Clark & Co Realty

Located in the heart of downtown Benton, Clark & Co. Realty is the reliable destination for those looking to purchase their dream home or put their current property on the market. Founded with a commitment to personalized service and a deep understanding of the local market, this boutique agency has created a niche for itself, catering to a diverse clientele across Central Arkansas.

The agency’s founder, Jesse Clark, comes from a diverse professional background in contracting, firefighting, property development, and military service. It’s quite the mixed bag for the 39-year-old married father of two who grew up in Southwest Arkansas, and if not for being in the right place on one hot August afternoon years ago, there’s no telling what else he’d being doing today.

“I was a firefighter in Searcy and worked a side job as a laborer in concrete on construction jobs,” he said. “One day, I was working during the summer at a guy’s pool, and I saw him sitting with his feet in the water drinking lemonade on a random Wednesday afternoon. I asked my foreman, ‘What does that guy do?’ My foreman told me he was a real estate broker, and I was like, ‘OK. Great.’”

Within a week, Jesse was in real estate school preparing to be a realtor.

He admits the days and years that followed weren’t exactly filled with casual afternoons lounging with his feet in the pool. “Apparently, I just saw him a slow day because, in this business, my agents and I are constantly on the go. Being that young, I didn’t realize the part where an agent stays up all night working on contracts and counseling your clients, the real side of working in realty.

“I don’t even own a pool, if that amounts to anything,” he added.

Following a series of jobs at agencies to get his footing in the industry, Jesse realized he would probably need to take a different approach if he wanted to be successful.

“I first started working at a few agencies,” he said. “They would come to me, tell me I was going to be a great agent, and then I’d never see or hear from them again. I was completely on my own to figure it out. 

“Later, there came a point where I was in line to be an executive broker, but that didn’t work out due to inner office politics. I was disappointed at first, but ultimately it ended up working out for me because that was the moment I realized I just needed to go open my own shop.”

Clark & Co. Realty open in 2018, and as Jesse remembers, he was both the Clark and the Co. in the beginning. “I worked in a little closet at a buddy’s law firm and just grew from there.

“I had seen so many before me take a different approach,” he added. “They would try to hire as many agents as possible to grow as big and as fast as they could. I wanted to do it right, and I needed to establish a solid business model before I tried to grow to include agents.

“The process is Biblical. You don’t build your house on the sand; it won’t survive. Instead, you start with a much stronger foundation and build from there. So, I stayed focused on my business model and what I wanted my agency to look like long before I began hiring agents.”

In the following years, Jesse held to his “don’t grow too fast” approach, and today he has approximately a dozen agents. And while he loves growing his business, he admits serving as a mentor to his staff is what he most enjoys.

“I really like working with my young agents, growing them, and teaching them some of the tricks I’ve learned along the way,” he said. “You’ll never master the industry, nor will you know everything about business. Every sale has its own unique challenges, along with things that are completely unforeseen or unexpected.

“By no means do we have it perfect, but I’ve really tried to learn this craft, and as I’ve gotten better through the years, I can teach my agents. From that experience, Clark and Co. grows.”

Jesse and his agents serve most of Central Arkansas, including Saline, Pulaski, Grant, Faulkner and Hot Springs Counties. As he put it, if you’re looking to buy or sell within a two-hour radius of Benton, he and his team will be happy to help.

“I truly do want the best for my clients and agents,” he said. “If we commit to staying in contact and following through, you’re going to like us and the service we offer from the beginning. It’s our job to make our clients feel protected, safe, and informed to know what’s really going on.”