WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2017
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
BUSINESS
Group names Dack Realtor of the Year
By JADE McDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
The government may
consider retirement age to
be 67, but at 94 Charlotte
Dack is still showing up to
work.
“I guess I just don’t
know what else to do with
myself,” she said.
Dack, the principal bro-
ker at Universal Realty in
Hermiston, is the oldest li-
censed Realtor in Oregon.
Last week she was named
Realtor of the Year by the
Columbia Basin Board of
Realtors.
When Dack got her li-
cense in 1961, she was
only the second woman in
Umatilla County to do so.
Today women make up al-
most two-thirds of the real
estate agents in the coun-
try.
Dack was working at US
Bank at the time, but had
decided she could make
more money selling real
estate and liked the idea of
being her own boss. She
worked by day and stud-
ied by night; after getting
her license she spent three
more years at US Bank
while selling houses in the
evenings and weekends.
She sold her first house
on East Highland Avenue
to a doctor and his wife.
“It’s still in use today,”
she said. “It was a well-
built house.”
Each piece of real estate
has its own character and
interesting things about
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO FROM MELINDA NEWMAN
Charlotte Dack poses with her award after being honored
with Realtor of the Year.
it, Dack said. Finding the
right match between peo-
ple and property can be
difficult, but Dack said
it’s also rewarding to help
someone find a home that
fits both their needs and
their budget.
“Every sale is kind of a
miracle, because so many
things can happen to keep
the sale from happening,”
she said. “Finance is al-
ways a struggle. We always
want a little more than we
can afford.”
Dack described herself
as a people person, and
said that craving for human
interaction is a big part
of what keeps her coming
to work. Being patient is
the most important part of
being a real estate agent,
she said, because people
will often come into the
process not knowing what
they want. A Realtor can
show them a house that
is exactly what they de-
scribed, and they might
reject it and choose some-
thing completely different
from what they originally
said they were looking for.
She said some of her
favorite sales have been
helping immigrants who
have arrived from a for-
eign country find a home
in America.
“It’s interesting to get
to know their background,
and very satisfying when
you help them find what
they want,” she said.
These
days,
Dack
spends more time in the of-
fice than out selling houses,
but she said she still does
help with the occasional
sale if a former customer
comes in and asks her to
help them with an upgrade
or downsize.
She was given high
praise during the Columbia
Basin Board of Realtors
banquet, with the presenter
noting that while many Re-
altors can’t “cut it” in the
industry for more than a
few years, Dack “has taken
great delight from the very
beginning in watching our
area grow and prosper and
still does to this day.”
She has remained ac-
tive in various clubs and
organizations in Hermiston
during her time there, and
even bought an airplane in
her younger days so that
she could fly to real estate
classes and make it back to
her customers faster.
Her motto in facing
tough-to-love properties is
“there’s a buyer for every-
thing.”
Leadership Hermiston
seeks participants
The Hermiston Cham-
ber of Commerce is ac-
cepting applications for
the upcoming Leadership
Hermiston class.
Ina 10-month program,
which starts in September,
participants learn about
current concerns in the
community. During once
a month full-day sessions,
class members tour a vari-
ety of businesses, organi-
zations and operations.
The class topics range
from education and hu-
man services needs to the
justice system and local
government. In addition,
when the Oregon Legisla-
ture is in session, there is a
Chamber Day at the Capi-
tal where participants trav-
el to Salem to meet with
lawmakers.
The program assists in
developing relationships
with other community
leaders while exploring
opportunities to help in
making Hermiston a bet-
ter place to live and grow
a business. The cost for
Leadership Hermiston is
$650 for chamber members
and $850 for non-mem-
bers. Some scholarship
help may be available.
For more information,
call 541-567-6151 or visit
www.hermistonchamber.
com.
New pediatrician joins GSHC
HERMISTON HERALD
Hermiston-area par-
ents looking to get their
child in for a physical
and vaccinations before
school starts will see more
appointment options open
up after Good Shepherd
Health Care System hired
pediatrician Allan Dami-
an, M.D.
Damian is now ac-
cepting patients at Good
Shepherd Medical Group
Pediatrics office locat-
ed at 600 N.W. 11th St.,
Suite E-33.
Harvest Town Produce open for season
With watermelon sea-
son in full swing, Harvest
Town Produce is now open
for business in Boardman.
People can shop for a
variety of produce, includ-
ing locally grown water-
melons from Hermiston
Melon Company.
The produce stand is
open daily from 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m.. It’s located on
Boardman’s Front Street
next to the Splash Pad.
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