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The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce presents Local Entrepreneur Profiles, a monthly series highlighting some of Santa Fe’s most successful businesspeople. Writer Andrew Koss is a creative writing student at Santa Fe University of Art and Design and is a former editor for the 2014-2015 Glyph literary journal. Local Entrepreneur Profiles will be published in the Business Advocate newsletter, ENews updates and online at santafechamber.com. Local Entrepreneur Profile – Wally Sargent Written by Andrew Koss The chrome-plated visages of Hermes and Chief Pontiac stare back at Wally Sargent from his desk at Santa Fe Properties. “There was a time when I had 25 or 30 antique cars,” says the 81-year-old company founder. He began collecting hood ornaments when car collecting became too expensive a hobby. Sargent says that he entered the real estate field in the 60s because “even though I liked teaching school, I liked driving Cadillac convertibles more.” After college, Sargent came back to Santa Fe to teach. At first, real estate was just something he did on the side after school and over the summer, until he started making more money than he did from teaching. “In 1963, I got into real estate full time and worked for the original Frank Gomez Agency.” Sargent witnessed the growth of Santa Fe from a small, tricultural community in the 40s and 50s into the thriving tourist town that it is today. “The town grew faster, had a lot more people moving in, and we ended up having a lot of art galleries.” As the city grew, so did the real estate business. Sargent says that one of the greatest things about selling real estate in Santa Fe for more than 50 years is that “we didn’t have major growth spurts. We had a slow, steady climb.” He formed Santa Fe Properties with Gerald Peters in 1986. He wanted a company that felt like a family, where employees could trust each other for support. “We built a culture of trust and friendship, and I think that’s primarily why Santa Fe Properties was so successful.” By following the golden rule and running an honest business, Santa Fe Properties grew to employ nearly 125 agents, retaining much of the same clientele throughout its 30 years. Sargent left Santa Fe Properties in 2007, just before the fall of the housing market. Gerald Peters asked him to come back in 2009 to help reenergize the company. Sargent serves as President Emeritus, helping out with recruiting and anywhere else he can. “I would be restless just doing nothing, sitting at home. I don’t get here at 8:00 in the morning but I come in later in the day. I’m usually home by 5:00 for a cocktail.”With the decline of the housing market, a great deal has changed. “The challenges have been trying to build the business back up, so that the market starts working again. And slowly but surely, it is. I’ve always thought that the future is going to be great, and I still feel that way.”