24 Feb 2011 Dynamic women

As the shoes on the cover of this issue suggest, while women have many similarities they come from all walks of life with different interests, careers and responsibilities.

501 LIFE is proud to profile three outstanding and successful women in the 501 – Lisa Lovell, Michelle Parsley and Julie Woodard.

The three have a few things in common – including the work ethic they acquired from their families. They also have a deep affection for the family and friends in their lives.

They each have chosen different career fields. Two wear dress shoes and the third steel-toe shoes. They also have a word or two of advice for other women looking to leave their own mark.  

Heart, passion and life: Michelle Parsley

For six consecutive years, Michelle Parsley has been the top residential real estate agent in Faulkner County. She is passionate about her work and knows her business is about relationships, a fact that hit home when she nearly lost her daughter.

An agent for 28 years, Michelle works with husband Bill and daughter Elizabeth at RE/MAX of  Conway. Last year, the Parsleys recorded more than $21 million in sales. For the last five years, Michelle has averaged $20 million in sales annually, and she credits relationships – client loyalty and service – to her success.

But those numbers mattered little when the couple got the call in the middle of the night that no parent ever wants to get – Elizabeth had been in a serious accident.

"Our lives drastically changed on Sept. 12," Michelle said.

Although she was wearing a seatbelt, it did not work properly and Elizabeth suffered a traumatic brain injury as the car she was riding in flipped four times.

Early on, doctors were not optimistic that Elizabeth would survive. An outpouring of love and support for the family began almost immediately.

"There are no words to describe my thankfulness for all the thousands of prayers lifted up for Elizabeth," Michelle said. "As I look back, I can tell you that out of the hundreds of people who came to the hospital, sent meals and cards and called, half or more were friends we made from selling houses. These people became our friends, many of them dear friends, spanning friendships over 20 years."

Bankers, agents from other offices, surveyors, appraisers, builders and "everyone in-between" also showed their support. "The overwhelming love shown through our darkest hours was from relationships made through my business. I thank God for each and every one and give HIM the glory for Elizabeth’s healing."

After weeks in the hospital, Elizabeth continues to get therapy but recently returned to work at the real estate office.

Michelle says Elizabeth "grew up in it," so she is a natural in real estate. "The past year we were blessed to have closed more than $21 million in sales, and I give credit to Elizabeth in her first year of sales. Her enthusiasm and relationships from college and high school brought her many sales and listings. Several of her loyal friends waited for her injury to heal before they would purchase a home."

Although "her heart, passion and life" are tied up in real estate, faith and family are Michelle’s priorities.
While Bill, Michelle and their daughter Rachel stayed at Elizabeth’s bedside, Jan Barrow kept things going with clients. "Our business continued to thrive with the 12-hour days that Jan, our closing coordinator, administrative assistant, realtor and every other title under the sun, gave to the business," Michelle said. "Jan has 23 years of experience in the business, and in April, we forged a business relationship. She deserves the credit for the success of the business.

"We all believe that God had his hand in this decision and knew everything that would happen in the future. Bill, Rachel and I focused on nothing but the well-being of Elizabeth these past six months, and God took care of the rest."

Michelle – who has a sociology/psychology degree – began her real estate career in Texas. "That was the worse time to get a real estate license," she said, explaining interest rates were very high. While it was challenging, Michelle soon learned that she had a passion for the business. "It was very difficult, but I loved it. In real estate, you have the passion or you don’t."

In 1987, the Parsleys moved to Arkansas after Bill was transferred with HUD. "We looked at 40-50 houses in West Little Rock and Maumelle but feel that God led us to Conway, our home for the last 23-and-a-half years," she said. "Our agent told us no one wanted to live in Conway, but we took a drive and bought a house in the first few hours."

Michelle had not planned to start over in real estate but found encouragement in Betty Dunaway at Century 21 Dunaway and Hart. "Betty had to work very hard to convince me to get back into real estate. I owe much to Betty, and thank her for being my mentor."

After Betty retired, Michelle joined the team at Prudential Hawks Realty and worked nine years with Diana (Grissom) Kirkland. "She is absolutely the best, so generous and so kind. The whole Hawks family is. That was a wonderful place."

