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NWA Founders is a voice for Founders, Owners, and Builders driving growth in Northwest Arkansas, and is hosted by Cameron Clark and Nick Beyer.
'NWA Founders' is a voice for Founders, Owners, and Builders driving growth in Northwest Arkansas, and is hosted by Cameron Clark and Nick Beyer.
To recommend a guest or ask questions, reach out at nwafounders@gmail.com and follow us on YouTube and LinkedIn for video content.
Stuart Collier: [00:00:00] I believe in people, and I believe that people have something to offer. Everybody has something to offer. I believe people want to do a great job, wanna make an impact, wanna have meaningful lives, and wanna be a part of change. I have always been quick to give autonomy, power, and control to the people.
Even at the quote unquote bottom. The people closest to the customers have all the insight into business anyway. What do we do in making decisions in a boardroom?
Cameron Clark: Good morning. Here we are in the Callier and Associates office. We're here is the NWA Founders Podcast, where we interview founders, builders and owners who are driving the growth here in Northwest Arkansas. And you got myself, Cameron Clark, and then Nick Byer. Super excited to have you today, Stuart.
Stuart Collier: Thanks, brother. Whenever you reached out, I thought I'll just enjoy sitting down and getting to spend a little bit more [00:01:00] time with Cam. You know, it's about that simple. I thought, well, it's a good reason to sit down with Cam and visit anyway. Might as well record it. You know,
Cameron Clark: we can watch it later if we need to.
Yeah, whatever something
Stuart Collier: good might happen. If not, we get to sit down and
Cameron Clark: visit, you know? Yeah, yeah. So I want you to tell your story and you've got an epic story for everybody to hear. Mm-hmm. But before we dive in, what's Coller Associates if they don't know? Never heard it before. We're a residential real estate brokerage
Stuart Collier: and we're in northwest Arkansas, although.
We serve and have licensees in Missouri and Oklahoma. We have 250 agents. Um, we have offices in Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, which is where we are today. And then Farmington. Um, we really got going about 10 years ago. Uh, we went from two people to about, you know, to two 50, uh, more or less in the last 10 [00:02:00] years.
And so we are the, we're the largest independently owned brokerage in the state based here in northwest Arkansas.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. That's amazing. Tell us about you. Yeah, so I grew up in a little farm town in Augusta, Augusta, Arkansas, which is in the Delta. Mm-hmm. And so we farmed there and my dad. Moved back home after school, and so after college.
And so we were raised there in a town of about 2000 people. Um, very, very small town. And so I've got two brothers, uh, one that's 14 months older than me, and then a younger brother. Uh, but nonetheless we grew up kind of in a bygone era, you know? Yeah. I mean, we were just kind of rough and tumble kids.
Started working on the farm when I was 12, I think as a bean boy, just the, I mean, it wasn't any good, you know, just loading up 50 pound bean sacks on the back of a mm-hmm. [00:03:00] Elephant trunk. And then, um, combines would just come by, or planters would come by and you'd load 'em up and that was. 10 hours a day doing that at a young age.
Uh, so grew up there, uh, rural area in eastern Arkansas. And then, um, the school system wasn't really what my parents wanted it to be for our education. And so we ended up, uh, driving a bus over to Ccy and went to, um, Harding. Uh, and so we attended Harding later, like in junior high. We, uh, ended up moving over there and finishing out there, uh, in Ccy.
Hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Nick Beyer: Still had the farm
Stuart Collier: in
Nick Beyer: Augusta
Stuart Collier: or, yeah, but we got out of farming it actively and then just started leasing the ground to local farmers. Yeah. Well my dad actually came back as just so our family farm, but my dad came [00:04:00] back as just a country doctor. I used to go on, like, we'd literally go to people's houses and he'd sew 'em up.
I mean, old school bro. Primary care, like in the eighties, physician? Yeah.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: He ended up starting a nonprofit in, um, our hometown area called Our Care. And Our Care, they got four clinics up here, but it's to serve the underprivileged.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Uh, and the Delta has so much poverty and so it brings healthcare to people that
Cameron Clark: otherwise wouldn't get it.
Mm-hmm.
Cameron Clark: When you talk about leasing, the leasing, the land on the farm, was that kinda your first intro into real estate or was this My granddad was always into real estate.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: Um, and so, um, I would say that I've been around it, you know, my whole life. Yeah. You kind of just saw it from the background.
Mm-hmm. But really when it clicked, I was 21. [00:05:00] I was up in, uh, Garfield. I had 6,000 bucks and I was up in Garfield and I bought one of those lots up there at Gloss Bridge Village.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: And I knew it would have a view of the lake. I just knew it. And this was 2004, I think. And so I went out there and I bought that lot.
And I cleared trees with the chainsaw. No kidding. I sewed grass, put down a picnic table and I flipped it for 12 grand.
Wow.
Stuart Collier: And I just thought, is this legal? You know what I mean? I did, I just do something against the law, you know what I'm saying? I'm like, I thought I broke some kind of law or something.
And, uh, then I kept doing it. Mm-hmm. And so that's when it really clicked. 21. Were you in school then, when you were doing this? Or was this on the side or what was the Yeah, yeah. I was in school, man. I was finishing up, we can get into my story. It took me a long time to graduate and, uh, at the, was this at Arkansas?
At the U of a? [00:06:00] Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I went to Ole Miss, but then met my wife. Came up here. Okay. So
Cameron Clark: graduated Cy High
Stuart Collier: School. Graduated at Harding. Harding, sorry. Yeah. And then went to Ole Miss, went to Oxford.
Cameron Clark: And then after freshman year, but
Stuart Collier: then when I was at Oxford one summer, I went out to Vail, Colorado. I was a whitewater rafting guy out there, and I was a wild man.
I don't know how transparent y'all want to get on this. No, very. But I was a wild man, you know, and I was into all kind of crazy stuff and just wild. And I was out there as a whitewater rafting guy, dude. And I was going up to see Widespread. Y'all familiar with Widespread panic? It's like a rock band. Oh yeah.
The band. Yes. You used to follow him around? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I thought you were talking about a waterfall or widespread water. I was all messed up. Part of my story is I'm in recovery and uh, I ended up flipping my four runner.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: And I had my sunroof open. In one [00:07:00] of the flips, I went out with my sunroof. Oh no.
I went out my, I came out from up under the steering wheel and on one of the rolls I ended up out of my vehicle. At least that's all we could figure, you know? Yeah. Well I ended up tearing, my aorta had a aortic tear, which is a 93% death rate. And so they called my family and they said, you gotta get out here.
He's not gonna make it.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: Wow. And they airlifted me to Denver Health in Denver. And I was in the ICU and scar tissue healed over my aorta. And this was when you were 21?
Yeah,
Stuart Collier: I was 20. I was 20. 'cause I was still in Oxford.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: I was still at school there. Well then they took my blood and gave me a Deum, DUI.
If dying wasn't enough, they hit me with the DUI. Oh,
Cameron Clark: now wild. That's crazy.
Mm-hmm.
Cameron Clark: So did you, so did you just go, you went, you went back home [00:08:00] after that and spent some time at home and kind of re reco? Exactly. Um, and then is that when you met your wife and then decided to come to Arkansas? Is that, no. So
Stuart Collier: I've always struggled with drugs and alcohol.
Mm-hmm. Even at a young age. I mean, it was just, I never really felt like, for whatever reason, I never really felt like, I always felt like I kind of wasn't good enough or something, you know? Like I just had, I had something and there's probably a lot of reasons that. I can mention, but I always just felt like I didn't quite measure up.
And so I turned to drugs and alcohol to make me feel better to kind of fill that hole. Um, at a young age, probably 15. And so after that incident in Colorado, um, it was obvious to the people around me and the people that loved [00:09:00] me that I wasn't in a very healthy place.
Hmm.
Stuart Collier: Um, and so my parents really just gave me an ultimatum, you can't go back to Ole Miss now.
They thought Ole Miss was the problem. Yeah. But Ole Miss wasn't the problem. I was the problem.
And
Stuart Collier: no matter where I went, I was gonna be there, which doesn't fix anything. Yeah. So they just said kind of in their best effort, you need to go to Fayetteville where you have buddies around there that can watch over you.
