By: Carl Bosse

I made a short trip on the 12th of April to visit some of our members in California, in order to do some planning with our Liaison Chair, Diana Bull and then to meet with Betty Graham, the immediate past president of Coldwell Banker Previews International who is to be the keynote speaker at our Retreat, which is coming up in October.

I began on Monday meeting with Bill Podley at his downtown Pasadena office which is housed in the location of one of Southern California’s former premier restaurants. Bill, dressed in a suit, met me in the front lobby and we spent time together in a conference room where we discussed AREA and his company, Podley Properties, which has 185 agents ranging to the east following the counter of the San Gabriel Mountains. Bill enjoys selling and told me that he is moving away from management to get back to his real passion, working with the public. He is a delightful man. One of his premier agents, Ryan Asao, who is also a member of AREA, was to join us but, at the last minute, had a conflict. Ryan will be a panelist on the international discussion group at our Retreat this coming October in Napa.

From there I met Cynthia Carley, who is our representative in Lake Arrowhead. She made the trek down from that beautiful spot in order to meet me for lunch. We had a grand time. Cynthia, like Bill and Ryan, is very active in the National Association of Realtors and it was really fun sharing time with her finding out the many things she does. I had invited her for lunch but, when the time came, she insisted on picking up the check. I only mention that because she is a sincere and dedicated person whose number one job is to bring excellence to any table she sits. It was a thoughtful gesture and very much appreciated. Cynthia will host a discussion on sharing special moments that served to make us who we are at the retreat. That should be very interesting and she will do a fine job.

The next morning I met Diana Bull in Santa Barbara at the offices of Sterling Properties on de la Vina, in the heart of town. Diana and Ken Libby have both been very instrumental in helping AREA move forward and we missed not having Ken with us. Diana and I spent an intense 2 hours 45 minutes discussing AREA issues and she and I were both astonished as it was already time to meet our luncheon guests, Betty Graham and Ellen Francisco when we first questioned the time. Diana is a dynamo! And I am forever grateful for the good counsel she gives. So, we quickly packed and rushed down for our meeting.

It was at Ralph’s, one of Santa Barbara’s restaurant institutions, where all kinds of celebrities, politicians and other notables are memorialized by having their photos hung on the walls. Diana was quick to point out the photo of this very handsome dude, who also happens to be her husband, hanging next to John Wayne, President Reagan etc. (If you have not heard how they met, well, ask Diana. It is quite a story.)

Shortly after our arrival we were joined, first by Betty Graham and soon thereafter, Ellen Francisco. Ellen, a former physical education instructor, gave up teaching after marrying her husband and settling in Malibu, where they raise horses, and she pursued a career in real estate. She has known Betty for 30 years and when she learned that, through the efforts of Ronna Brand, we had secured Betty to be our keynote, she reached out and told me what a truly wonderful and remarkable person, she is. So, I was excited and anxious to meet her.

Betty is, among many other traits, a humble person. She is also gracious, warm and kind. And, as Ellen had told me, she is loyal having won the minds and hearts of the huge Coldwell Banker team through the shear persona of her individual sense of fair play coupled with a standard of excellence that shaped so many lives and created so many individual successes.

Lunch was pure joy. Those who attend the Retreat will have a full three days to share time with Betty, so I will not borrow any of her thunder. Ellen has also agreed to be a panelist and members are in for a double treat because of that.

It was after 2 when I excused myself in order to drive over to Bakersfield and meet up with my last appointment of the day, Jeanne Radsick. There was no time to take the scenic route, so I doubled back to Santa Clarita and then took the 5 north arriving in Bakersfield around 4:30.

Jeanne and Cynthia Carley could have been twins. I was to learn that they are also best friends. We spent a delightful hour or so in the late afternoon and I thoroughly our brief encounter. But, I had come late and she had a client waiting. (Later she told me they wrote a contract.) So, I left. I really look forward to renewing our relationship in Napa.

I had spent two very fine days meeting with great people. It was another grand experience as a member of AREA.

Photo Credit: huskyte77 via Compfight cc