A Conversation With ... Ken Schwab

Tell us about Wilhoit Properties.

Wilhoit Properties has been in business since 1967, but at that time, Wilhoit Properties was strictly a property management company that managed the assets of Mike Wilhoit, who sold the company eight years ago to his brother, Vaughn Zimmerman. It was in the mid-1980s that we started providing real estate brokerage services. Today, we represent buyers and sellers and landlords and tenants in the sale and leasing of commercial and investment properties through the efforts of three agents and three support staff.

How did you get started in real estate?

I worked at Great Southern … and I did an internship while I was at Missouri State University. I spent about three years at Great Southern. I thought I was going to be a banker. From there, I spent one year with National Cash Register Corp., NCR, and got great sales training. But the gentleman I consider a mentor, Don Gibson, who also was at Great Southern then … introduced me to Mike Wilhoit in 1981, and that’s when I got into real estate.

Describe the journey from starting out to becoming a key player.

When I started with Wilhoit Properties, I was as green as anybody else, but Mike Wilhoit taught me the real estate business. In 1981, Wilhoit Properties was a property management firm acquiring additional real estate assets for Mike Wilhoit and managing them. But we didn’t have brokerage services. Then, when I got my license and started providing those brokerage services to people other than Mike, that’s when Wilhoit Properties grew to what you see today. In 1981, there were probably less than 10 brokers who were making their living off commercial real estate. I was probably lucky that Springfield grew at the same time that I got into the business. … It might be harder to get into the business now.

You’ve spent half your life, literally, working in commercial real estate. What has kept you from becoming bored with it?

This job has always been fun to me, and that’s because it’s exciting to be part of new activity ... whether it be a new business coming to town or a new land development. I’ve always viewed my job working with developers as being part of a team. It takes a team effort between the architect, developer and Realtor to pull off a successful development project. I’ve been blessed that the investors and developers that I work with value my opinion enough that I get to participate as a team member.

You work with a lot of big developers in the area. Have you ever thought of becoming a developer yourself?

I have real estate investments, but I’ve really made a point of trying not to be in competition with my clients. I think back on the people who have made really good returns on their investment with property that I’ve sold them, and I take a lot of satisfaction in knowing that they’ve done well with it. And if I’m doing my job right … I should be finding investment properties that they can get good returns on … that’s why they continue to do business with me.

Have you ever thought about branching into residential real estate?

No. I think it’s totally different. Every time we’ve sold our home, we’ve listed it with a residential real estate agent, because I respect the job that a residential real estate agent can do for me. If you stick to the Realtors’ code of ethics, I think professionals in both categories, you’ll find, won’t mix.

Where do you anticipate future growth?

I see us growing to the south, with a lot of opportunities between Springfield and Branson.

Tell us about your family and hobbies.

My wife, Teresa, has worked as an agent at Wilhoit since 1999. My daughter, Ashley, is 25. My son, Branden, is 21.

For a lot of years, we didn’t seem to take much time for fun, but now we take time to go to the lake. We’ve got a condo at Kimberling City, and we like to go boating at Table Rock Lake.