C.J. Sutherland
When CJ Sutherland tired from all the
travel that came with being a professional soccer player, he returned to Dallas
to be near his close-knit family. It didn’t take long for him to start coaching
kids in soccer, a feeling he says
surpassed any he ever had while playing professionally. One of the parents of his students
was a high-producing agent who encouraged him to put his passions to work in
real estate. It was confirmation of a pursuit that was already stirring in him.
He was in class the following Monday.
He spent a year with Coldwell Banker
learning the ropes and moved with a team to Compass for about 18 months, but experienced a lot
of “ups and downs,” he
says. “All of which prepared me for what I’m doing now.”
Longing to go out on his own,
Sutherland bumped into Dustin Wright, team leader at Dallas
DFW. “I wanted something different … I wanted a fresh start. There was just something
special about Dustin and Keller Williams. He’s excited about real estate and he
knows how to paint a big vision for the future,” Sutherland says. “The office just had a completely different
vibe. The supportive culture is so refreshing.”
It wasn’t long until the culture of
support began to reflect in Sutherland’s GCI.
“I made more money in two months at
Keller Williams than 18 months at Coldwell Banker and Compass combined,” he
shares. “It’s because everyone
wants to know how you’re doing and how they can help you.”
With the support of Wright and his office, Sutherland is confident he will grow his business and expand his brand – which was a challenge at Compass.
“Compass has nice signs, but the agent’s brand is not there,” he shares. For Sutherland, the ability to build a brand that reflects his unique identity was non-negotiable.
When he moved with his family from
Glasgow, Scotland, to
Dallas-Fort Worth when he was 14, Sutherland combined his Scottish allegiance
with his newfound Texas
pride. The logo for his new company, The Alba Tex Group, showcases his dual affections. Alba is the
Gaelic name for Scotland. And the symmetrical shield tells the story of his
journey from a childhood in the United Kingdom to a Texas teen with a soccer
dream who went from the Houston Dynamo Academy into the life of a professional player that
took him to cross-country.
Although he’s no longer in
professional soccer, he carries the same level of enthusiasm that helped him
excel in the sport and is fired up about the next chapter of his journey.
“For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m doing exactly what I was put on this earth to do. There’s so much to look forward to. Keller Williams can not only change your life, but also that of your buyers and sellers, especially with the power of the technology that the company is giving out now.”
Lalaina Rabary