Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans, based in North Texas, has announced that founders David and Dana Winans have sold ownership of the firm to their daughter and son-in-law, Leah and Mark McDonough. David and Dana will continue in an advisory role.
The Winans founded the company in 1984 and affiliated with Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate in 2010 when they had just 35 affiliated agents, according to a release. Today, the company has seven offices and more than 200 agents serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and southern Oklahoma.
“I’ve made many sales throughout my career,” said David Winans. “But my personal best was selling Mark on the idea that he had tremendous potential to help build our local company into a nationally recognized firm if he came on as our president. That was in 2010. Today, I am so proud of how far Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans has come as a family-owned and operated company and I am beyond excited to see where Mark and Leah will take the company in the coming years, while still maintaining our family business culture.”
Mark McDonough has served as president of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans since 2010, following a career in marketing, branding and advertising where he worked with brands like Patrón Tequila and SMU Athletics, according to a release. Leah McDonough joined the firm in 2016 to oversee finance before moving into an operations role, with a focus on events, marketing and other operational support.
The company stated that the change in leadership is part of a years-long succession planning process that began in 2015 when Mark McDonough attended Ascend: The Executive Leadership Experience(SM), offered by AnywhereSM, the parent company of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Ascend is a one-of-a-kind program in real estate, designed to provide rising leaders with the skillset and tools to help shape the future of the industry. Succession planning is a major component of the 46-week course, which prepares the next generation of leadership to guide their businesses in a smooth and profitable business succession process.
“I’ve often said we’re in the investment business: we invest in REALTORS®, spending time, energy, and money to develop successful salespeople,” said Mark McDonough. “Our return on the investment only comes when our agents’ businesses grow and thrive. I had a similar approach to Ascend. I invested nearly a year in learning how to plan and prepare for eventually leading the company, something I believe will have strong ROI in the years to come.”
“David is a leading expert on the growth of the DFW metro and successfully leveraged the momentum in the region to expand the business, while Dana led the company’s award-winning relocation division, earning the highest distinction in the Anywhere Advantage Network for nine years running,” said Ginger Wilcox, president, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. “Mark and Leah have been an integral parts of the company’s growth over the last decade. This next chapter of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans has been carefully cultivated for maximum impact. We are thrilled to support Mark and Leah in the company’s next phase, while being able to continue to tap into David and Dana’s considerable expertise and experience as they serve in their advisory role.”
For more information, visit https://www.bhgre.com/.