Yeah. Support you. And so in their best intentions, um, they kind of said, look. You're gonna have to go up here. We're not gonna support you doing anything else. So that's how I ended up at Fayetteville. Mm. Um, which, when I got up here, the great thing that came out of it was meeting Sarah Boyce. But again, I was still the problem.
I was still there with myself. And so I [00:10:00] ended up continuing what I was doing. You know, I ended up coming up here and getting in trouble. Had some, you know, some issues. Um, and, and so anyway, the good thing that came out of that is I did meet my wife. Yeah. Beautiful thing. Yeah.
Hmm.
Stuart Collier: Yeah, she's, she's amazing.
She is. Yeah. She's incredible. Yeah. She's hung with me.
Hmm. Yeah.
Stuart Collier: So anyway, my life's kind of crazy. Really. It's not like a storybook, you know? Anyway, I ended up getting Sarah boy pregnant. And so where I'm from, you get married when you get a girl pregnant. That's just the way it goes. And so we ended up getting married.
I was finishing school and she was working at a little retail shop. We didn't have anything. We were just barely making it. Yep. Well then Presley was born and heck man, we were just 22 years old and we didn't know what we were doing and so we were just struggling, just trying to get by. And it took me five and a half [00:11:00] years she had graduated.
I was working at Logan's busing tables to try to make ends meet, and as soon as I graduated from the U of a boom, went to rehab out in California. So I went out to rehab. Was that
Nick Beyer: a choice, Stewart?
Stuart Collier: Yeah. Yeah. I knew I had to. Okay.
Nick Beyer: Yeah.
Stuart Collier: I mean, there was some strong encouragement. Right. You know? Right. Yeah.
But nonetheless, I went out there and I did that, and when I came back, it was good for a while, you know? And I interviewed at a nursing home. Now, they didn't have a job for me. I left my briefcase in the interview, but I went home and I said, sir, boys, let's just go to the mall. And this is where spiritual interventions happened in my life.
Like, God saved me from an aortic tear, gave me another chance, right? Mm-hmm. Things have, he just shows up in my life and we'll get into that later, [00:12:00] but nonetheless, I said, let's just go to the mall. And so we went to the mall just to walk around. This is back when people went to the mall.
Yes. So
Stuart Collier: we went to the mall just to walk around and I saw the guy I interviewed with at the bottom of the escalator.
He was supposed to go back to Conway, but something happened. He had to buy a shirt at Dillard's. And I was on the phone with my dad and he said, son, I don't care what you do, but you need a paying job. And as soon as he said that, I'm telling you the truth, I saw John Ellis at the bottom of that escalator and I hung up on my dad.
I said, John, I need a paying job. He said, okay. He said, I got something for you in the kitchen. So I worked in the kitchen with a degree and a hair net cooking bagged eggs for a nursing home for six months.
Hmm. Wow.
Stuart Collier: And I was willing to do that. And that's where the story of kind of humility. And the lessons with, with that go into, into effect.
And so I worked in that kitchen for six months, cooking [00:13:00] bag eggs. I'm a hard worker. They pull me out. Eventually they put me through an administrator in training program.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: I got my boards, I. At 23, they put me over here at North Hills on an interim basis to run this nursing home. I was 23 and had 130 employees.
Wow.
Stuart Collier: And so they just put me there to hold as a placeholder. 'cause I had a license. They weren't gonna gimme the job, but we started making money. Yeah. And there were some awesome people in that organization. Mm-hmm. Just some incredible people. And so I flipped the business on its head and I took all the power away from the front office and gave it to the CNAs and the LPNs.
Wow.
We
Stuart Collier: broke our nursing home up into neighborhoods. We did self-scheduling. Residents dictated when they got up, what they ate. Everything was given to the, to the CNAs and the LPNs, the people closest to the resident to run those homes. And so that's been a kind of a practice of mine all along. [00:14:00] I believe in people and I believe that people have.
Something to offer. Everybody has something to offer. I believe people want to do a great job, wanna make an impact.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Wanna have meaningful lives. Mm-hmm. Wanna be a part of change. And so I have always been quick to give autonomy, power, and control to the people. Even at the quote unquote bottom. The people closest to the customers have all the insight into business anyway.
What are we doing? Making decisions in a boardroom.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: So anyway, and I'm an underdog guy and so anyway, I gave it to him. Well we were voted the number one nursing home in the state of Arkansas through US News and World Report. And so then at, in my twenties still, I went over and opened up Catherine's Place.
Yep. The west side of town. Yep. Mm-hmm. I opened that up. I was in my twenties. And um, then I was kind of a director of operations over a few different nursing homes. Mm-hmm. Um. Then boom, my addiction [00:15:00] hit me again.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: And we'll get into that and pause
Cameron Clark: before we go into there. Did you kind of always have that tenacity and grit and just, and creative thinking?
I mean, you're just being fine, not being in the box. Mm-hmm. Like did anyone, did that come from anybody? Or was that just always inside you, or what was the,
Stuart Collier: what do you think? Yeah, it's a good question. You know, I think early on it kind of came from that rebellious spirit Yeah. That I had, you know? And um, and then I think later in life as that idea kind of matured out, I think that there were some moments that you see real impact based on not parroting or replicating another.
Mm-hmm. And I have always been an all in guy. I'm just an all in guy. You know, if I'm [00:16:00] going to do something, I'm going to do it. And sometimes that's good and bad. You know, I drive real fast, you know, I go hard. If I try something, I'm all in. And so for me, you can't really go all in if you're just replicating somebody.
Yeah. You've gotta, you gotta be who you are and just go do it. That's exactly right. And, and be unapologetic for it. And the thing is, you, you, you make business kinder. You have your values, you have your integrity, and, and then you just, you, you, you're true to yourself and you go out and you execute your strategy, whatever that is.
But it's gotta be your strategy. Yeah. And, and, and, and that strategy can't be at the cost of running over people or being dishonest or treating people the wrong way. Yes. Not worth it. But if you can align those, then I think you can have some impact. Wow. That's big. [00:17:00]
Cameron Clark: So I cut you off there From there to Catherine's place, things are going really well.
Mm-hmm.
Cameron Clark: I mean, outside looking in, I mean, I mean, you're kicking ass. Oh yeah, dude, I was
Stuart Collier: like the, you know, the journal, the twenties in your twenties mm-hmm. And all of that kind of stuff. Yeah. Like I had some success. We had a real nice house. Like the world thought it was great, but I was getting back into my addiction and I had a, um, prescription to codeine coughs syrup, and I had like three refills.
I still remember it so vividly. I thought it was behind me, you know, because I was so focused on my family and my career. But it, it, it, if you have what I got, it's never behind you. And I remember I drank that whole dead of gum bottle and refilled those three in a week. And I was off to the races. I found opiates.
Mm-hmm. And I went in a short time. From that to losing everything Cam Wow. We had to sell our house, move into a little [00:18:00] apartment. Sarah Boyce kicked me out of the house. I couldn't see my kids. Mm. Deservingly. So it was not pretty. It was not pretty. Ended up I quit my job before I got fired. Tried to do some kind of some odd jobs consulting, but I was not healthy.
Yeah. Calling meetings, not showing up. Just it was not good, you know? And, um, which I have, I had a lot of amends to make for a lot of that over the years. But nonetheless, I ended up overdosing. Mm-hmm. Overdosing when I was outta my house, wasn't seeing my family. It was almost like, Hey, I'm just gonna burn this whole thing to the ground.
Yeah. Screw it. Um, and there was a part of me that didn't wanna bring my family through that anymore, you know? And so nonetheless, you know, I, I did that. I, I I overdosed and my brother found me. Wow. And I wasn't even really breathing. I was blue. So he called 9 1 [00:19:00] 1, this was 10 years ago in August. He called 9 1 1 and they came and they hit me with that Narcan.
You familiar with that? Uh, I've just heard about Yeah. Well, they hit me with it and I didn't wake up, and so they rushed me to regional, Washington Regional, and they kept hitting me with it. I didn't wake up. I got my sobriety date right here 10 years ago this August.
Wow.
Stuart Collier: Wow. And so anyway, I ended up going to regional and the only people that came to see me in the hospital was my mom.
Wow.
