24 • October 2020 Chicago Real Producers • 25 @realproducers realproducersmag.com managing broker feature H e r e t o S e rv e By Chris Menezes Photos by Sonya Martin Let’s be clear from the get-go: D.J. Paris is not a REALTOR®. Al- though he technically has a real estate license, he humbly refers to himself as “a marketing guy who sits behind a desk all day.” De- spite his modest description, D.J. is much, much more than that. As the president of sales and marketing at Kale Realty, D.J. has accomplished some pretty amazing things in the past ten years in terms of company growth, taking care of agents, and unifying the real estate industry as a whole. When he first started with Kale Realty in 2010, they had three brokers. Today, they have over 700. So where did this guy come from and how did he help his company achieve such staggering growth? With a degree in psychology and management from Miami University, D.J. was in corporate marketing prior to joining Kale, working in various industries including beverage, financial services, and information technology. He enjoyed working for smaller businesses and was working at an IT firm that happened to grow exponentially in a relatively short amount of time. “I realized I was no longer at a small company and wanted to regain more control over my destiny,” says D.J. “Plus, I wanted to feel like my efforts were going to directly help build an organization.” So, D.J. reached out to his friend, Nick Patterson, to see if he could bring value to Nick’s new company, Kale Realty, utilizing his marketing and branding skill set. “We discovered a need that wasn’t being serviced by other bro- kerages and attempted to solve that issue through what Kale Realty offers brokers today: high commissions and low fees without sacrificing training or support.” “We believed most firms took way too much of a broker’s com- mission. Since we were small and couldn’t compete with brand recognition, we decided that we would offer the most generous commission splits and lowest fees. And as we’ve grown to over 700 agents in under 10 years, we’ve kept that pricing structure, while adding trainers and support staff for our agents when they need assistance.” Kale Realty has a sister company, a holding company, that D.J. works with as well. Between the two, D.J. works with over 1,200 agents. Recruiting those agents and retaining them is a full-time job for D.J., and he spends 100 percent of his energy focused on those two goals. D.J. PARIS 26 • October 2020 Chicago Real Producers • 27 @realproducers realproducersmag.com “What I love about this position is that I can have a marketing idea at 8 a.m. and work to execute the campaign that same day. I also get to bring my dog to the office, too, which goes a long way,” he says. One of those ideas occurred about five years ago. As an avid podcast listener, D.J. had an idea to create a podcast that featured top producers in the industry. “It seemed like a simple idea—reach out to top producers and ask them to share their success strategies, record [the conversations], and make it available to all agents. I wasn’t sure if anyone would listen or find it interesting, but I started it anyway. Two hundred episodes later, we believe we’re one of the most (possibly the most) listened-to podcasts for real estate agents. The industry has been gen- erous to me personally, and this is a way to provide value and give back. Plus, it’s a lot of fun,” he says. Through the work he does with his podcast and with Kale Realty, D.J. is most passionate about elevating empathy and compassion in the industry, two qual- ities often missing in the business world. “Research shows that if you’re able to consistently demonstrate these two qualities, you have happier and more pro- ductive employees,” says D.J. “We have management meetings every week asking, ‘How can we better feel for our brokers when they struggle? What can we do to make their voices heard?’” D.J.’s efforts extend beyond the real estate industry as well. He serves on two boards in the community: “Discipline is the ultimate driving force of success, and consistency is the key, and that can be cultivated by anyone, at any time.” Victories of the Heart, a Chicago-based men’s organization designed to help men work on their lives, develop stronger relationships with their friends and family, and share at a deep level; and the Missouri State Univer- sity Customer Experience Advisory Board, which is a national training organization that teaches management how to implement customer-experi- ence best practices into their business. D.J. also volunteers with Misericor- dia Heart of Mercy, where he spends time visiting with residents who have developmental disabilities. “Six years ago, when I started volunteering, the twelve men I met at Misericordia were strangers, but today I consider them family. It’s an honor to be in their lives and I’ll be visiting them for the rest of my life,” he says. In his free time, D.J. is an avid tennis player and guitar player, and he’s also a published humor writer. His girlfriend, Aggie, recently obtained her real estate license, and D.J. is excited to help her with her marketing and branding. D.J. and Aggie enjoy exploring restaurants, attending the theater, traveling the country, and cooking at home. As D.J. continues to serve real estate agents through Kale Realty and his Keeping It Real podcast, he is still looking to grow Kale Realty by adding more brokers to their company. They recently expanded into Indiana and added additional services to their business (like title and commission advance), and they are always looking to further their brand. “Success, to me, is getting yourself to do the heavy lifting every day, whether you want to or not,” he says. “Discipline is the ultimate driving force of success, and consistency is the key, and that can be cultivated by anyone, at any time.” Enjoying a family dinner together on vacation in Florida. From left to right: Dana (sister), Del (father), Asher (nephew), Al (brother in law), Julie (mother), D.J., Aggie (girlfriend). D.J. and Aggie on vacation in Savannah, Georgia at Forsyth Park. D.J. with his dog, Meepers.