We recently connected with Andy Stewart and have shared our conversation below.

Andy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My dad is an army veteran that worked his way through college and medical school to become an extremely successful doctor.

My mom went to Bible college and then worked to support my dad while he went through college and medical school. She began raising three boys while my dad was still a resident.

My parents always showed me grace. They didn’t expect me to be like them, or like my brothers, or anybody else. When I messed up, they encouraged me to do better when I messed up really bad…They would ask me what I learned from that? I was punished briefly, but in the end, they used it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

I’ve used these lessons in my career to show people grace when they have faults. To use big mistakes as learning lessons. And always recognize that everyone is different and brings different strength to the team.

Andy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I went to Oregon State University. I joined the football team after my third year of school and ended up starting at my position. I tried out for the NFL, but didn’t make it.

I had flipped a house while in college and decided that that was what I was going to do. I graduated in 2008… I attempted flipping house but failed. I had a brief job selling copiers business to business. And then landed at job at Nike. I had three different temporary jobs before I landed in a product creation role making on-field NFL uniforms. I traveled around the United States as the main face to 32 NFL teams regarding their uniforms.

I then joined the global Nike Running apparel team. I moved into an innovation role working with elite runners to gather insights to innovate. I then moved to a roll creating young girls lifestyle apparel. After that, I made the leap to an apparel startup creating high-tech innovative outerwear. I was tasked with leading a team to re-create the entire apparel line and resource all fabrics and apparel during Covid.

When that role ended, I thought long and hard and decided to leave the product creation world. I joined a commercial real estate brokerage team. I help all different types of companies find the perfect workspace to serve their needs.

The main thing I bring versus other brokers is a creative eye. I don’t look at every space as it seems, but I imagine what it could be and how their team could work in it. My goal is always to find a space that allows them to function in their business, but also help them achieve their fiscal goals.

I also make it a goal to get to know every one of my clients. I feel that when you’re looking for property or selling property the broker you’re working with needs to feel like someone you can trust and know a little bit more than just the surface level.

There’s are millions of residential real estate agents on social media, trying to build a business through digital channels. The commercial real estate world is still very archaic and very few use any type of social media platform. I have created a team Instagram and a team LinkedIn page as well as my own brokerage Instagram. I have gained more clients from Instagram than I have from cold calling, which is breaking the norm and standard the brokers believe. Using creativity in this field has already helped me get a step ahead of my competition.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My number one story of resilience comes from college.

I decided to walk into the college football office the first week of my freshman year and ask if I could try out for the team. This is a division one PAC 10 college. They said no. To make a long story short, I walked into that same office once a month for the next two years asking them to give me a try. Let me try out let me come to practice. They kept saying no. The fall of my junior year, I walked in them and told them I wouldn’t bother them anymore. Fall of my junior year, I got a phone call. They were holding a tryout. 50 guys tried out and only 1 made it. I was that 1 guy. Over the next two years I had incredible sports moments. I earned a scholarship and scored touchdowns against some of the top teams in the nation.
This story taught me how to never give up. And never take no for an answer if you believe in yourself. If you want that customer, if you want that sale, do not give up. Keep going and keep contacting them.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My big pivot came when I left the apparel creation industry. I had a wonderful career and enjoyed the creativity of making performance product that served the consumer while they exercise. I still wanted to serve a consumer, but I shifted dramatically to the brokerage agency side of commercial real estate. I did this because I’ve always had a passion for real estate, serving consumers or clients, and building relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pdx-cre.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdx_commercial_broker/profilecard/?igsh=MXI2bWcxdzNlcHdueA==
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-stewart-a4b39811/

Image Credits

The are all photos taken by me, friends or family.