Stuart Collier: And my father-in-law, believe it or not. Mm. My wife, no, my dad, you know, PE And I didn't blame 'em, cam. I, I mean, I didn't blame 'em.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. I didn't blame 'em. Yeah. I mean, and so you talking about rock bottom? Mm. And, and so I had experienced some level of worldly success and then boom, drugs and alcohol, you know, just, I mean, it, it just drops you.[00:20:00]
And so anyway, that's what I did. And, and I ended up going down to, uh, Louisiana and I was down there for seven months in rehab. Yep. Mm-hmm. Seven months. How old were you at this point? It was 10 years ago. 10 years ago. So I was 32. Okay. But, uh, anyway, I went down there and through that, through that transition, in that healing process.
I gained a spirituality.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: I understood that me left to my own devices leads to destruction and ruin.
Mm-hmm. And
Stuart Collier: I understood that I, I badly needed a spiritual solution. Mm-hmm. I badly needed a higher power in my life, which I choose to call God.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: But I badly needed that. And I think. There were some lessons that I learned in that process that I wouldn't trade [00:21:00] for the world.
And today I'm so grateful that I went through that. You know, I tell people that and they're like, oh, Stewart, I'm so sorry. And I'm like, you don't get it. I'm like, it's the best thing that ever happened to me. I wear the world like a loose garment. I don't have to have this business. Yeah, I want it to do well, but if it doesn't, okay, there's, I got my wife.
Mm-hmm. I got my kids, I got my sobriety. And so that whole experience has given me a perspective that I don't worry about a bunch of stuff.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: I've already overdosed. I've already lost my family, and I had more peace and serenity in my life when I was in a halfway house than I had ever had. Now that's freedom.
If you can live outside of your circumstances and experience that, boom. You can't touch me. Yeah. You know what I mean? And so when I started allowing God to work in my life, me being the action business, let him be in the outcome business, and I got back and I was focused, [00:22:00] boom, boom, boom. It is that
Cameron Clark: simple.
Well, I love that you, you know, people, people were just listening to this. They can't see the tattoo on your arm, but like, I love that you carry that on your
arm.
Cameron Clark: Mm. It'd be bad if I lost my sobriety day, wouldn't it? Well, no, I mean, just like, and, and, and embracing this story, man. Like the journey. Yeah. For everyone.
It's like, life's not a just upward trajection. Like we all, we all want it to be. That's the biggest lie. I mean, you
Stuart Collier: know, nobody gets a free pass at life, period. People are either honest about their struggles or they're not. But I promise you, nobody gets a free pass. And when we see people out there that look like they got it all together, just remember that.
Show people some grace, man, nobody gets a free pass. We never know what people are going through. Mm-hmm. The other thing is I made a promise to God and to my recovery groups. If [00:23:00] anybody ever asked me to tell my story, I'd tell my story.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: It used to scare me, but. It's what I do.
Cameron Clark: Yeah.
Stuart Collier: And some people kind of want to push away from me like, Ooh, that guy's a little bit.
That's too much. And that's okay. That's okay. Yeah. It scares and that's okay. Yeah. But it's my story and God gives me experiences for a reason. Yeah.
Cameron Clark: You
Stuart Collier: know,
Cameron Clark: it's never what we think it is. Never. It's way beyond what we're experiencing in the, in the current day.
Nick Beyer: Well, Stuart, I imagine, I mean, 10 years, praise God for that.
That's a big deal. I imagine you have people here who've been a support system for you and a community and roots mentors or just dear friends mm-hmm. That have kind of helped you. Would that be encouragement to people who are maybe walking through struggles that, that you've walked through?
Mm-hmm.
Nick Beyer: Yeah.
You know,
Stuart Collier: [00:24:00] this, this company is more than a company. You know, it's the people. It's. The company is just a reflection of the people, really. Any company. And the people have been a huge part of giving me my life back. And I believe that each and every one of them were put into my life with purpose and that I have an obligation and duty to recognize that and then create what is a meaningful relationship.
Um, but yes, you know, I think God shows up in people most of the time in my life.
Cameron Clark: So you came back, what was next? I mean, obviously kind of like reconciled with the family, come back in family. Oh, yeah. And a lot of people,
Stuart Collier: I spent six months just making amends, dude. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? Like Yeah. And that's [00:25:00] part of being in recovery.
That's one of the steps. Step nine, you gotta go out and look people in the eyeballs. Yeah. And you gotta say, here's what I did and it was wrong, and how, if any way can I make it right. Yeah. And you gotta do that over and over. So I did a lot of that. But it was a survival thing too. Like we just, I was trying to reconcile, but then also there's realities of life.
We had to like pay our, pay our bills and stuff, you know? How were you doing that? Sarah? Boy and I were starting to kind of get back, I think I had moved back in to the house after a while and um, so I went out and just back to the bed. It's almost like going back and working, cooking, bagged eggs in the nursing home.
Dude, I went out selling drug tests. Out of all things to physicians across the state of Arkansas. And I just hit the road. I was back in waiting rooms. It was another la [00:26:00] it was another humility thing. Mm-hmm. Which was so good for me. And I was just sitting there waiting sometimes for an hour in a random primary care doctor's office and Benton, Arkansas, hoping I could talk to the doctor or somebody.
Wow. And, uh, CMS had put out a mandate because we were starting the opioid crisis. And so they had put out a mandate that the physicians have to monitor their patients if they prescribe 60 or more days of opiates.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: And so we were offering this drug test to make sure that they were taking it appropriately, not selling it, et cetera, et cetera.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: So I did that. I made $41,000 and it was like, just kind of enough to kind of like, yeah. Survival sort of survive, you know? Yeah. And, um, and so I did that and then it really ended up just total by chance the real estate thing happened. Hmm. So you, you still had your license this whole time, I guess?
Mm-hmm. Yeah, it was just [00:27:00] me. 'cause I had my license, I got my license 'cause I tried to sell real estate, uh, in the middle of college working for Prudential, but nobody hired me. And uh, so I had the license, but at some point I was just a one man show. 'cause I got my broker's license. Yep. And it was just me.
Um, I wasn't really doing any business at the time. I had previously, when I was running nursing homes, I was doing business on the side. But nonetheless. I'm, I was at John David Black's house. Y'all know him. He started Falco.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: He's one of my best friends. And I was over at his house and a lady just straight up walked out, his neighbor, Shannon Eldridge, and she said, I'm at Lindsay and Associates.
She said, can I put my license with you? John David said, you got a brokerage. True story. I said, I don't have anything for you. You know, I wasn't trying to front, I ain't got nothing for you. And she said, perfect. [00:28:00] I just want to be left alone. And so I started seeing deals come through and kind of paying attention, you know, and I thought, you know, hey, we could change some things here.
And so that's what happened. It just total acts just total by chance, dude. Really? And what, what year is this? What time? What time are we, oh, I don't
Cameron Clark: know. It was
Stuart Collier: 10
Cameron Clark: years ago. 13. 14? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. A a after the recession. The economy's kind of coming back a little
Stuart Collier: bit. Perfect timing. Yeah. It was really good timing and a lot of it is just being right place, right time.
Cameron Clark: Yeah.
Nick Beyer: You know, so, so she's number one. She's number one employee or Yeah. Or partner kind of, yeah. When you first start. Yeah. So we'll call that the in inception of call your and Associates. And at that time, was there a vision for the company? Was there, could you see past her kind of onto a horizon at all or No?
Okay. Mm-hmm. Just one step at a time. Yeah.
Cameron Clark: Well, and it's so funny to hear this now. I mean, you're a [00:29:00] gunslinger dude. I mean, it's like you've sold more real estate than like most people ever dreamed to, and you have fun with it. I mean, just, yeah. It's, it's really admiring for me to see your humility, I think is what I, is where I'm at and just seeing the, the beginning.
But yeah, keep, keep talking. So Shannon comes on. Shannon
Stuart Collier: comes on, and we had, y'all know Clay and Phil. Mm-hmm. My buddies, they came on. Um, just everyone, mission contractors, everybody knows. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And then they, so they came on and were, we're doing kind of their own real estate. Um, and then there was a flip.
We had a couple other people come on, and so there was a flip. We had like seven or eight people early on, and that's whenever it kind of hit me, you know? Hmm. And so what the big, um. Opportunity was that I was seeing it was in your creatively exposing properties. Not only [00:30:00] that, but then marketing a brand and a culture.
