Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen LaMure.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Stephen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I can certainly tell you I would have never dreamed I would be where I am today from where I started. I grew up on a farm and ranch in South Eastern New Mexico. Life was tougher, but slower and much more relaxed. I learned how to put in a long hard day of work but I didn’t learn anything about business, finances or life in the big city. I landed in Dallas by way of the University of Dallas, a small gem in Irving Texas, being a highly rated and competitive liberal arts college which if it doesn’t lead to your PHD and publications, it does teach you to think. Realizing that I wasn’t going to be a great writer and PHD was a future bar I would frequent, I did what every college kid would do after graduation, I went to a bar and played pool. That is where I met my future boss who I bothered so many times over the following thirty days that he hired me just to get me off his back, and away I went as a salesman at a beverage distributor. Quickly climbing to the top of that pay scale, I ended up working for my brother in law selling life insurance.
While I have a ton of respect for insurance salesman and know that we cannot live without the product, I jumped ship after 3 years when a then client asked me if I was happy in my job or if I would like to explore the world of commercial real estate. I didn’t then know what commercial real estate was, but I knew that life insurance was not my purpose in life.
I worked at a few different real estate firms before landing my big gig at Trammell Crow Company, a Dallas institution and one which most young brokers aspired to work at.
After a very short lived life in the institutional world of Crow, it was time to branch out on my own. So fearless and stupid, I started my own firm knowing that in a matter of years I would own more of New Mexico than Ted Turner……
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t know many entrepreneurs that have had a smooth road. I have been in an organization called EO (Entrepreneurs Organization) for 7 years now and served as the president a few years back and I have a hard time recalling anyone in the organization talking about a smooth road to where they are. Now I will say I do believe that some people with similar work ethic sometimes end up in very different circumstances due to timing, product, a meeting – luck if you want to call it that but not smooth. I would say every day is a struggle and every day brings up a new challenge. How do you scale the company, getting the right people on the bus, in the right seats – and challenging yourself to continue to grow, learn and master your business. I have lived through a very rough childhood which has reared its ugly head throughout my business career.
I have dealt with awful partners – which makes one turn inward and wonder why I wasn’t able to realize the character I was dealing with prior to moving forward. I have had unbelievably loyal employees leave, breaking my heart – and I have had to let go people who, while they definitely needed to be let go, it doesn’t ever stop ripping my heart out. I have been on the edge of huge deals, and hunted elephants my entire career – only to see almost every one of them disappear or go a different direction. I have chased hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate on behalf of individuals who never had any intention or ability to purchase them. I have lived paycheck to paycheck and spent too much money when I had it. This world is full of struggles and the only thing I can influence is right now in this moment, So I move forward in my quest to be the strategist behind my client’s real estate transactions.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dominus Commercial story. Tell us more about the business.
I am most proud of our approach to service for our clients. A significant portion of our business is handling the leased and owned property for companies. And our approach to this service or individual transactions is the why behind the real estate. We really do live up to fiduciary in the highest sense. Why do our clients need that real estate? How do we make the real estate work for our clients? In other words, instead of a business owner saying my office lease costs me X amount this month, we want our clients to say my office lease made me X amount this month. This is done by finding out the why. We get truly involved with our client’s business. We want to know about your culture, values, mission, vision – is this office space to attract and retain employees, is it for selling new clients? Can we lower the cost of the real estate and increase the function and profitability of it? We want your real estate to be an outward sign, a reflection of your company and the vision and culture within. I believe when you talk to a traditional real estate broker helping you find office space, they are going to ask you how much space you need, where do you want to be and how much do you want to pay. We don’t do that – and this bleeds into all other aspects of our business. When we represent landlords in leasing and managing we want to know what is the ultimate goal? How do you want your tenants to see you? what is the culture you are trying to exude in your building – what is your liquidity event look like and how do we get you there. This is a very personal approach to working with our clients as strategic partners.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Honestly in business I would say it has mostly been bad luck and when I say bad luck I only mean the luck that I’m jealous of. I did not come from money and didn’t get lucky enough to have a billionaire roommate in college so it hasn’t necessarily been bad luck but just not the lucky luck that folks dream of. I really do believe that people can be in the right place at the right time, meet the right people, send out the right email blast at the exact right time. etc. But at the end of the day, anything that I would consider bad luck I have tried very hard as the optimist that I am to make it impactful in a positive way for myself and those around me in the organization and that which I would consider good luck I usually suggest that it was due to someone else in the organizations efforts and give a good pat on the back.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1825 Market Center Blvd., Suite 420
Dallas, Texas 75207 - Website: www.dominuscommercial.com
- Phone: 214-941-9500
- Email: slamure@dominuscommercial.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DominusCommercial/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominusCommercl?lang=en
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/152818/