Now at RE/MAX, Michelle works with Matt Grissom, Diana’s son. "He is a fine man and a successful realtor, just like his dad, Lanny (now deceased). We love to tell him stories about his dad’s real estate career. Lanny and I were once very competitive with one another in the smaller, although booming, real estate market of Conway. Now our children are working together at RE/MAX – a new generation."

Mark Jennings persuaded Michelle to join the RE/MAX team. Today, Robert and Diane Henson run the Conway office. "They are very dedicated to making RE/MAX the best real estate company."

Michelle enjoys working with her husband and daughter. "Bill has always supported me, or I wouldn’t have done it. He has been my constant cheerleader for the last 28 years."

While Elizabeth followed in mom’s footsteps after earning a marketing degree, her sister Rachel chose a different career as an occupational therapist with Pediatrics Plus. She married Brandon Temple about a year and half ago.
Michelle admits there are challenges to being a real estate agent. "I take it personally when houses don’t sell. The houses have to sell themselves, but as agents, we have to price them right and guide the seller in presenting them at their best."

Michelle considers herself blessed by the people who encouraged and believed in her, as well as showed her loyalty and friendship. In her career, Michelle has had $500 million in real estate production.

"I give God the glory," she said. "We have loved what we’ve done. We love the people the most, caring for them and working with them."

Following her parents’ example: Lisa Lovell

Lisa Lovell is no stranger to hard work and delivering outstanding customer service. Some would say it is in her DNA.

Originally from Kentucky, Lisa’s family moved to Conway with her father’s work in the shoe manufacturing business. The oldest of three daughters, Lisa was 16 and in her junior year of high school when Conway became home. She was not excited about the move – which was her 11th – in June 1978.

“My dad let me have a week or two and then I had to get a job,” Lisa said, explaining that she went to work as a car hop for Sonic on Harkrider Street. “I’ve always had a job since then.”

It was during that summer that Lisa met her husband, Roy. A college student, he was driving a dump truck for Con-Ark and would stop by Sonic for lunch. “He finally got the courage to ask me if I went to UCA. I was just a junior in high school and I thought, ‘Wow!’ We started dating in September and the next September we were engaged. We married in 1982. The rest is history.”

A 1980 graduate of Conway High School, Lisa attended the University of Central Arkansas to pursue an associate’s degree in administrative service. She took advantage of an opportunity to participate in a distributive education program where she could receive college credit for working in her chosen field.

“I walked into Milton Davis’ (Edward Jones) office and they let me go to work for them,” she said. “I got three hours credit and a paycheck, plus I was not out in the hot sun at Sonic.”
Back then, a lot of the work was done by hand, which was very time-consuming. “They taught me to put an order in on the system, and I was bit.”

After she received her associate’s degree in 1982, Lisa continued to work with Milton at Edward Jones.
In November 1992, Lisa had an opportunity to become a financial advisor and partner with Milton. The next month, Lisa found out she was pregnant. “Being parents was never in the cards for us but the big guy upstairs knew better than we did what we needed.”

Her experience in the administrative side provided valuable background on the entire investment process. “It did give me the total understanding of the business.”

In January 1999, Lisa opened an office in West Conway. She has enjoyed the most the relationships that she has developed with clients. “They become like family,” she said, explaining that some of her clients came to visit after her daughter was born.

“My role is to guide clients through the process of setting and defining their goals while providing direction on how to reach those goals.”

Her work hasn’t been without its challenges, especially with the market cycles over the last 10 years. “It was also a challenge stepping out from that role of being Milton’s assistant and being on my own.”

When she considers her work ethic, Lisa becomes teary-eyed when she talks about her parents who married very young. “I come from two people who were married when they were 16 and 18,” she said, adding that she was born two and a half years later. “They gave us a lot to work with. They were an example of hard work and commitment. If I can do half as well as they did, I think I will be successful.”

Lisa and her family suffered “the most horrible, hopeless loss” May 7, 2007, when her sister died in an accidental fall in her home. Everybody is mending. It doesn’t go away and it shouldn’t,” she said. “It’s not a place I ever want to go again.”