And 10 years ago, marketing a brand and a culture was something that was new. Mm-hmm. Um, and frankly, in the real estate brokerage business that was kind of like this kind of old, kind of like male dominated, 60 years old wearing a suit with their hair slick back, like trying to convince you of something.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: Like that was like heavy. And, and so, um, you know, I think there was just this pent up need and desire for the consumers and the public to experience a fresher, more authentic, more creative. Marketing and culture, uh, associated with a brand. Mm. And so we kind of, we really [00:31:00] pushed in that direction. Um, and so then it was more about, uh, showcasing some technology as well.
And there were all the 3D Matterport stuff. So we were the first one to get one of those, and we're doing like 3D and then at the time, drones, that was nobody. Nobody was doing it. Uh uh. And so we got drones. So it was a tech and a culture and a real look inside of those two things for the public to see.
Mm-hmm. Um, and, and so that was kind of the, where we started experiencing some traction.
Cameron Clark: Yeah. Well, I'll, I'll let Nick kind of keep going on the business stuff here, but there's just as I'm listening here, there's like, I. So many parallels of you just taking the reins of the nursing home. Mm-hmm. And then also with just kind of starting off call your associates, like the, just doing it your own way.
Mm-hmm. And just like, Hey guys, like f the system. Let, let's, let's figure it out. Like, let's just pretty much, yeah.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. We're [00:32:00]
gonna
Stuart Collier: figure it out and do the, yeah. How we want, and I wanna say this, like, whenever I'm analyzing a business and competitors, like it's always to provide more value. It's never, and when I catch myself doing this, I gotta check myself, but it's never to diminish or minimize them.
It's just about recognizing how it's currently operating and then trying to bring in another layer of value for consumers. You, you know what I mean? It's like, um, I think that that's
Cameron Clark: very important. Well, it's the same thing as buying a lot on the lake and seeing ag and cut these trees down and put a picnic table here and someone sees a little more value.
Yeah. Right? Mm-hmm.
Nick Beyer: Right. So early on, first few years seems like you're starting to attract some people and you're starting to kind of come together with a vision for the company. It's, and at that time, it sounds like you've always tried to flip it to where the [00:33:00] people, right, the, the real estate agents who are interacting with the customers every day have the power.
Mm-hmm. And so was that, was that from the beginning? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so what did that look like? How was that different from how other brokerages were doing it?
Stuart Collier: Good question. I was just really interested in the granular pieces of the agent slash client engagement, and so I would ask a lot of questions.
I would ask a lot of questions on what is kind of the current way of doing things. And then, um, ask agents questions, well, why couldn't we do this? Or What's another way we could do that if that's a problem, or if that's a friction point or if that's, and so I've always kind of figured out what the biggest complaints are and then go to the people closest to the customers and ask the questions, um, because they have all the answers.
And so [00:34:00] again, that's, that's really how I, I didn't try to necessarily figure out, uh, from a bird's eye view. I would, I would always get in with, with, with the agents and, and ask those questions, and then they would come up with the solutions that then I would. Implement. Hmm.
Nick Beyer: And so at that time as as a primary driver of your time doing your own real estate transactions, or when do you kind of start to make that switch to a business owner?
Yeah,
Stuart Collier: so I initially ran the brokerage outta Mama Carmen's or Base camp. Yeah. For a long time dude, for like four years. Wow. 'cause the wifi, you know. And so I was doing the marketing, I was doing the onboarding, the training on contracts. I was doing like the hiring, like agents.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Um, I was doing everything outta Mama Carmen's until we had like, [00:35:00] I don't know, dude, I think we ended up having like 30 people.
I was still over there just grinding in the coffee shop. And so I was still very much, we didn't make any money for five years. I mean, I was having to, I was forced to rep clients like I was having to do. I wasn't doing any investments still. I still didn't really have any money. Like I was just trying to climb out of a hole.
Yep.
Stuart Collier: And so, yeah, dude, I was repping people, I was trying to get 'em, you know? Mm-hmm. I mean, I was trying to get business big time. Mm-hmm. And I was doing every deal I did. I still had zero money for five years, nothing. But every deal I did, I would, I would put back in the business. You know, um, but the brokerage didn't make any money for, for a long time.
Uh, so I had to fund it through my own real estate. So I was working harder then than I do now.
Nick Beyer: Yeah.
Stuart Collier: Yeah.
Nick Beyer: And so that brings us to, we'll call it like late [00:36:00] 2016, you're kind of starting to grab, get some attention, talk businesses writing about you, and you're starting, I think your first office at this time was off of East Mission, right?
Yeah. So tell us about what it's like. It sounds like the business is really getting traction. Walk us through that kind of time period in your
Stuart Collier: head. Okay. 2016, you're right. I mean, I think 2016 we were, we were growing by like 150, 200% for a few years, right there. How are you measuring
Nick Beyer: that? Is that, is that agents, is that, uh, transaction volume.
Stuart Collier: Volume, okay. And agents. Okay. Both just kind of looking at both. Um, but again, you know, I think. Any business owner, it has to consider like the economic conditions. Um, and then they kind of have to consider support
Mm
Stuart Collier: uh, infrastructure, uh, and then their offering. Mm-hmm. And so I [00:37:00] was very, we were very much like in a flexible mode and there were even times where we couldn't take anybody else because we didn't have the support.
And so, you know, I think it is prudent to not just get too excited with growth, um, at the expense of quality. And so we always were kind of trying to walk that line back then. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, it's easy to just kind of be intoxicated with. With, um, growth and exposure and recognition and all that was kind of like feeling good at that time.
And so, um, you know, that was a real lesson that I learned during that time as well. Um, you gotta be prudent, you know, you gotta put people first and it's not putting people first just to grow. To grow, to grow, especially if your ego's involved.
Cameron Clark: Well, and putting people first, that's attractive. You're a big reason that my wife Lindsay, and I are in real estate, [00:38:00] honestly.
I mean, during that, I think 2017 is when she's young, is when Lynn
Stuart Collier: Yeah. Lynn came over in 17.
Cameron Clark: Yeah, it was, uh, and I still remember first Christmas party at Binos and like, just being like, man, these are the people. Mm-hmm. Like, this is, this is a crew here. Mm-hmm. And, uh, yeah, I was, I was just thankful as, as the husband being like, man, I'm glad my wife's got a awesome spot.
Stuart Collier: Like, and Lynn's man, I remember. She called me about six months in which we work pretty close. She's like, Stu, I think I'm gonna have to go get an A job. Mm, yeah. This real estate thing is like, it's tough. It's, I, I, I gotta have more business. And I remember telling her, because I truly. Truly believed in her.
I remember telling her, and I wouldn't have told her this if I didn't. I said no. I said, you just hang in there. 'cause she was working, she was grinding, she was doing mailer, she was making phone call. Like, and I knew that [00:39:00] she was really smart, very detailed. She was a a take charge kind of person. Mm-hmm.
That the clients trusted her to represent them. Even when times get tough, she's not gonna back down.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: She's going to rep them. And I remember telling her, no, don't quit before the miracle happens. And she hung in there for another three months and then became one of our top producers.
Yeah. And
Stuart Collier: has just had an amazing career and she was a real blessing to us and our firm.
I mean, she represented the younger generation coming up. Yeah. I think she was like 23, 24 maybe. Yeah, 24 probably. Yeah. Yeah. And, and so she represented that demographic of really smart, you know, um, educated, um, but yet very much down to earth like relevant, understood technology. And she represented that for us.
And it allowed us to attract more of those people, like your Esther [00:40:00] Graves and Valium, like all these people. So she did so much for our firm. She did so, and I, and, and I really appreciate, appreciate her influence on the firm.
Cameron Clark: No, I appreciate you saying that, but I think it's just, it's the same thing is like, and it started with you and then just it kept trickling down of like, people see an attractive culture and they.
They see a place they can go be themselves and like Yeah. And uh, and on top of like doing a lot of business. Yeah. I mean, it's not like it was just a hangout spot. I mean Yeah. Yeah. We're serious about what we do.
Nick Beyer: Yeah. Yeah. No, you're doing it really well. Yeah.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. Thank you.
Nick Beyer: So you opened the first office, 2016.
Growth is happening. The talk is happening. You're having awesome agents come on. Business is really growing and kind of fast forward us to, we'll call it 2020, it feels like that's when stuff, you know, things have always been good in northwest Arkansas, but it feels like that from a real estate perspective.
