!
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15.1990—THE CAROLINA TIMES-9
BUSINESS
BUSINESS
Battling In The Tough Real Estate Market
Don’t Be Afraid To Dream Big
Frank H. Madison
What is success? That was the
KStiou Sedditt Alexander asked
[cntly when asked to comment
his success. He had thought
out the question for a moment. "I
iven’t spent much time thinking
out it, he said. I know I enjoy
tat 1 do, and I’m rewarded fairly
ill for doing it But, I also know I
n’t afford to get complacent or
'er-confide.nt. So, I Just take it all
It day, one month, one year at a
ne."
Few, however, would argue that
bander is not a successful man.
His businesses are thriving.
[ sxander & Associates Realtors is
ieiy recognized as a leader in its
Id, and that more than 90% of its
nsactions come as a direct result
referrals is proof positive of how
U Alexander’s clients like the
ly he does business.
second enterprise in which
exander is a partner, Metro Roof
J Gutter Company, is also doing
ill and is rapidly developing a
lid reputation for performance,
tad, Alexander hasn’t neglected
' lat he calls his "community
ligations." These range from
, rviding a positive male image to
I herless youths through a big
other-like program; to
lunteeiing time, expertise and
iney to a variety of charities; to
.ving on a committee with other
liiness and civic leaders
ntifying and addressing issues
I concerns facing Durham’s
rican American community
or Alexander, there have been
short-cuts, no lucky breaks.
;re has only been hard work,
g hours and a lot of sleepless
tits. Whatever "success" he now
oys, he earned the hard way.
he ‘hard way,’ however, causes
n no particular anxieties,
zander’s entire life has been
;d the hard way.
!om some 40-odd years ago in
Illation counU7 of Mississippi’s
la region, he began his life’s
mey on the very bottom rungs
Jie social and economic ladder,
fe was .he third oldest of his
iher s seven children, ol whom
y the youngest two were
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legitimate. Alexander was nine
years old when his mother married
his stepfather, who Alexander calls
a "good man."
Mother and family were
sharecroppers, a condition
Alexander describes succinctly. "At
that time, and in that place in
Mississippi, sharecropping was one
step removed from slavery.”
Alexar.dt. gives credit to his
mother for all that he has become
"My mom was quite a woman," he
rec^ls fondly. "Although most of
us were bom out of wedlock, she
always pushed us to the forefront.
She made us go to school, do our
homework, our chores, and she
made us respect each other.
"She was a very religious woman,
but without being obsessed. She
held very strong values, and she
imparted those values to us."
Because of his mother’s
teachings, Alexander grew up with
a well-developed work ethic; an
inner mental toughness; and an
almost compulsive desire for
education.
He needed them. Statistics were
against him. It was six times more
likely that before he reached his
21st birthday, he would murder
someone, be the victim of a
murder, or receive a prison
sentence, than finish high school.
Dmgs and alcohol abuse also
claimed their tolls. And, many of
Alexander’s peers who survived all
the other dangers, simply gave up.
They lost ambitions, drive, and
hope,
Alexander watched many of those
he grew up with fall to the wayside.
He says, "a few of my classmates
were killed. Some others w'cre sent
away to prison, and others just
dropped out of school, settling for
menial jobs. Some are still working
those same jobs. What a waste!"
"There were a lot of crossroads,"
he continued, "and each time 1
passed one and made the right
chcice, 1 considered it a minor
victory."
Defying all odds, Alexander
finislicd high school, and, he still
thirsted for education. With so few
black male role models in his
community to pattern himself after
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2:00 pm,Prebid - Utility Truck
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or learn from, he broke new ground
with every decision. He was
offered a football scholarship to
Jackson State University, but
instinctively knew he wasn’t quite
ready for college.
He opted, instead, for a three-year
enlistment in the Army and the G.I.
Bill’s education benefits afterward.
He was assigned to Fort Bragg as a
combat engineer.
During his army career,
Alexander never lost sight of his
goal — a college education. He
often used his off-duty time to visit
college campuses in the area. On
one such visit to Shaw University,
he met his future wife, Ida.
By the time his enlistment ended,
he and Ida were married and had a
baby daughter. They had also
decided to stay in North Carolina.
Alexander enrolled in North
Carolina Central University,
majoring in pre-therapy. He had
reached one of his goals. He was
attending college.
"Sometimes," he remembers, "I’d
be sitting in class, I’d touch the
desk, the books, to make sure it
was real. I’d think to myself, ‘This
is me, Redditt Alexander, actually
going to college.’ It was hard to
believe."
Coilege, however, was no picnic.
In addition to school work, he had a
family to provide for. He worked a
full-time job at night as a waiter.
Whatever problem confronted him,
.Aiexander had one solution —
work harder.
After completing his bachelor’s
degree, he experienced one of his
life’s big disappointments. He had
applied for and had been accepted
to dental school, but, because of an
unfortunate set of circumstances,
was unable to attend.
He entered the master’s program
in biology at NCCU instead, which
he duly completed.
Taking into consideration his
background, Alexander felt his
logical career path lay either in
biology or academia. Real estate
and business were never even
considered.
He accepted a position as
supervisor of DuVe University’s
Special Chemistry Laboratory. It
didn’t take him long to know that
the position did not fit into his
long-range plans. He fell it was too
predictable and offered him no
challenges.
"I was in a rut," he recalls.
"Basically, I could go to work in
the morning and tell you everything
that was going to happen that day."
A friend of his planned to take
some real estate classes, and
Alexander decided to take them,
loo. He found his way into the field
almost by accident.
After the classes were completed,
he look and passed the state exams,
and began working as a part-time
real estate salesman. Even in those
early stages, when he was still
learning the trade, the financial
rewards were substantial.
Two years later, in October 1979,
Alexander & Associates Realtors
opened its doors for business.
"There have been some rough
times," Alexander says, "but, that’s
the secret to being an entrepreneur
— sticking out through the rough
times."
One thing Alexander found was
that almost everything affected the
sale of real estate, even things that
were seemingly unrelated. He
began looking at the world around
him in a new and deeper way.
He also saw — and sees — things
that disturb him, many in the
African American community.
Using his own life and
experiences as a yardstick, he
believes that there has been some
decline in some of the basic values
and institutions that in the past gave
the community strength.
As Alexander remembers it, the
four mainstays of blacks were
family, church, community nd
education. These institutions we-e
the source fn which yoc
people acquired then a' ; s.
’’Dv,..'. get me v ' ' said,
’’they’re still 1 ; u our
community, but d ^ . .(seen to
have the cohesivenes they had
when 1 was growing up. j
He also worries that many of
today’s young people aren’t as
disciplined. "I diink we’ve let
things — especially discipline —
get too complicated," he said.
"We’ve let ourselves get too
analytical and have moved away
from the natural. We need to get
back to basics and use more
common sense in our approach."
About the community, in general.
REDDITT ALEXANDER
he thinks black people need to get
more involved in the political
processes, and become more
familiar with the issues which
concern them.
Asked what advice he would give
young people interested in
becoming entrepreneurs, Alexander
replied, "I’d tell them to get as
much education as they could. I’d
tell them to develop a strong work
ethic.
"And, I’d tell them to not be
afraid to dream and dream big.
Don’t be satisfied with just a
‘good’ job. Look to be the owner."
In his own case, Alexander
credits his success to caring about
peopie. "If you take care of and
care about the people you do
business with," he concluded,
"everything else will take care of
itself
The ancient Egyptians used bronze razors and curling irons.
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