- 1992 | Studied graphic design and illustration at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth "I was so fortunate to study with some brilliant minds, like Dietmar Winkler, who designed the Kendall MIT subway station, and Robert Barry, author of Mr. Willowbys Christmas Tree."
- 1996 |Worked as a graphic designer at an independent printing company
"I really worked on my ability to hustle and looked for innovative ways to market our services."
- 2001 |Worked as a researcher and community events organizer for a documentary filmmaker
"I met a lot of people who were making a huge difference in the world, including Grameen Bank founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Muhammad Yunus."
- 2002 |Started working at Gibson domain|domain as a receptionist and freelance graphic designer
"After the dot-com-bust, jobs were scarce. One of our agents passed along my resume to the HR person at Gibson. I was hired as a receptionist and freelance graphic designer (two of the three jobs I held at the time). I loved working with the agents and their clients. We managed to get an espresso machine for the office, so I made espresso drinks for clients when they arrived. The idea that I could provide a little care and joy for them really made my workday thoroughly enjoyable."
- 2003 |Hired to work full-time in the marketing department of Gibson domain|domain, eventually promoted to director of the department
"This was an exciting moment for me. Those were much simpler times; a brochure contained one photo and one paragraph of text. MLS wasnt sharing data with third parties. Now that seems like the dark ages!"
- 2006 |Helped transition Gibson domain|domain into a Sothebys International Realty franchise
"When Larry and Paul bought the company, we decided to make a splash. We wanted to change all of our listing signs overnight so that we were truly a new company when the sun rose. Our department called in every favor we had available; even my father was changing signs!"
As a guest on Real Estate Radio Boston: Ali Alavi and Rick Scherer of Real Estate Radio Boston, Colleen Barry, Larry Rideout co-owner of Gibson Sothebys International Realty
- 2012 |Began work as a sales coach for Gibson Sothebys International Realty, eventually named as the Director of Productivity
"This was a major turning point in my life. I felt tremendous inspiration and responsibility for helping agents get to their goals. So, I read every book I could get my hands on to learn about successful business models, motivation, goal-setting, neuroscience, and other relevant topics. I called it my Library Card MBA. We created several strategies to improve our agents enjoyment of their work. We have the highest per agent productivity out of the top ten firms in the state of Massachusetts.
During the process of reading all of those fabulous books, one of them really resonated with me. It was Lead with Luv, written by Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett. Barrett is the President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines. I was so moved by her caring approach to leadership that I wrote a note thanking her for generously sharing her experience. One of the nice folks who answered the phone at Southwest promised they would get my note to her. Barrett wrote back and included a copy of a different book. Since then, we have communicated back and forth."
- 2017 |Named CEO of Gibson Sothebys International Realty "I feel so grateful every day that I get to contribute to our efforts and to participate in such a special workplace. The family-like culture of our company is truly unique, and our growth trajectory is unparalleled."
To learn more about Colleen, click here.
CLICKto read this article of the Fall 2017 Collections Magazine, via publication layout.