A lot's changed in the last five years. Yeah. Walk us [00:41:00] through, you know, we're, we're kind of getting up to that 2020 piece. I don't, I don't know exactly how many agents y'all had at the time, but like you said, hypergrowth. Yeah. Not sure if you can even keep up turning people away.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. Man, that 2020 timeframe was nuts.
Hmm.
Stuart Collier: You know, it was. Um, it was very fast. I mean, interest rates were, people were getting interest rates sub three.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: And, um, the market was flushed with cash. Um, people were continuing to move in. And then with COVID homes became, um, even more of a pillar to a family's stability. And so it was, it was a trifecta.
You know, population growth, interest rates and COVID. And so we were seeing a market that we hadn't seen before. Um, [00:42:00] and it ended up being really, really good for a lot of people, including real estate agents. And so every brokerage in town benefited from that. Um, we did as well. My focus at that point was making sure that we had the backend software technology and people to support those agents at the highest level.
And so it was during that time where I started bringing in and hiring more full-time people and investing, uh, more in efficient technology. Some backend stuff. Yeah. But it was just nuts. I mean, we were getting multiple offers on stuff.
Mm-hmm. You
Stuart Collier: know, 50, 75,000 over list. Um, and so that was just a, that was a really crazy wild time.
We were growing too at the time. Yeah. Yeah.
Nick Beyer: It says, uh, early 2020s, you're at 170 plus agents. You've started to open multiple [00:43:00] offices. I don't know where your next office was after
Stuart Collier: Ben. Ben Bentonville. Bentonville. Yeah. Bentonville. Okay. I went up, y'all know Jake Newell. I went up and met with him, uh, just to meet with him, and I left that meeting.
I had leased a dead gum space from him by the time I left the meeting. That's how we started that Bentonville office. Okay. I don't remember when that was. It may have been like, I don't remember when it was. I'm terrible with dates, but he was like telling me all about what was gonna happen at Bentonville dude.
And I bought it in the meeting. I bought it, bro. In the meeting I left with a signed lease.
Cameron Clark: It's a good thing you did.
Stuart Collier: I know. Yeah. It's a huge thing. I did. I mean, 'cause it happened a lot faster than anybody thought.
Cameron Clark: Hmm.
Stuart Collier: I know, I know. It's nuts. It is nuts.
Nick Beyer: And how critical is having an office space, a sign, a storefront?
How critical is that in your business?
Stuart Collier: That's a good question because it used to be, um, extremely [00:44:00] critical. Um. Now the most critical piece is providing a space that agents can collaborate and develop relationships with one another. Uh, there's a lot going on in in the real estate brokerage business, um, and agents within a brokerage are going to rely on one another more so and more so we're going to see more off market deals happening.
I've actually developed an internal MLS, it's called Collier Connect, and so we have 250 agents that are inputting properties into this MLS that are otherwise unavailable. So if an agent works with this firm, they have access for their clients of a hundred plus properties that are otherwise unseen, then we upload buyer parameters.
And so it's like we got this person looking for this type of property, and AI is going to match those as soon as they're put in. So we're gonna build a huge [00:45:00] repository of homes and buyer parameters that nobody else will have access to. So if you're going to a listing appointment, you sit in front of a homeowner, you're gonna get that listing.
'cause you're gonna have five people that meet the parameters of this house.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Things are gonna become more off market, internal, and so to have a space. For agents to be around one another, collaborate, share ideas, share information, share listings, share buyers is going to be critical. Mm. It's not for the public so much.
Mm-hmm. Um, now I'll announce this. Nobody really knows this, but we're going to build an office in Benton County. Wow. Uh, on Pleasant Grove. Awesome. Um, it's actually, I'm under contract and it's, I'm getting it rezoned right now. Mm-hmm. So we'll see. I mean, you know how development is. Yeah. You never know.
Yeah. I got good intentions. You gotta swing the bath though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And so we're gonna build something pretty sick, but we're gonna close [00:46:00] our Bentonville and our Rogers and move everybody under one. Okay. For that reason. Yeah.
Nick Beyer: Collaboration.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. Yeah,
Nick Beyer: yeah. Which is different, right.
Because the old world would've said, it's all about when people see your sign, when people see your name.
Stuart Collier: Yeah.
Nick Beyer: And you're saying, no, it's, it's not about our name, it's about our realtors. Connecting and having a touchpoint.
Stuart Collier: You're exactly right, dude. Like I don't even worry about the public. My, my cu you know who my customers are.
It's not the person driving down the street. My customers are our agents. If I truly focus on them, value them, support them, they make the biggest impact.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Stuart Collier: Why is a brokerage trying to go after the public with 90% of their intention? When you could go after your agents with 90% of their intention, and then 250 people can go after the public.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: You, you know what I mean? And I think brokerages get this [00:47:00] wrong.
Yeah. Yeah. I
Stuart Collier: think it is good to have exposure. I think it is good to have brand that's public facing, but we can never forget the agents are the ones that drive the ship. The agents are the ones that need our support. Behind the scenes in the background, we have to arm our agents so they can arm the community
Cameron Clark: well, and I think for everyone on here who's listening who, who have a bad taste of a real estate agent, I know this personally from being in the brokerage business and stuff too, and like, it's just, I love that you said from the very beginning, man across your life, it's like, I'm just trying to add value.
I'm adding value. Yeah. Mm. And like what would you say to someone who's like, man, I'm just using Zillow. Forget this. You know, I'm moving to NWA, I'll figure it out on my own.
Stuart Collier: You know, all agents aren't created equally. The bar to become a licensed agent is too low. And so you've got somebody like Matt Dickhead [00:48:00] in here.
That is a true professional. Hmm. He understands building codes, he understands the community. He's a lifelong resident here. He, he, he inputs extreme value. Mm-hmm. And you may have somebody that, you know, just kind of wants to get a call on the weekends from a friend and there's nothing against that. But the point is, real estate agents and real estate professionals are going to succeed and become relevant only if they represent that true professionalism and are an expert in the market.
I think the public is, has this awareness, especially with buyer agent commission lawsuit, that, you know, real estate professionals of a certain caliber are, um, I. Are relied upon and, and, and valuable. Um, [00:49:00] but again, all real estate agents aren't created equal
and
Stuart Collier: some are not, and some don't need to be real estate agents.
To answer that question, you have to first say, okay, we're talking about an expert driven, professional, value based real estate professional. And, and so when you find that person, okay, which third party reviews are still the most trusted source of advertising in this nation? Mm-hmm. It's not, you can do it digital ad or any fancy video.
It still doesn't touch a, a, a, Hey man, you need to call this dude. He's amazing. Yep. Doesn't touch it. No. Okay. Going into your question. You got somebody coming over here from Wisconsin or Seattle, it doesn't matter. And they're coming in and they're looking for a house. Mm-hmm. Why not just use Zillow?
Mm-hmm. That's your question. Yeah. And so there's a lot of reasons to answer that, but I'll frame it like [00:50:00] this. You come in. You wanna make a good financial decision, you want your asset to appreciate. Yep. And so you have to know the nuances of a community. You have to know the bike trails that are in, or that could go in close by.
You have to know the amenities, the new restaurants, the school districts, the grades of those schools specifically. Mm-hmm. Right. You have to know infrastructure. You have to know what neighborhoods are poised to appreciate for nuanced reasons that are otherwise unavailable. Then you get an inspection.
You know, you need to know the right person is inspecting it. You need to have the right bids post inspection to know what things cost. Yeah. You need to make sure, sometimes there's issues with foundation or mo, like you gotta make sure that you're protected. It's the largest investment you'll ever make in your life.
Hmm,
Stuart Collier: right?
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: But it's [00:51:00] not just about the brick and mortar, it's about the broad based nuances that go into a sound decision. And so when you pick the right real estate professional. You're protected and you get those and they negotiate for you. Mm-hmm. And they protect your interest and protect your long-term asset.
That's the biggest asset you'll ever purchase. Then there's a, there's a loyalty program and their service after the sale. We want our real estate agents to be broad in scope of service. Mm-hmm. And so we want our real estate agents to establish these lifelong commitments to clients. People buy seven times and always say, do you want people to use you one time and you go with seven people?
Or would you rather have one person use you seven times?
