“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” — Maya Angelou
Continuing our celebration of Women’s History Month, we are honoring two more incredible women for our #WomenAtRaveis series: To-Dao Casey and Debi Stefan!
Our first feature this week is Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, To-Dao Casey; click here to read more about her.
What do you love about real estate and why?
Every day brings a different mix of things – new people, new properties, and new hurdles. No day is ever the same.
Do you have a mantra that you follow for your business?
You do you. It’s what you do best, so just be yourself. Your best self.
What are your greatest strengths?
I love connecting with people, learning about them, and hearing their stories. Everyone has an interesting story to tell.
What is the key to your success?
The key to my success is that I am a problem solver. I love coming up with creative solutions for clients and trying to ease the stress and burden of moving for them.
What’s your best advice for someone new to the industry?
Push your boundaries and put yourself out there in front of clients, friends and acquaintances. Don’t be shy about your career and you will widen your circle of influence in no time.
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Our second feature is Headquarter’s Vice President of Human Resources, Debi Stefan!
How long have you worked at William Raveis Real Estate? How did you grow with the company?
I joined the company in 1980 – 40 years ago! I actually started in high school as a part-time admin, a job my business teacher told me about. After school, I used to help agents and staff with clerical and administrative duties – everything from typing letters to clearing out paper jams in the photocopier! As the company grew, and I knew all of our systems and processes, I became an Admin Manager in Westport, then was a Regional Admin Manager for lower Fairfield County when we opened up in Greenwich and New Canaan. With the continued growth, we needed to centralize all the agent information and commissions payments along with the employee information so I started the Compensation Division in 1989. The company continued to grow with different divisions and companies (Mortgage and Insurance) which led to the need for a Human Resources Department in 1993. Ever since, I have been developing this department as the company keeps growing!
What sets Raveis apart as a company? How would you describe the culture?
For me, the company has been a family with all the people I have worked with and being part of their lives has made this my extended family. There are so many stories – good, bad, and crazy, just like a regular family. While we work hard, we also have time to have fun and enjoy the talented people that we work with. Also, we always learn from the people we work with because they all have different sources of knowledge and experiences.
Do you have a mantra that you follow for your business, real estate, or in general?
S.E.L.F. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Set goals
Exercise
Love Yourself
Focus on Fitness
Rest & Relax
Eat right
Smile
Portray positive
Enjoy life
Care for others
Tell yourself you can do this
Describe a typical day in the life.
This is very hard to really describe when every day is a different day, which I have always loved about my job and the company. With that, it makes every day rewarding and challenging, but always the end result is working as a team and getting results for helping others.
What opportunities has working for Raveis given you?
I have been very fortunate coming to the company when there were maybe 5 offices. I have been present to see the expansion and success of the entire lines of businesses we have branched out to and with that, have had several roles along the way to where I am today. What is the key to your success? Always remaining positive, listening, networking, asking lots of questions, and wanting to succeed in helping others.