Monday meeting: Selling dream homes is her dream job

By Kimberly Miller | Palm Beach Post

Marcie DePlaza is division president of Sunrise-based GL Homes of Florida. Her company sold 400 new homes in the first quarter of this year and hired 18 people for positions in sales, administration and construction. About 75 percent of GL's home sales were west of Boynton Beach.

Name: Marcie DePlaza

Age: 46

Hometown: Boca Raton

Education: Boston College - Degree in business administration

About your company: We are a privately held residential and commercial building company. Our revenues in 2009 were $255 million. We have 215 employees.

Your first paying job: A newspaper delivery girl at age 12. It was a lot of work for not that much money.

Your first break in the business: It was a job offer from Itchko Ezratti, the owner of GL Homes, in 1991. The company was very small, had a hard-work mentality and a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit. It was a ground-floor opportunity and the perfect fit for me.

How your business has changed: In the past five years, the real estate industry has been seriously challenged. The current economic conditions have made our jobs tougher than ever. We went from figuring out how to manage the demand to figuring out how to create the demand. The latter has proven to be much more difficult.

How do you keep up with your customers? I try to spend a lot of my time in the GL Homes' sales offices to keep my perspective in line with the customers' expectations.

Best business book you've read: Good to Great by Jim Collins. Complacency is a curse word at GL Homes. We are always trying to get better.

Best business advice you ever got: "The answers are in the field." The corporate mantra is to find solutions by visiting the job sites. Sitting at a desk in front of the computer provides little insight into the day-to day-operations and challenges.

What you tell young people about your business: Besides that it's fun, dynamic and different every day in the real estate business … it's really about putting people in homes. Whether it's their first home, vacation home or family home, our goal is to deliver their dream home.

Power lunch spot: Panera Bread at Canyon Town Center in Boynton Beach.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your career? That there is always more to learn on any given subject. Just when you think you have a full understanding of a subject or an issue, you can count on it changing.

Every successful person grows from failure.What did you learn from your biggest professional failure? To slow down. It is very important to understand all sides of every issue before making critical decisions.

What is the most important trait you look for when hiring? At G.L. Homes, we look for a great attitude, strong work ethic, high energy and a good fit with our corporate culture.