Mm-hmm. The
Stuart Collier: answer is always the latter. Yep. And so there's ways that real estate agents can input themselves to provide that level of value where it makes a lot of sense, but not all of them can.
Nick Beyer: [00:52:00] So you've grown a ton at this point. Let's, let's kind of bring it to current.
How are you maintaining quality? How are you making sure your agents. Are the sharpest or the most prepared to serve clients? That's
Stuart Collier: what keeps me up at night, bro. I don't know if I am, I mean, I hope I am. You know, my intention is to do that. Mm-hmm. You know, I think right now as a firm, we're really focused on AI and technology.
We have developed an AI curated business plan strategy. I guess I can say all this, right? Whatever. Yeah. Um, and so basically we're taking. Our agents, and instead of having like a big training where you get a hundred people in a room and you tell 'em all the same thing and you say, go do it. Mm-hmm. We got a hundred people doing the same thing.
Yeah. And so we're developing [00:53:00] software, a AI, to build agent specific curated business plans. And we're doing it through personality, Enneagram, numbers, backgrounds, hobbies, kids, what schools, what areas they're involved with, what interests they have, their experience in real estate, their best assets. And we're plugging it into ai.
Hmm. And then we're bringing in our concierge programs, our loyalty pro, everything we have in the portal. Yeah. Everything we have in the portal, our senior services programs, our mailers programs, our postcards, like everything we have. So we're individualizing it to call your and Associates. And it's spitting out business plans 0, 30, 30 60.
60 90, where our agents have these curated business plans. So if you went to UNC Chapel Hill, it is talking about that. And it's linking a relocation guy where you click, and then the next link is to postcards to go to your alumni.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: Like we're [00:54:00] curating these plans. I guess it's okay to say all this. I mean, whatever.
If people take it, it's fine, but. Uh, this is what keeps me up at night. It's the internal MLS, the call your connect. Mm-hmm. It's those things that just drive me for value and it never stops. And sometimes the people that I work with, the staff, they sometimes get a little bit frustrated with me because we can't do it all at once.
Um, but we're always thinking in those regards and those are two examples of how we're doing that.
Cameron Clark: You're a visionary, you're casting it and saying, guys, we can, we can do it better. We can. We gotta stay in front. Industry's changing. It's changing fast. Yep. Mm-hmm. And just, yeah. And just because we know what we're supposed to do doesn't mean we're doing it.
We needed to like go, go after it and go do it.
Stuart Collier: Exactly.
Nick Beyer: What, uh, comes to mind when you say the call, your connect thing was, this was probably five years ago. Pre COVID. It was all, when people talked about [00:55:00] Walmart, when the street talked about Walmart, it was. It was negative. Like, hey, they've got 4,600 locations all over.
People are starting to buy online those brick and mortar stores. Like that's, that's not the future. And we fast forward five years and now they're using those brick and mortar stores to service their e-commerce business. And in the same way, I think you, you, you grew really fast. You grew with all these agents and I don't know what negative connotations are related to having a lot of agents.
Maybe the stereotype was, well, they're probably not all good if you have that many or whatever that looks like. Yeah, yeah. But you've said, Hey, we're actually gonna take that number. And yeah, it's, it's obviously a plus from a revenue perspective, but we're actually gonna use our greatest asset, which is 250 agents, and we're gonna find a way to unlock more value for our customers because we have that many agents.
And I think that is what Cameron's highlighting here from you is like, that's really different thinking. [00:56:00] That's very well
Stuart Collier: said. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. Hmm. That's very well said.
Hmm.
Stuart Collier: And I think any business owner needs to understand their greatest asset is, is that is their people. Mm-hmm.
Truly. Mm-hmm. I think it's easy to kind of make decisions in a silo, but man, I think we sell ourselves short when we do. It's always about how to leverage your biggest asset, which is your people.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: To unlock more value. Mm. That's what it all is. And when you can give people some ownership in that, man it works.
Mm-hmm. You know, the execution tends to work. I mean, heck, I'm not trying to work 10 hours a day. Yeah. You know, if it's always, if I've gotta drive it and other people don't feel the ownership to drive it. That's no good for me.
Cameron Clark: It's
Nick Beyer: not gonna last either. Right. Yeah. It'll burn out. There's no legacy there.
Yeah. So, so bring us to current [00:57:00] Stewart. You've got four offices right now. Mm-hmm. Farmington, Bentonville, Fayetteville, where we're sitting in Rogers. Mm-hmm. Sounds like there's some stuff happening in Benton County, which is exciting. Yeah. Um, and you've got 250 ish employees. Yeah. Yeah. Agents. Just any agents.
Yeah. Agents, um, who are driving growth and, and adding value to people all throughout northwest Arkansas. And then from the economics of the business is there, how are, you just talked about that earlier as a transaction volume you're measuring, but kind of, where are y'all at? It sounds like 2022 or 2023, you, you were at 650 million in, in sales.
I think we did, um,
Stuart Collier: 7 75. Okay. Um, 2023. Yeah. Okay. And then this year we'll do more than that.
Nick Beyer: Okay. And has that been the trajectory steward every year? I know obviously COVID we're talking about rates. Well, it, it
Stuart Collier: used to be, I mean, when you just got [00:58:00] 30 people and then you go to 60 or 80 in a year, your percentage growth is just off the charge.
Mm-hmm. So, yeah, I mean, we're big now. Mm-hmm. And so we're growing at a much smaller clip
mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Because we're big. Mm-hmm. Right. Yeah. Um, but it's still positive growth
mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Year over year. And we don't recruit. Our thing is attraction versus promotion. And so I don't just, I mean, I really don't just take everybody, we bet on people.
I don't necessarily look at volume. Mm-hmm. We just bet on people. So our growth is not too big of a concern for me.
Mm-hmm. I
Stuart Collier: mean, it's cool, you know? I like it, but Sure. I try to not get too fixated on that. Yeah. Yeah. Some years are great, but it's just gotta be people led and everything on the [00:59:00] financial side kind of takes, and I hate the financial side, dude.
Like, I even hate going to our monthly financial meetings.
Yeah.
Stuart Collier: It just, I don't know.
Cameron Clark: It's not What drives you.
Stuart Collier: Uhuh,
Cameron Clark: our main focus on this podcast is hypergrowth businesses in northwest Arkansas and being able to show folks what's possible here, you, your story personally, but I, I see it as the whole whole company too.
I mean, it shows that it's like, this is, this is what you can do in Northwest Arkansas.
Stuart Collier: There's so many opportunities in NWA.
Mm.
Stuart Collier: And there's an openness to people in NWA. Yeah. Mm-hmm. You know, it's like, there's like this openness that, I don't know if it's everywhere, I don't know, but it seems to be in our mindset.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Is we want to help other entrepreneurs. Yeah. I want you to win.
Yes.
Stuart Collier: Yes.
Cameron Clark: Yeah. I don't think that's everywhere. No. And I think, you know, however you describe it, we're not an old, old money, you know? Mm-hmm. Market, [01:00:00] or there's just a, I'm not sure how it really spurred on. I think it's a collective thing.
It's not just one, one person. Um, but, uh, I kind of wanted to talk about the future. Was there more you wanted talk about? Yeah, I think, I think just
Nick Beyer: on the real estate front, Stuart, I mean, you've seen a lot and you're, you're at, we'll call it the pinnacle of, of what's happening in real estate in northwest Arkansas.
How, I mean, last five years, crazy growth.
Mm-hmm.
Nick Beyer: I mean, what are, what are you seeing from transaction size? I mean, you see houses, posts now. I remember growing up here, like a million dollar house was like unheard of. Mm-hmm. You're seeing. You know, you're seeing that way more, you're seeing, you're hearing about people, you already cited it coming from out of state.
Like could you just talk about some of those things that our listeners, you know, they own a house, they own a couple houses, they grew up here, but maybe some things that you see from your seat that are macro factors really happening in our area. Yeah. Do you have a unique perspective?
Stuart Collier: Yeah. So we had [01:01:00] 28 houses last month sell for over a million dollars.
Um, that is not. Customary like, and so what are we calling luxury? The, the conversation was around luxury. It's like, are we calling luxury a million dollars? I don't know if it is. It used to be. Mm-hmm. Uh, nonetheless, you're exactly right. I mean, we are on the map and we've got venture capital money here.
