San Antonio Movers and Shakers

Your Hosts

John Thurman

I took early retirement in 1995 from Kodak and I have been in the real estate business since then.  During my Kodak career my family lived in six states and we owned thirteen homes.  I held positions as Food Trade Manager, Attractions Manager for Florida, Director of Sales Promotion, National Account Manager to HEB Grocery Company and National Sales Manager – US Military – Worldwide.

In the twelve years since I retired from Kodak, I’ve been in the real estate business.  My entry into the business was through two major agencies; one a local upscale boutique company and the other a very large local operation of a national franchise.  I found both (plus most others in the business) to be more oriented towards gross sales and less towards taking care of the needs of the consumer.  As a result, I formed my own company.  I have three agents besides myself in the company and two staff personnel.  Approximately ninety percent of our business comes from direct referrals plus we represent all of the relocating employees for three corporations.

Each week I host the area real estate show, Real Estate Focus, on NewsTalk 930 KLUP, Saturdays at 11:00am.  The show also streams live on my web site , http://www.HeartofTexasRealty.com and on http://www.KLUP.com.  In addition, Bjorn Dybdahl, owner of Bjorn’s Home Entertainment, http://www.Bjorns.com and I host the San Antonio Movers and Shakers Show that airs at 10:00 am each Saturday from the same station and web sites.  The real estate show deals with area real estate information and the SA Movers and Shakers show honors the education, business, civic, and public leaders who keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive in our city.

The San Antonio Business Journal ranked me as the number one residential agent in San Antonio for the 2007 calendar year among 8,000 area Realtors and I have been designated as a Platinum To 50 Realtor (PT 50 Designation) for the past six years

I am a graduate of:

• University of Texas At Austin (BBA Accounting)
• National Association of Realtors Real Estate Institute “GRI” Designation
• Texas Realtors’ Leadership Program “TRLP” Designation

Real Estate and Community Memberships:

• CyberProfessionals – International Real Estate Networking Association (http://www.CyberProfessionals.net)
• National Association of Realtors’ Council of Residential Specialists – “CRS” Designation – The MBA of real estate
• Vice Chairman, San Antonio Board of Realtors Government Affairs Committee -2008
• Chairman, San Antonio Board of Realtors Government Affairs Committee – 2009
• San Antonio Builder’s Association Publicity Committee
• North San Antonio Business Chamber of Commerce
• Rotary Club of San Antonio – Membership Committee Chairman and Director for 15 years (past)
• Founder and charter president of the Rotary Club of San Antonio at The Dominion, http://www.DominionRotary.org and five year program chairman.
• Founder and director of Realtor’s First Voice, a networking group that seeks to raise the bar of the practice of real estate.
• Founder and CEO, San Antonio Gateway Corridor, Inc, an IRS approved 501 (C) (3) not for profit corporation that seeks to make the highway between the airport and downtown a one-of-a-kind welcoming corridor.

I believe real estate is more about finding the right house for the purchaser than it is about finding a house based on a preset criteria that may or may not fit the long term needs of the client.  I also believe the practice of real estate should be enjoyable and that is hopefully evident by the style of my real estate web site, http://www.HeartofTexasRealty.com.  My track record has been to locate my client’s neighborhood and home on the first day of your home search.  And yes, those clients who work with me, who have an interest in community involvement, do find themselves involved in this truly great community soon after they move here.

Bjorn Dybdahl

Six years after he was born in Oslo, Norway in 1943, Bjorn Dybdahl moved with his family to Minneapolis. In 1962, he married his wife, Shari, and moved to San Antonio, Texas, as part of his tour of duty with the United States Air Force. After leaving the Air Force in December of 1968, Bjorn began what would be a lifelong career in the business of selling home audio and video products by working as a salesman for Bill Case Sound in San Antonio. In 1975, he started Bjorn’s Stereo Designs, which is now more popularly known as Bjorn’s Audio Video. Following the mantra of “We sell entertainment and fun, not equipment,” Bjorn has been able to grow his small, one-man, audio-only hi-fi shop into a 15,000 square foot retail store with more than 90 employees that also includes a service department – yes, Bjorn’s still fixes stuff – and an installation department that has grown from the early days when Bjorn would leave the store to run wires himself to a complete department with 14 installation technicians plus support personnel.. Over the last 33 years, Bjorn has been recognized for his many pioneering efforts in the industry, including being an early member of PARA (Professional Audio/Video Retailers Association) and a founding member of CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association). Audio Video International magazine has named Bjorn’s Audio Video an Audio/Video Retailer of the Year every year since 1987. In 2000, Frost & Sullivan presented Bjorn’s with its Market Engineering Award for Customer Service Leadership. Bjorn’s has partnered with many vendors over the years to help introduce new technologies and products to the market. Some of the notable consumer introductions include the laser disc player, the compact disc player, Dolby Digital (beginning with the first U.S. consumer demonstration), THX, the DVD (including the first U.S. consumer demonstration of dual-layer technology), the world’s first retail installation of Tomlinson Holman’s experimental 12-channel audio system, the recent world premiere of Laser Television, plus many, many more. Locally, Bjorn’s has been extremely aggressive in educating the community about consumer electronics, especially HDTV. Those efforts include an award-winning 30-minute HDTV informational program broadcast in prime time on the local ABC affiliate as well as more than 100 60 and 90-second mini-infomercial spots inserted locally during “Good Morning America”. Bjorn has also appeared as a HDTV spokesperson in many TV ads for Time Warner Cable in San Antonio. In 2006, Bjorn’s hosted the first U.S. consumer demonstrations of both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD high-definition optical disc formats. Somehow Bjorn also finds time to work on the retail floor on a regular basis. Once in a while, he actually goes home and sees his family.

Scott Woolfolk

Scott Woolfolk joined DOCUmation, Inc. in 2002 with a powerful vision—pursue excellence and professionalism in the business technology industry. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Scott has leveraged his skills and resources to bring together a world class team that rolls out the red carpet and provides white-glove treatment. Since Scott’s arrival as President of DOCUmation of San Antonio, Inc. in 2002, the company has grown by double digits annually – emerging as the fastest growing company in the business technology industry.

Prior to joining DOCUmation, Scott was the President and Owner of Alternative Business Systems (ABS) beginning in 1995. This Santa Fe-based company, with offices located in Albuquerque and Silver City, operated as the premier business technology integrator in the state of New Mexico. During his 9 years in New Mexico, Scott served on the Board of St. John’s College – a leading liberal arts university known for their distinct philosophical curriculum. Previous to ABS, Scott was a manager for UniCopy/Danka of Texas in the early 90’s.

Scott’s community service has been an anchor and driving force in San Antonio and Santa Fe’s economic development base for the last 25 years. Today, Scott continues to be very active, serving on several boards and business ventures:

• As the leading corporate sponsor for the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners, DOCUmation is heavily involved in state athletics and the community.

• He currently serves on the Junior Achievement Board and is involved with the Economic Development Foundation (EDF).

• As the Managing Partner for the San Antonio Movers & Shakers Show (www.samoversandshakers.com) on 930 AM KLUP, Scott hosts the program with co-hosts John Thurman and Bjorn – just Bjorn.

• Scott is also a Senior Partner for the Serengeti Ranch – an exotic ranch located in the Junction hill country that offers a unique, African experience.

• Scott, his wife, and 4 children all actively participate as members of Oak Hills Church in Crownridge. The family is also proud supporters of Community Bible Church and San Antonio Christian School (SACS).