Russ Webb, managing partner, Silver Oak Commercial Realty
When his father went from a corporate job to owning his own real estate firm, it got Russ Webb to thinking. Doing your own thing is a good thing. Now a managing partner with Silver Oak Commercial Realty, Webb is constantly on the move, showing properties and drumming up business. In the office he’s constantly on the move, too, which is why his desk is a testimony to the less is more approach. Simple. Basic. Functional. As Webb says, “It works.” Here’s what else is working on his desk.
1. Keys: Of course. A large set of keys to the various properties he’s representing is always nearby, ready to grab if he needs to dash out and meet a client.
2. Address/notebook: Many folks just use their iPhones. Webb uses both. “I’m constantly jotting down names and numbers and notes. So, no, I haven’t gotten completely away from [the old-school paper and pen] yet.”
3. Golfer paperweight: Play golf? “I try. It’s a nice paperweight, though.”
4. Quote plate: Old Realtors Never Die. They Just Run Out of Commission. One of the more personal (and favorite) items on his desk. “When I first got in real estate my dad gave me that. It was on his desk. Now it’s on mine.”
5. Calculator: Or calculators. He has a small desk calculator and then the more mobile calculator that goes where he goes.
6. Business cards: They stack up as the week goes on. “That’s from the previous week, though. I’m a Realtor. I’ve got a few cards.” A few? Try boxes of them.
7. Laptop versus desktop: No contest. “I use them both. The laptop is more mobile but I like the larger screen on the desktop.”
8. Go Red Raiders: This Texas Tech University emblem can be found just about anywhere on his desk.
9. To-do file: “I try to get through it every day. Not always successful, though.”
10. Thank-you clock: “That was a clock I got when I left the oil business in 2001.”
11. Great-grandfather: Most prized possession in the office. The vintage photo shows his great-grandfather (first man on the left) resting during a cattle drive with a number of “pretty famous cowboys.”
Quote: “I always liked the idea of being your own boss and having your own desk. I’ve always had this entrepreneurial spirit. It’s in my blood.”