We've got people moving in and then we've got existing residents and everybody's driving up prices, right? And we're competing with one another. Um, there is kind of like a, um, macro conversation and then there's micro markets within NWA that people don't really understand. I think people outside wanna go.
NWA is booming. But like there's pockets of NWA that are poised for more appreciation, and there's some pockets that that aren't so much. Um, I think [01:02:00] Western Benton County is going to continue because of the topography and the infrastructure and the proximity to 49 is going to continue to. Accelerate and appreciate, um, in the coming five, six years, the bypass will be done and not too long, the six 12 bypass.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Um, and so I think what you're gonna see is those pockets over there, around Cave Springs and then even North Decatur even grab it, and then south there, south Rogers, east or west of of Rogers even are gonna probably continue to do what they're gonna do. Bella Vista still has a few lots remaining and people are snatching those up.
Dude, those builders are snatching 'em up, which you could get for 7,000. People are paying 30,000 now per lot, and then they're slowly starting. I mean, at some point they're gonna be all gone.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Um, and so you'll see Bella Vista inventory continue to be there for the next [01:03:00] three or four years.
Um, and then those will be saturated when they are. Prices will appreciate. Fayetteville's always gonna be Fayetteville. Fayetteville has the flagship university. Fayetteville still has people moving in and they're always gonna be Fayetteville. Their growth is gonna be more tempered than Bentonville and Rogers though, over the next five to 10 years.
Nick Beyer: Self-inflicted or just for what reasons?
Stuart Collier: Um, mainly industry. Okay. Mainly industry job growth. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Um, and then Roger just came out with new development code. Yeah. Which is favorable. So that'll, they'll benefit from that. Um, and then, you know, I think east is still a challenge for housing. Uh, just the topography and there's some other reasons, but you'll still see that start to fill in.
And so overall, you know, the market is going to continue to be, I. Um, solid at times robust, depending on [01:04:00] what rates do. Um, we still need inventory, we really do. Mm-hmm. Um, in northwest Arkansas, it's, it's a million people by 2050. Mm-hmm. And so we need some solution there. With inventory rates are about 6.25 today, on a long term, 30 year mortgage.
Um, there's buy down programs that builders have you can take advantage of to get in the low fives and even upper fours. Um, and then, you know, the fed rate, they came down a half a point last meeting and we'll probably have a quarter point through the end of the year is what I guess. Fingers crossed.
Yeah, maybe. Yeah, maybe. Um, and so I think in 2025 people are gonna just need to get used to rates in the low sixes, um, on a 30 year, um. Note, and then, you know, around seven, seven and a half on conventional loans going into 2025. Hmm. That's kind of what, what I see from a
Nick Beyer: macro.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. [01:05:00] Yeah. And so
Nick Beyer: we'll call it, last five years, Washington County.
I. Reported that home prices were up 70%. Mm-hmm. What did the next five years look like?
Stuart Collier: People don't really realize this dude, but Benton County does almost double the volume as Washington County. Let that sink in. It used to not like that. Within, within Collier or outside of college? Outside Coller Associates.
Yeah. Yeah.
Cameron Clark: Outside. Like just public. You're one of our first guests, uh, Blake Hamby, who's over at City Title. Mm-hmm. Um, recorded him a couple weeks ago and one of the things he said that I was really shocked by mm-hmm. Was I think, what did you say? Two thirds? Yeah. 2, 2 2 2 thirds of their current orders right now.
Or
Nick Beyer: Ben County.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Nick Beyer: It just is what it's, yeah. He talked a lot about Bella Vista too, from transaction volume perspective on title. That's really important.
Yeah.
Nick Beyer: Those
Stuart Collier: guys are really clued in with real time data. Those title guys.
Cameron Clark: Yeah. They see, I mean, same with you. Yeah. It's just seeing. What's, what's coming across?
Like, just where are people buying [01:06:00] and what's the um, you know, you know, tell hey, builders, hey, here's what I mean. Obviously they're seeing it live too 'cause they're building the product, but like it's pretty crazy. Yeah. Looking in the rear view. Mm-hmm. And then seeing, hey, okay, this is probably the next phase.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Yeah. So I think you're probably gonna see not quite that level of appreciation because hopefully we won't go, they'll go through COVID again. But nonetheless, I don't think you'll see quite that level of appreciation, but it'll still be one of the, some of the best appreciation in the country. But I think to answer your question, Benton County will continue to see more appreciation than Washington County.
They are not. It's, they're two different counties like Yeah. Um. And the Bentonville and the downtown Bentonville market is very different, uh, than downtown Fayetteville and the downtown Fayetteville market. Both are solid, but they're very different. Yeah. [01:07:00]
Nick Beyer: I read one of the older TBP articles that at, at one point you were, you specifically were you had commercial deals that you were working on.
Yeah. Is that, is that still part of what you do or has there just kind of been a shift to hyper focus or talk about Collier and Associates and That's
Stuart Collier: how I cut my teeth, was doing commercial. Mm-hmm. I mean, that's really what I understood. The real estate businesses being in my mind was, was all commercial.
Um, and so I have over the years, um, um, gained in knowledge on the residential transaction side. Um, it's, it's really been neat because our ambition at the brokerage is to really build out CNA commercial. We have a division CNA commercial division and we got some real players in that division. Um, and so I think you'll see over the [01:08:00] next three to five years.
My focus will be really put toward that CNA commercial. And the other thing you're gonna see is people like Lindsey Clark, you're gonna see high level top producing residential real estate agents do more and more and more commercial. I think commercial brokerage has felt very restrictive and it's kind of the old club that you can't really break into, but there's no reason for that.
Some of our residential agents are just as. Sophisticated from a business standpoint is anybody I know and they are very much capable, able, and willing to do commercial and their clients, their clients want to use one real estate professional. And so you're gonna see more of a hybrid. So we at this firm have the opportunity to be dually licensed with CNA commercial and Collier and Associates, which is really neat.
You're gonna have a [01:09:00] hybrid. Not everybody can participate, but you're gonna have a hybrid, especially as buyer agent commissions become compressed over the next five years, which even if they had now they will. Then you're gonna see top level agents look for other income producing revenue streams and they're gonna go straight to commercial.
The A C'S mandatory training was either on commercial or property management. And so the commercial thing is being highlighted. Across the board and you know, you're gonna see more, uh, breakthroughs in that regards and you're gonna see it here at the firm. More infrastructure training resources put behind our commercial division.
Nick Beyer: Why? Is it because the fee structure is getting compressed or it's just we believe in the one real estate professional? Like, is that, is that the why our clients want to use one real estate professional?
Stuart Collier: Yeah,
Nick Beyer: I think
Stuart Collier: it's, um, there's variables and I think it's dynamic.
Mm-hmm.
Stuart Collier: Um, I think it is because of top [01:10:00] producing agents looking for more of a revenue stream.
And then I think it is because a lot of them have dipped their toe in it and they realize. There's no big magic secret to it. It's, they are very much capable. And then I think also that many investors who were once commercial investors only are now multifamily, single family rentals. They're buying neighborhoods, they're leasing it out.
And so the investor profile has changed. And so those investors who use our agents to go buy a block of 15 income producing single family houses. Are now going, Hey, I'm looking at this flex space. Can you help me out? And the agent's going, sure I can. And they do a great job. And then they come back and they may do a bigger deal.
And so I think it's multifactorial to answer your question.
Nick Beyer: Yeah. Which is good. But it's, it sounds like, and, and why I asked is 'cause you kind of have a, a lot of these answers you've brought [01:11:00] back to serving the customer, and it sounds like that's the primary Yes. There, it's, it's multifaceted. Absolutely.
But primarily it's a way to serve your clients better and differently than other brokerages.
Stuart Collier: That's right. Yeah. That's right. That's good. Everything has to go down to that layer. And we can't do something just to do it, you know? I mean, I, I don't, it's never good to chase money. I. Even like people come to me and they're like, Stu, you got enough volume, dude.
You need to start a title company. You need to start a mortgage company. You know, you need to start an insurance company. My thing is like, I mean, okay, yeah, but I'm not gonna chase money and if I can't do Title better than Blake or Patrick, I'm not gonna do it. Yeah. If they're terrible at it and I can add some value to the public, I'll do it.
