Meet Dan Askins

Career Highlights—Real Estate Sales

1997 Licensed as North Carolina REALTOR^®
1999 Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR)
2000 Broker
2000 Graduate, REALTOR^® Institute (GRI)
2003 Began Certified Commercial Investment Member
(CCIM) designation
2004 Joined Fore Properties

Career Highlights—Real Estate Development

1999 Opened Sandhills Mini-Storage
2000 Opened Sandhills Executive Center
2000 Began purchasing rental income properties
2006 Started helping others to invest in rental properties

Career Highlights—Leadership & Management

1989 Joined Delta Sigma Pi, Business Fraternity
Organized Hurricane Hugo Relief Fund-raiser in conjunction with American Red Cross, generating $50,000+ for families in South Carolina.
Organized first Career Expo at Clemson. 95 Companies & 1500 students attended.
1991 Selected to attend Prudential Leadership Conference
1991 Worked as summer intern with Burlington Industries
1992 Selected to attend Fieldcrest Cannon Leadership Conference
1992 Accepted a position with Burlington Industries in textile management
1995 Left Burlington Industries
1995 Accepted sales position at Triangle Building Supply
1997 Left Triangle Building Supply
1997 Accepted Project Manager position with K & M Construction
1998 Left K & M Construction
1998 Started career in real estate sales and development

Community Service Highlights

1999 Member of Sandhills Area Chamber of Commerce (Now Moore County Chamber)
2000 Chairman of Community Service for local REALTOR^®s Association
Organized and directed Habitat for Humanity home construction and funding
Organized and directed REALTOR^® Blood Drive with Red Cross
2001 Selected to attend Moore County Leadership Institute
2001 Joined Rotary International, Sandhills Club, Pinehurst, NC
2001 Organized and directed Rotary Shadow Day with 8^th grade students
2001 Participated in Rotary blood drives
2001 Participated in Rotary Bike Ride (not as a rider! J)
2001-02 Vocational Services Chairman
2001-02 Taught Junior Achievement classes to 5^th grade students
2002 Honored as Paul Harris Fellow and Rotarian of the Year for 2001-02
2003 Foundation Area Representative, Area IX
2003 International Services Chairman
2001-06 Taught Jr. Achievement to 5th and 8th grade students
2005 Led three missions trips to Lima, Peru to build an orphanage

Personal Highlights

1970 Born 09/17 in Hartsville, SC
1988 Attended Clemson University
1989 Accepted Christ as personal Lord & Savior
1992 Graduated Clemson University with a BS in Industrial Management
1992 Drove around the country for three months with a buddy
1992 Served as Young Life volunteer leader until 1995
1993 Became a member of Sandhills Alliance Church (SAC)
1993 Served as volunteer Youth Pastor until 1997
1995 Married Susan 09/23
1998 Elected as Deacon SAC
1999 Elizabeth Mary born 02/05
2000 Elected as Elder SAC
2001 Amanda Katherine born 08/01
2002-03 Led a boring life J
2004 Ran first ½ marathon in Palm Beach, FL
2005 Completed Miami ½ Marathon
2005 Finished 79th in 30-34 Age Division in "The Flying Pig" marathon in Cincinnati, OH
2005 Completed Sprint Triathlons in Woodlake, NC & Buckner, NC
2005 Finished 8th (out of 12) in 35-39 Age Division in Hartsville, SC Olympic Triathlon
2005 Finished 13th in 35-39 Age Division Marathon of the Palm Beaches
2005 Completed "Raleigh Firecracker" Metric Century Bike Ride
2005 Completed "Tour de Moore" Half-Century Bike Ride

So What?!

What does all that stuff mean, really? Who cares what someone has done in the past? What were their motives? What drives them? Who are they really? Resumes are like personal billboards. Nobody puts the fine print in them; just the glossy photos of accomplishment. They are a statement of what I’ve done, rather than who I am. That’s why I have written this page. I want to infuse the whole picture of who I am into my resume.

I have led a checkered past. I struggled with my identity as a man in business. My first “real” job at Burlington was a crucible for me. The heat of a tri-racial—black, white, and Native American—situation coupled with a company against the ropes financially cooked the dross of personal pride and self-sufficiency out of me. Everybody hated everybody and two groups would align against the third, shifting alliances daily. Employees resented management. They especially hated “college people” who tried to tell them how to do things. I provided little incentive to be liked. I was headstrong and prideful. The employees sanded a lot of burrs off of my backside, for which I am thankful.

I left that job without having another one lined up. It was in that position that I asked my wife to marry me. Obviously she married me for love (I’m not too pretty either). While at a Christian retreat, however, I met the Regional Director for a local building supply, who offered me a position in sales. I soon discovered my true calling was in sales and marketing, not in manufacturing. I blossomed into the lead salesman for the store and one of the top three in the whole company, despite being in a small market. Coming from a building background, I was able to connect easily with builders. I generated significant sales on my own without the help of an outside salesman. I soon discovered, however, that I had little patience for what I viewed as inept management. I still had some pride to work on. Much of what I disliked was easily curable, but I did not have the skill with people to get it done. I needed work on refining my personality.

It was during this period that I decided to get a real estate license in the hopes that I could become a developer. In the meantime, I also became a distributor for the Amway Corporation. I did not have much financial success with them, but I did find a wellspring of books, tapes, seminars and functions that served to shape me into a focused, driven, purpose-oriented, and all-around nice guy.

I found the missing link. I continue to read and study ways to be others-centered. This has given me a great advantage in business. I am able to negotiate without losing control of my temper. I am able to deal with personalities that others have given up on. I can motivate, encourage and inspire people to do more than they thought possible. I have even taken it one step further and hired a business coach who has pushed me even deeper into excellence.

After a short stint with one of my contractor clients, I decided to step out and become a full-time REALTOR® and begin the transition to becoming a developer. My first year in real estate, I sold 3.5 Million dollars, which placed me among the top ten REALTORs for Moore County, NC. All of my past experiences served to make me successful in real estate sales.

At this point, I met another crossroads. Fatherhood. Elizabeth Mary joined Susan and me. Now what? All of a sudden, time flew by. I couldn’t devote every minute to clients. I began questioning what was my calling in life. What is truly important? What matters most?

As a Christian, I knew the answer lay in service to Jesus Christ. The problem was the form that would take for me. I have long felt called to full-time vocational ministry, and will probably end up there one day. In the meantime, however, I think God has called me to be successful in business and impact people’s lives in the everyday. I am called to serve my community, whether by hammering nails on a Habitat house, or by spitting crickets as part of a Young Life skit, or by being a good steward of the money with which He has blessed me.

That is the “So What?!” of Dan Askins. I have been prepared for this day and this time. I am ready to do whatever He asks of me.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. - Philippians 4:8-9

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. - Philippians 2:3-4

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