Longtime area residential real estate leader Joan Trew, co-founder of Fort Worth’s Williams Trew Real Estate, has announced her intention to retire following a distinguished career spanning more than four decades.
Williams Trew is part of the Ebby Halliday Companies, an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway’s HomeServices of America.
Trew was born in Opp, Alabama, and arrived in Fort Worth in 1950. She became licensed in 1977 with William Rigg Realtors, where she would meet her future business partner Martha Williams. Just 10 years later, Trew was being recognized by Texas Monthly as one of six outstanding Realtors across the state. And by the mid ’90s, she and Williams were seasoned, top-producing agents and vice presidents of the brokerage.
The next logical step was to start their own, which they did in 2000 with Marshall Boyd.
More accolades would follow for Trew, including being named in 2002 as a recipient of the Fort Worth Business Press’ “Great Women of Texas Award,” being named in 2016 a “Fort Worth
Executive of the Year” by the Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame, and this year, receiving the “R.L. Purvis Distinguished Service Award” from the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors.
“One thing that has made Joan so successful,” Williams says, “was that she never focused on the number of homes she closed over the years. She has always said she loves to sell Fort
Worth – both the lifestyle and the value of being a part of the community. Just a few years ago, she hopped on a Longhorn in the Fort Worth Stockyards and snapped a picture for her annual
Christmas card to her clients. Fort Worth is part of who she is.”
Throughout her career, Joan has also sought opportunities to help others and give back. In 1981, she located and conducted the transaction to bring the first Ronald McDonald House to Fort Worth.
The original location opened its doors in a stately historic mansion on 8th Avenue. One of her favorite philanthropic efforts was when she co-chaired with Williams the 2015 Tarrant
County “GO Red” American Heart Association campaign.
Trew views the relationships she’s built throughout the years as the highlight of her career. She looks forward to staying in contact with her valued clients, with whom she has built lasting friendships.
And while she may not be actively selling houses anymore, Trew does not plan to slow down.
“I’m blessed with three children, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren,” Trew says. “Family alone will keep me plenty busy. I look forward to spending time with them and with friends, while still calling Fort Worth my home. I also have great passion for the arts and enjoy supporting the museums and symphony. I think I’ll be doing a little bit more of that, too.”