Who’s your Encourager? Part 3

I got my real estate license in 1991 and gave up training in 1992 and never looked back, or had the desire to return to the race track. Several people over the years have said, they don’t know how I stayed away. It was simple, I had a new passion, real estate and once again I had my mentors. In 1992 I met Frank Arata Jr. who at that time was the President and Broker of Keyes Asset Management. Frank was a shinning example for me as I battled and fought my way through the hardest years of my life, yes there were time when I didn’t know if I would stick it out. Had it not been for Frank my 1st mentor in real estate I doubt that I would have. Even though my relationship with Frank was short, he led me to the Lord through his example; I was born again in 1995.


When Mike Pappas asked me who I spoke with I told him it was Al Viorel who just turned 78 last week. I had met Al when he was the instructor at a training class that was put on by Keyes, “Listing Masters”. That was 1997. Al has been my longest running confidant and mentor relationship I’ve had. My wife frequently tells me I talk with him more than I talk with her. For the past 11 years as I get home in the evenings, before dinner I am on the phone to Al. I have probably talked with Al 250 nights a year for the past 11 years.

Al has counseled, encouraged and taught me not only real estate, but we have shared life, Al and I talk and share everything from political beliefs to our walk with Christ I told some one once that Al is so positive and never brought anything but positive reinforcement into our relationship I think if I told him I was buying the Brooklyn bridge because I got a deal on it he would get excited and ask me for the details.

We all need these encouragers, without them, life is difficult, I’m pretty certain that my life would have taken a different course. So I suggest to those of you who don’t have one to start looking.

It has been 33 years since my relationship with Melvin first began, in a recent visit with him at his farm near Ocala, Florida he said to me, “We’re certainly a long, long way away from the days when we would sit on a bale of hay, talking and dreaming about what life had in store for us.”