Story originally appeared in Carmel Monthly
Those of us who have been in the building and real estate industries in Carmel for the last few decades know Joe Kempler as a staple and leader in his field. Upon the announcement of his stepping down from his leadership role at West Clay Realty and into retirement, we thought it prudent to acknowledge Kempler’s contributions to the city and community that he has served and express our sincere thanks for his support of local businesses over the years.
Come Have a Drink with Joe!
Throughout his real estate career, Kempler has built a reputation for his attention to detail, first-rate customer service and expertise on the Village of WestClay and the Carmel real estate markets. Kempler built the West Clay Realty [WCR] brand alongside fellow Carmel residents and real estate experts Scot and Dawn Pollard over the last few years.
The Pollards are poised to take over the day-to-day operations of WCR but not before hosting a community gathering in honor of Kempler on October 13 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Danny Boy Beer Works in the Village of WestClay.
Scot and Dawn are inviting members of the community, clients and friends of Kempler and WCR’s to come out and celebrate.
“We’re going to hang out and celebrate Joe,” Scot stated. “We’re hoping that the neighborhood shows up and people from throughout the Carmel community show their appreciation for Joe. I’ve often said that if you have a problem with Joe, the problem is you. He’s a good guy and treats people the right way. So, we’re planning on having lots of people coming by Danny Boy on October 13 to say hi to Joe, shake his hand and thank him for a career well done.”
Stepping into Even Bigger Shoes
Scot, a former NBA player, and his wife Dawn [Pollard] have big shoes to fill with Kempler’s departure from the WCR office — and that’s saying a lot, considering that at 7 feet tall, Scot already has an impressive shoe size!
All jesting aside, Scot and Dawn are committed to continuing the level of service that Kempler has provided his clients throughout his career. The Pollards shared how they are ready to take what they have learned from Kempler and continue growing the WCR brand while providing first-rate, high-touch customer service that their brokerage has a solid reputation of providing.
“Joe’s been such a great mentor, and he’s dripping with knowledge about real estate and marketing,” Scot shared. “We’ve relied on him heavily for that [education]. You can pass the [real estate] test, take all the classes, but when you have to learn how to be an agent, manage people and expectations — Joe’s really set us up for success and has taught us how to be exemplary agents.”
The Pollards also spoke about Kempler’s commitment to the WestClay neighborhood outside of his professional services and how philanthropic he is towards the community at large.
“WCR is a platinum sponsor of the concerts here in the neighborhood,” Scot said. “And a portion of every one of our [real estate] transactions goes towards the MIBOR Foundation, which fights homelessness. So, to the point of giving back and being active members of the community, we learned the importance of that from Joe.”
Surviving all the ebbs and flows that the last several years have brought to the U.S. economy and real estate markets — including a global pandemic — Kempler has sailed through turbulent and challenging waters in his local markets. His keen perspective on situations and his ability to come out on the other side better for it are specific skills that the Pollards have taken copious notes from Kempler on.
Scot added, “Patience and his overall demeanor when things don’t go well are some of the things I’ve learned from Joe. I’ve learned a lot about not just how to handle fluctuating market conditions but client conditions as well. Real estate transactions can be very emotional [transactions] sometimes, and I’ve watched Joe, from early on, how he manages things that aren’t going that well in the market and how he advises his clients. He manages things with patience. And that really is the most intelligent way to do it, because you can’t be your best if you are reacting emotionally to every situation that presents itself in our business.”
The Pollards also commented on Kempler’s extraordinary work ethic and communication skills.
Dawn said, “Joe works seven days a week, and Scot and I plan on being [in the office] a lot more. We get a lot of walk-ins at the office. People from the neighborhood come in to say, ‘Hi’ and share information about things that are going on the neighborhood. So, they can still walk in and expect to see us there. Joe is keeping his license and we are going to get referrals from him, and he will work with his clients that still want to work with Joe — he just won’t be ‘in’ the office.”
Scot added, “We are going to continue to give the service that they expect from Joe Kempler and the same attention to detail. We are not part-time Realtors®. This is our [full-time] job, and we’re 100% focused on our clients just like Joe has been. We’re also adding a couple of agents to our team under the West Clay Realty umbrella.”
The Pollards emphasized that in addition to high-touch service and attention to details, buyers and sellers alike can expect prompt responses to their inquiries and communications throughout their real estate transaction. And when you work with the Pollards, in addition to their real estate expertise, you get four eyes instead of just two watching over the real estate transaction throughout the entire process, making sure that it’s the best experience possible for their clients.
For more information on West Clay Realty brokered by eXp Realty, visit WestClayRealty.com or contact Dawn and Scot Pollard, Broker Associates, Dawn at: 303-669-4425 or Scot at: 317-900-3500 or via email at: thepollardrealtors@gmail.com.