Derek Anthony: A unique leader with an innovative approach

No work is too small or too big; If one does their work with passionate determination, one will eventually climb the ladder of success. So determined Derek Anthony, In his professional journey he has worked in 22 jobs which is learning a valuable lesson. Each of these lessons is cast to become Derek Vice President of Real Estate A. Woodmont Company. His exceptional corporate background in sales, marketing, operations, P&L and negotiation skills is unmatched by any other real estate business.

Woodmont specializes in every aspect of commercial real estate, including development, asset management, tenant representation, brokerage, construction supervision and investment sales.

A distinct journey

Derek grew up in North County, a suburb of St. Louis, ranging from mowing the lawn to lifeguard in high school, racket stringing in college, helping pay bills, buying engagement rings, and then graduating in marketing from Missouri State. Not sure what he wanted to follow. Derek dropped out of college and took his first job at Woods Wear Products, Inc., which got him on his right foot with a wonderful friend and mentor, John Wisehan Jr. John was with GE for 15 years and in the background of a corporate structure of sales and marketing, and patiently managed to get Derek out of his shell. Since then, Derek has taken every opportunity to knock on his door that uses the power to consolidate his contracts, which was still with him after the Woods Ware days. Over the next 17 years, Derek has managed, sold, and marketed consumer electronics products to major retailers and distributors across the United States, including Coby, Uniden, X-10, Fulfillment Plus, GPX, and many more brands. Derek has traveled the world, visited factories, learned about different cultures professionally, embraced the power of his direct reporting, and incorporated the characteristics of how he manages and leads his team. Talking about his journey, Derek said, “All my experience from the operation, P&L’s, human skills, mental intelligence and how to read a room, does not differentiate commercial real estate. It’s all about making a deal and deciding how to get to the closing table and being sensitive to the views of both parties and having an open mind when asking soft questions.

Overcoming Obstacles

Derek has faced many challenges in his journey. He thinks he worked for a company that sued him for $ 64,000,000 for non-payment of royalties and the company closed. Derek had to sign up as an Uber driver to take care of his two children and wife, although he had the highest earning time of his life and a mortgage. He applied for a warehouse job at Amazon and was offered a job and a day later, The Woodmont Company called. For the first two years, he worked 12 hours a day with his fingers on the bone through cold calling and networking, until he was satisfied with the list of possible leads. He notes, “Singles and doubles are good starting points for finally reaching home runs. For the past four years, I’ve been doubling my business year by year. ”

Technical impact

Derek noted that today’s real estate industry makes decisions driven by information, as well as financial. Mobile tracking, demos, sales statistics and data at our fingertips help the data company make a limited decision. It can now track visitors and pull them for yesterday, last quarter or last year and compare rankings of the same operator in markets, cities, towns or anywhere else in the United States.

The desired change

Derek says CRM is everywhere, and the biggest challenge in the real estate world is scheduling, follow-up and keeping track on every deal. However, potential landlords and tenants have different ways to get down on each side of the table. Derek wants to create a business plan and stay on track. He notes, “Google Earth and Google Maps are a savior and amazing tool for the CRE world that is free to help us in our work. There are more intelligent people than me who will make the next best thing, but I look forward to embracing it and learning about it!

Ready for change

Derek believes that a space trip with virtual reality could be the next disruptor; However, it all comes down to those who pay for it. Woodmont is always verifying new software partners, only if the technology is efficient, productive and affordable. Currently, Woodmont has partnered with CoStar, LoopNet, Placer AI, Retail Trac and Site Seer for commercial real estate verification and analysis.

Moving forward

Derek envisions taking his team to more prominent national footprints in Nashville, Charlotte, Austin, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Denver, and other areas over the next ten years, making new friends, and moving his team forward. He hopes that organic growth or acquisition will always be on the table.

Lessons over the years

Derek advises aspiring entrepreneurs not to get too excited or go too far; You’re doing tedious, mediocre work to get a deal, that’s what it takes. He said “No contract is made until it is done, and the commission is paid, and the tenant is open. There will be uncontrolled substance or decision making in the process and you can’t let it get to you. “ As he finished his thoughts, Derek insisted, “It’s not hard; You need to be disciplined in your daily activities and not be distracted. Remember, attitude is a choice. What is measured is improved. “