But I'm not just gonna chase [01:12:00] money. And it's the same principle,
Nick Beyer: I think. Yeah. That just sparked another question. At your level of success, you probably have opportunities every day, every other day that hit your desk or you're having conversations. How do you stay focused?
Stuart Collier: Hmm. You know, I think for me it's, it's staying connected.
I. Spiritually, it's being spiritually healthy. And so in the mornings, you know, God's gotta meet me before I meet the world, you know, and that's my focus, dude. You know, that's my focus on making an impact in whoever's life I'm sitting in front of, in some kind of positive way. It doesn't have to be profound, but it's me taking the next right action through my day and then letting that outcome be what it's gonna [01:13:00] be.
Um, I always sell myself short when I try to create a specific outcome. And so, you know, my focus is on my spiritual condition. Um, I've never had a problem with having to focus to figure out a vision that just is there. And so for me personally. It's that, mm, it's that focus, it's kind of that deeper meaning, deeper level focus, and then allowing God to just give me the outcome that he wants me to have.
That's awesome.
Nick Beyer: Yeah. Yeah. I like that mantra you shared earlier, action ins instead of outcome, you can focus and control the action. You, you
Stuart Collier: can't,
Nick Beyer: can't control the outcome.
Stuart Collier: No, we can't. Hmm. We, we sometimes act like we can and we live like we can, but we really can't and you can't change people, places or things, you know?
And so, yeah, it's, it's a, it's a [01:14:00] spiritual, it's a daily spiritual intentionality. And if I do that, then my focus is always where it needs to be and things work out. That's good. Yeah. Yeah. I think you gotta have a strategy, you gotta have a plan, you gotta execute, you know, whatever. That's easy. What's, what's, what's more important is your perspective toward your day and the
Cameron Clark: people that you'll come across in your day.
Well, this has been incredible. Kind of going towards wrapping up here. There's a couple questions we wanna ask everybody. So number one, you kind of dove into it just now a little bit, but how do you define success?
Stuart Collier: Yeah,
Cameron Clark: so,
Stuart Collier: man, that's a big one, isn't it? And I think, um, when you talk about success, you talk about quality of life, and when you talk about quality [01:15:00] of life, you have to think about what it is that you value in life.
And so for me, success for me in my life would be that my kids. Felt that I was unconditionally in love with them, that I was their biggest supporter, that I believed in them, um, that they treated people in a way that helped those people see them true their true self. Uh, that they were able to, um, be the encourager in any situation, uplifter in any situation.
And so for me, the success would be more in terms of what did I pass on to Presley and Estelle, um, [01:16:00] as a, as a more of a kind of a legacy. Hmm. Thing.
Yeah, I
Stuart Collier: mean I think that for me personally, um, and then I think success in business would probably be that this thing continue to carry on with the culture that exists today and the values that exist today.
I think as you continue to grow and whatever, it's easier to lose those. Mm-hmm. And so that would be business success. Mm-hmm. Um, is that no matter what. Period of life the business is in that it always stands true and holds true to our values. And who is a Collier and a associates agent? Mm-hmm. Which is on our website.
Cameron Clark: Second here. We're all on the wave of northwest Arkansas. We're riding it. I mean, nobody initially knows exactly how big it's gonna be or where exactly we're gonna go. We've got [01:17:00] metrics to probably where we're gonna be in 2040 or however. But what's your, what's your vision for Northwest Arkansas? Hmm.
That's a big
Stuart Collier: question. You know, I, I, I think Northwest Arkansas, because of its beauty and his, and its opportunity for recreation, um, you know, I think that I. My vision would be that it becomes not only a dynamic economy, even more so, um, you know, I hope that we learn from places like Austin, Texas and some of these other, um, areas that have grown.
Maybe, um, you know, without looking at some of the infrastructure issues and the traffic flow problems fo So the vision for Northwest Arkansas is that we can grow, um, healthily, um, [01:18:00] through, um, more business, through more startups, um, that we can support the Big four as they exist already, but then that we never.
Um, discount or lose sight of our natural beauty and recreation opportunities. Yeah. You know, that we can become an urban area, a metropolitan area that still very much protects and values our green spaces and our outdoor opportunities and, and the recreation that Northwest Arkansas has here. Hmm. Yeah.
Because we're going to grow and we're gonna look like something at some point. Yeah.
And so I think
Stuart Collier: you've got to maintain those balances. I don't think you can be too heavy on either side. I think you've gotta maintain that. Mm-hmm. That balance there, because I think that's what makes us so great.
Cameron Clark: Yeah.
Stuart Collier: Yeah.
Cameron Clark: Yeah. Very unique, no doubt. Yeah. Well, you know, kind of at the end here, we like to wrap up in just the things that maybe you've inspired us for and, and [01:19:00] all that. And, and I'll let Nick take it, take it away. But the thing, the big thing that I've, I. Love about your story is the tenacity, and it's just, it's not a one day overnight flip the switch and, uh, everything's great in life.
The business is doing really well. It's, no, it's every day. Yeah. Pushing Yeah. And working hard and trying to change and, uh, uh, even if yesterday was a bad day
mm-hmm.
Nick Beyer: You did a great job of sharing that story. And that's, that's part of what we wanna highlight is from the outside looking in 10 years to grow the business to 750 million in sales and 250 agents, people look at that with a little bit of drool hanging out their mouth and they don't know.
We didn't know how much went into that. And so thanks for sharing that. And I think the first thing that stuck out to us was just your vulnerability. And you said it when we sat down. People say that stuff a lot. Hey, I'm, I'm an open book, but you really were. Oh yeah. And so thank you [01:20:00] for sharing that. And if there's one person's life who.
Is changed through you sharing your story of addiction and, and how you have overcome that and are still overcoming that every day. It's a journey.
Stuart Collier: Yeah, that's right.
Nick Beyer: Um, I think that's super powerful. We think that's super powerful. So thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thanks for sharing that.
Stuart Collier: Yeah, and I think that's it.
Like for me it's like that's really my purpose.
Hmm.
Stuart Collier: It's probably not the business as much. It really is just to help the other addict or alcoholic that still suffers.
Hmm.
Stuart Collier: And I do believe that I be, I've been given those experiences not to hide from. And so I appreciate you recognizing that. Um, and, and, and I appreciate you bringing those questions up and allowing me to, to share those things a hundred percent with that hope of somebody, Hey, they may be, they may be going through it or maybe they, I.
Just got done going through it and, and they saw a little hope [01:21:00] here today and hey, you know, whatever, let God do his thing. You know what I mean? So cool.
Nick Beyer: Yeah. And then I think on the business front, Stuart, a couple of the things that, and Cameron, Cameron, Cameron highlighted your tenacity, but just thinking differently and being different, the way that you have empowered your agents to serve clients all throughout northwest Arkansas, that's the focus for you, I think is really, really powerful and is part of why the business has grown the way it has.
And then I think the last piece being your focus on the culture. You hear business owners talk about how culture is important, and then sometimes it doesn't marry up to their actions. And so from our conversation and the people who work here and how much they love it, it seems like culture is, is at the pinnacle of what y'all are doing and what you do and your role specifically now sitting on top of, I.
All these agents, how you can support them, how you can help them be successful and. Um, we're just really thankful for that, and I think [01:22:00] as we talked about, we wanna highlight businesses and founders and business owners that make Northwest Arkansas special. And part of what you do is, is that. And so thank you for that.
Yeah,
Stuart Collier: I appreciate that,
Nick Beyer: man. Yeah. Well, Stuart Collier, how can people, uh, find you? Keep in touch. Reach out. I'm on the
Stuart Collier: website, I think. Yeah.
Nick Beyer: Yeah, I think I There go. There we go. Yes.
Stuart Collier: Tex cam. He's got my cell. There we go.
Cameron Clark: Thanks so much, Stu. It's, it's been just a blast, so Yeah, I know it has. Um, yeah. Thanks for jumping on this morning and it was fun.
I appreciate you guys. Thank you for listening to this episode of NWA Founders, where we sit down with founders, owners and builders driving growth here in northwest Arkansas. For recommendations are to connect with us, reach out at nwa, founders@gmail.com. Lastly, if you enjoyed this episode, then please consider leaving a rating, a review, and sending it to someone who you think would benefit from it.
We'll see you in the next [01:23:00] episode.