We couldn’t be more excited for Ben Johnson’s Real Producers feature in the September issue! This guy is truly always #makinithappenmn whether that’s as a real estate agent, as the Real Estate Nation Team’s team lead, as a husband, or as a dad. A big thank you goes to the Twin Cities Real Producers for creating the article and placing the spotlight on Ben, who is well deserving, but who will never admit it! Keep reading for the full article – Ben’s got some interesting stuff to say!
Ben Johnson’s Real Producers Feature
“I always had a desire to be self-employed and run my own business,” says Ben Johnson. “Real estate is a dynamic field.” He also liked that his work was rewarded with wealth. The harder he worked, the better he could do financially for his family.
Growing up in Fairmont, Minnesota, this small town left an impression on Ben. He comments, “I came from a good solid middle-class family. I value work ethic and independence.” He attended the University of Minnesota at the Carlson School of Management and majored in Entrepreneurship.
Ben got into real estate 16 years ago after working as a mortgage lender for 7 years. The door closed at his job and Ben had the freedom to pursue his desire of real estate, making a negative into a positive in the process.
“I worked in subprime mortgages,” he explains. “The Recession of 2008 started with that and 2006 was the beginning of it. I had a very solid mortgage career and was very successful. We had a single income household and the company I worked for closed overnight, which meant I went from pretty successful to unemployed overnight.”
Ben saw this as his opportunity to launch into real estate. Not wasting any time, he signed up for real estate classes on Monday when his company closed on the previous Thursday. “That was a kick out of the nest to get going,” he reflects. “I started my career at the beginning of a market free fall and the Great Recession. I went into self-employment with a lot of obligations and had no choice but to be successful.”
For Ben, it was never an option not to work hard. “I didn’t even think about the other side of it,” he admits. The possibility of failure never even crossed his mind. “I’m a forever optimist,” he says. The only drawback with that is he often underestimates the time it takes to do something.
Building a Team
Ben is proud to be the founder of the Real Estate Nation Team, consisting of Brittany Plec, Gina Dumas, Jacy Quimby, Jen Forliti, Jenny Lofstedt, Mara Stevens, Paige Vadnais, and Shelby Nestande. Jenny (Transaction Director), Shelby (Marketing Director), and Jacy (Listing Director + Realtor®) are highly valued and hardworking support staff and the rest of the team are talented Realtors®.
“This team is awesome,” states Ben simply. “They’re super highly productive, self-sufficient, and producing like crazy right now. Everyone also has a work-life balance thing going which is something I’m proud of.” The Real Estate Nation Team also has fun as a group and makes a point to support their communities. Ben’s team finds him to be a “great mentor and friend who always finds time for us even when busy with his own clients” as well as “one of the most generous humans.” “Ben’s the guy who’s always makin’ it happen.” He also loves a Happy Hour lunch.
Ben intentionally didn’t name the team after himself because it wasn’t about that. He explains, “It’s one of those teams where you can’t tell who the leader is. Everyone just works together as a group of polished professionals aiming to achieve more together than they could on their own” Ben didn’t want to market himself or put his photo on it. “It’s uncomfortable for me,” he says. He took his own name off his team many years ago.
Ben founded his team in 2006 and his team became the Real Estate Nation in 2010. He has done remarkably well over the years, including being in the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, earning the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Good Neighbor Award from the Minneapolis Association for Realtors®.
Family First
Family is Ben’s “why.” They motivate him to be the very best. Ben has been married to his wife, Steph, for 20 years. They are blessed with two children, Olivia (19) and Ben (18)— also known as “Benjo”— and can’t leave out the family dog, Nina. Olivia finished her freshman year at Indiana University and has a “really good head on her shoulders.” Ben is a senior at Wayzata High School and is a “super easy-going kid with a compassionate heart.”
As a family, everyone enjoys taking trips to their lake home in Annandale. “That’s our family thing,” says Ben. “We enjoy boating, water sports,
and fishing.”
To relax and unwind, Ben enjoys cooking. He likes to cook in his kitchen in Plymouth or outside on his grill, despite the freezing temperatures. He jokes, “I don’t use a recipe so my dishes are different every time.” He also enjoys gardening and says, “I’m kind of okay at landscaping and gardening.”
He has a heart for the community and is proud to be an Interfaith Outreach board member, which helps families in need. He is also a board member and volunteer at Outreach Development Corporation, which is geared toward afford- able housing. With a career in real estate, Ben wants to make sure that he helps others at the other end of the spectrum who have a hard time paying for a home.
Ben is also a board member at the Wayzata Chamber of Commerce and coordinates the volunteers for several community events, including a citywide carnival and vendor fair for 60,000 people, known as the James J. Hill Days, in September.
What was a closed door became an open window of opportunity for Ben. The Great Recession opened a door to real estate for him. He couldn’t be happier doing what he loves and making a difference for others in the process.
And that’s a wrap to Ben Johnson’s Real Producers Feature. Keep it up Ben!