Lisa attributes her sister’s death in her advice to others – “Live each day as if it’s your last because you never know when it will be…Give it everything you’ve got every day.”

Looking ahead, 2011 is a big year for Lisa. She and Roy will celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary and their daughter, Alexis, will graduate in May from St. Joseph Catholic School.

With her daughter headed to college next fall, Lisa will have more time to work more closely with her clients while working to increase her client base. “I would like to do more educating of the investing public,” she said, admitting that she is frustrated that some investors don’t understand the importance of “sitting still” when the market is down. “You can’t be emotional and be an investor.”

Lisa will also celebrate 30 years with Edward Jones in 2011. When she was 19, working at Sonic, Lisa never dreamed of working in the investment business. ”I never imagined being in a position to have so much influence on other people’s lives,” she said. “Even if it all ended tomorrow, it’s been a good ride.”

From high heels to stell-toe shoes: Julie Woodard

Julie Woodard has traded her high heels for steel-toed boots, and she couldn’t be happier.

Julie works for FMC Technologies as the base manager for the company’s Conway location. She is the first woman in the U.S. named to the position in a predominantly male industry.

FMC Technologies Inc. is a leading global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry. The company’s Conway location is involved in the sale and service of flowline equipment for use by major pumping service companies in the oil and natural gas industry. “It’s a tough job,” Julie said. “Each customer has different specifications for their flowline equipment that have to be strictly followed.  Our employees uphold those standards with integrity.  They are intelligent and completely committed to quality.”

Julie credits her work in the family business – Wilkinson’s Shoe Mall – with her attention to customer service. She attributes her strong work ethic to her mom and stepdad, Jenny and Jeff Honey, and her dad, Preston Woodard.

“I was brought up with a good work ethic and that has factored in to my success.”

While working at the family business, Julie began considering other career opportunities when her uncle suggested an oil and gas firm that was hiring. “I got the job and worked there for about a year. It was a good learning experience.” While she thought about leaving the industry, she heard that FMC was opening in Conway. “I thought I was tired of the oil and gas industry but I thought I would go and check it out anyway. FMC changed my mind.”
While shoes and iron seem worlds apart, Julie learned early on at Wilkinson’s that value and quality are important factors in customer satisfaction.  She has taken those fundamental concepts and applied them to her position at FMC. “If you buy a cheap pair of shoes, they are going to wear out pretty quick. The same is true for iron. If you buy cheap iron, it is going to wear out faster. If you buy better quality, it will perform better and last longer,” she said. “My work in the family business – learning about inventory, organization and customer service – was the best foundation I could’ve had.”

Julie worked in customer service at FMC before being named base manager. In her new role, she wears many hats. “It’s like running your own business, but within corporate guidelines.”

In her job, Julie enjoys most the people but recognizes the biggest challenge is managing employees. The Conway location employs about 15, and most are men.  Julie can sense when she’s around new people they may doubt her credibility in this role, but when they get to know her they recognize her capabilities. “I like to do more and learn more,” she said, adding there is a lot to know and a lot to learn in her job. “You can never know everything about this industry.”

Julie’s immediate goals are to restructure the Conway operation to maximize efficiency and find new ways to increase revenue.  Within the company, she hopes to one day move into sales. “I took this position wanting to learn more,” she said. “Now, I’m dealing with customers and their expectations while gaining hands-on experience that will benefit me in the future.”

Her new job means some traveling on company business. “I usually travel once or twice a month,” she said. “There are always new people to meet. I love networking and hearing about other people’s experiences.”

Originally from Conway, Julie has a degree in public relations from the University of Central Arkansas. She now lives in Greenbrier. When not at work, she enjoys riding horses.

For others in similar work situations, Julie has one word of advice – persevere. “If someone discourages you, don’t let them. Keep pressing forward. Someone will see that in you and that you take initiative. You have to be tough. You have to stand up for yourself.”

Julie joked one day with her mother about her new job. “I told her we need to come up with steel toe stilletos,” she said with a laugh. “I used to wear high heels every day, now I wear frumpy steel toes.

“If someone had told me when I was in college that I would be selling iron instead of shoes one day, I would’ve just laughed and said, no way.”