Jolene Powell & Jerrid Horton
Written by Zachary Cohen | Photos by Peak RES
Jerrid Horton is not only the owner and Broker of The Brokerage Tulsa, where he leads a team of 11 agents; he’s one of Tulsa’s most productive REALTORS®. But behind Jerrid’s impressive leadership is a more unsung hero—his assistant, Jolene Powell.
“She is the glue that keeps me and the office together,” Jerrid boasts. “She’s a huge part of what we do.”
Jolene graduated from Northeastern State University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in media studies with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in hospitality and tourism management. After several years in event planning, she landed a job as an assistant for a large real estate team. It proved to be the perfect fit for Jolene, a young mother who desired the flexibility to be home with her two young kids.
“My former admin assistant and director of chaos was Jolene's sorority sister,” Jerrid shares. “She was leaving me to use her degree, and I knew I would be in trouble real quick. It seems like every day I have a to-do list that is a mile long, but my previous assistant had the perfect fit for me and our office—Jolene. She already knew the real estate lingo, which was very helpful... Since then, she’s taken on even more responsibility as she manages all of our social media, is our transaction coordinator, and helps me control all the chaos. Jolene is in the middle of it all, and I definitely rely on her for quite a bit day-to-day, as I am in full-time production, managing the office with ten busy agents, project managing renovations, and various other things that are expected [of me].”
Jolene is excited to be a part of the family-centered culture at The Brokerage Tulsa. Everyone on the team leads with generosity and camaraderie. They are team-oriented and down to earth.
“We’re a big family,” Jolene says proudly. “We all talk. We like going out to dinner and having team nights. It’s not just a big corporate setting. We’re all family.”
Although she’s only been with Jerrid and The Brokerage Tulsa for about a year, Jolene feels right at home. Her work allows her to stay home with her daughter and be a present mom while continuing to contribute professionally.
Outside work, you’ll find Jolene with her husband, Jason, son, Wyatt (5), and daughter, Josie (1). As a family, they enjoy spending time outdoors, taking road trips, volunteering at church, and playing with their two dogs, Oakley and Annie.
“I love that I am able to have a job that I love and that I enjoy doing every day,” Jolene smiles. “I have flexibility and support from my boss, and I haven't had that in the past. Being able to be a mom first but also work is huge. I’ve been able to use my creativity in marketing and social media, and it's never the same every day. It keeps me on my toes. I really couldn’t ask for more in a career or in a brokerage.”
Words of Wisdom
If Jolene could share one message with real estate agents, it’d be a reminder to be kind to administrative assistants. “As admins, we are not licensed agents. I think sometimes agents forget that and just expect us to have all the answers because we are a lot of times the point of contact to get to the agent we work for. If I can’t answer a question, I do my best to get an answer ASAP, but sometimes agents don’t like that and want me to give them an answer right then, and I can’t always do that.”
