A sticker on Keeley Ward’s helmet tells it like it is: “Badass toys are not just for boys.”
By Connie Adair
As soon as she could sit upright, Keeley Ward was strapped to her father with bungee cords and the former motorcycle stunt driver would take his daughter for a ride. Keeley would often fall asleep on the back of his motorcycle.
When she was five, he gave Ward her first motorcycle. Since then, each of her motorcycles has been bigger and better than the one before. The “resident biker” at Century 21 Infinity Realty in Oshawa, Ont. now participates in several charity rides each year on her 1200cc customized Harley Davidson Sportster. The bike has an orange and multi-coloured paint job, has been widened to accommodate a 180 rear tire (bike enthusiasts will understand, she says) and is fully chromed out.
“I won the class at the Harley Davidson Nationals for Best Sportster in 2009 Canada-wide,” she says.
Ward was one of 3,000 motorcycle riders who took part in this year’s Heroes Highway Ride, driving from Belleville to Oshawa in support of Canada’s troops. Despite the pouring rain, she says it was worth it – money was raised and for the riders, “the adrenalin pumps when 3,000 bikes rev their engines.”
She also rode in the OREA Realtors Care Foundation Motorcycle Ride for Charity in July, doing the leg from Toronto to Peterborough.
“My colleagues think it’s great. I’m the only one in the office who rides,” she says. “This year’s OREA ride stopped in Durham. It was exciting for the office. Everyone was waiting outside when I pulled in.”
Clients think it’s “pretty cool” when they find out the 5′2″ blonde rides a 460-pound motorcycle. “They find out I ride in the course of us working together or when I collect for events. Or they see my photo in the office. Some are surprised, some are not,” she says. “They think I’m confident and outgoing, the kind of person who would be brave enough to get on a motorcycle.”
Ward has been riding for more than 40 years but her first charity ride was in 2007. Motorcycle Ride for Dad, which raises money to fight prostate cancer, is a special charity for Keeley, who lost her father to the disease. She recently collected $585 for the cause with the help of her office and was one of 500 to 600 motorcycle riders who participated.
She enjoys the festivities that go hand in hand with the charity rides – lunches, big events at the end of the rides, draws and celebrity speakers. “It’s fun to participate in the rides. I make money for charity and I make contacts.”
Ward, originally from Niagara, moved to Oshawa 11 years ago and got her real estate license in November 2007. Her previous careers included working at a bank, an automobile plant and as a motorcycle training instructor.
She had flipped houses and had always wanted to work in real estate. When she was given nine months notice at the automotive plant, she says it was the perfect time to take classes and become an agent. “On the day I decided I wanted to be an agent, I picked up the newspaper and an ad that said, ‘Have you ever thought about a career in real estate?’ dropped out. I took it as a sign, and the rest is history. Real estate is the hardest job I’ve ever had, but the best job I’ve ever had.”
Ward sells mostly residential properties anywhere from Bowmanville to Whitby. “I have worked my butt off and have done well for a newer agent. I’ve won a sales award every year and am on track for another this year. I attribute some of (my success) to the charity events. I meet people and (because she rides for charity) they know it’s not all about me.”
