the action happens out in the field. We just wanted to give our workers somewhere to come in and do some work when they need it. This space gives us a lot more flexibility to evolve as the way we work evolves.”
According to Peter Fisher, real estate agencies are vital to Glen Arbor but are also uniquely challenged by the area.
“The real estate business plays a rather crucial role in a resort town like this where we rarely have identical properties,” he said. “Having intimate knowledge of the land is really important.”
Schmidt added that the only reason they’re able to have such intimate knowledge of the land is because they love northern Michigan.
“I don’t think there’s any prettier spot in the world. I have five children and two of them are in our company now,” he said of his son Mike and daughter Shawn, who co-own the business with him. “We feel really engaged in this business as a family because we care so much about the area.”
