Bob Pedler in his Windsor office. (Photos by Hanakaeye Photography)
By Dennis McCloskey
A star was born on Aug. 26, 1930, but it took another 71 years before Bob Pedler was given his very own star.
It’s on the Windsor and Region Walk of Fame, which was created “to recognize the highest level of individual excellence and achievement in any field.” Pedler learned of the honour in May 2001, when Herb Gray, then the deputy prime minister, announced his induction into the Walk of Fame, along with 18 other city luminaries.
The veteran Realtor earned the honour because of his many and varied volunteer community activities and his remarkable achievements in the real estate business, which he joined in 1956 and continues working in today as broker of record at Bob Pedler Real Estate Limited in Canada’s southernmost city.
Born in Hamilton, Pedler became a Windsorite at the age of three when his family moved to what’s known as the “City of Roses.” As a young man he was manager of a small “five-and-dime” store when he spotted an ad in the newspaper for a real estate salesman at Economy Home Builders. He applied for the job and landed it after just one interview. “I think they hired me because I was doing innovative things at the store,” he says, nearly six decades later. “I had sold venetian blinds to Chrysler Corp. and I guess it was just obvious that I loved selling.”
The symbol of a lion (the family’s coat of arms) appears on Bob Pedler’s for sale signs.
He became so adept at selling homes that he formed his own company in 1969, and in the next 44 years he used his entrepreneurial spirit, honed his marketing skills and sharpened his business acumen to create a multi-million-dollar-a-year real estate company.
According to Statistics Canada in 2011, there are 126,843 private homes in this south-western Ontario city of 211,000 and Pedler is proud that he has put a good number of people in those homes by adhering to his business motto: “I sell a better way of life.” When asked to reveal his secret to success, the octogenarian says it’s no secret. “Just give of yourself and word-of-mouth will take care of the rest.”
Forty people work at the company on Edinborough Street, including two of his three sons. Greig is the firm’s manager/broker (Greig’s wife, Mary Catherine, runs the front office) and Dave is assistant manager, working daily with new sales representatives. Another son, Scott, works in the computer business.
Greig started working with his father 39 years ago and calls it “a privilege of learning first-hand from a man who is tops in the industry.” He adds: “He puts his heart into everything he does and has an amazing list of accomplishments. He strives to keep himself up-to-date and gives it his all, whether it is the real estate business or a charitable event.”
Dave has worked with his father for 34 years and has high praise for his dad’s “amazing” time and energy commitments to community organizations, fundraisers and the real estate brokerage. “The wealth of knowledge to draw from is phenomenal,” he says.
Twenty-eight major community achievements, real estate accomplishments and awards grace the senior Pedler’s extensive bio, including past-president of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) in 1981 and past-president of CREA in 1987. A Fellow of the Real Estate Institute and a one-time CREA delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements, Pedler is also a 2013 recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
His list of achievements is legendary in the Windsor-Essex region as he has served in a variety of top volunteer positions, such as two-time president of the Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival and member of the board of the Capitol Theatre, a downtown venue for feature films and plays since 1929. Pedler says he likes Windsor and its people and he has enjoyed everything he has done. And he has confidence to spare. When Windsor’s chief of police asked him to be the founding chairman of Windsor Crime Stoppers, the chief asked Pedler: “Can you handle it?” To which he replied: “Piece of cake!”
Asking this take-charge man to name his favourite accomplishment is like asking Ben & Jerry their favourite ice cream flavour, but the one-time president of the Canadian Historic Railroad Association (Windsor-Essex Division) concedes that helping to bring a steam locomotive to his city, restore it and create a campaign to raise funds to pay for its permanent display in Dieppe Park makes him especially proud.
The locomotive was found at the CN rail yards in London, Ont. in 1961. It, and many others, was destined for the scrap heap but the big engine was purchased for $3,500 and brought to Windsor, where it is now known as Engine 5588, the Spirit of Windsor. “I got some school children to help paint it and with the help of a lot of volunteers we restored it to its original grandeur,” says Pedler.
The tireless and energetic broker had a stroke over a year ago and while he says he is not fully recovered, he works a half-day in the office every day of the week. He has no plans to retire because he says he likes people “and I hope they like me.” He credits his two sons for doing a “great job” with the day-to-day business of running the brokerage.
Pedler still likes to offer advice to new agents. “When you work for a client, give them more than they expect, and in the process if you gain their respect you have a customer for life.”
A model railroader who collects Lionel trains, Pedler lives in a downtown condo where he says he can be “anywhere in 20 minutes.” He is also a collector of 75 unique china Santa Clause figurines that have come from many parts of the world.
For decades, Windsor residents have become familiar with the company’s slogan “Put a Lion on Your Lawn.” The symbol of a lion (the family’s coat of arms) appears on the company’s for sale signs dotted throughout the city and county. A 20-foot replica of a lion has been floated down Ouellette Avenue during a Santa Claus parade and a real, live 650-lb. lion was once brought into the lobby of a movie theatre as part of a company promotion.
When asked his opinion of the future of the real estate business, Bob “The Lion-Hearted” Pedler says his outlook is “positive” and “the industry is in a solid position going forward.”
For a man who has accomplished so much, Pedler’s philosophy for winning in business and in life is surprisingly simple, and it is based on the achievements of his hockey hero, former Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe: “Try hard and you can be a success in life.”
