Sally Jo Dierker

REAL ESTATE ICON

STORY BY ZACHARY COHEN | PHOTOS BY PEAK RES

Built on Relationships

Over the past 35+ years, Sally Jo Dierker has carved out a niche in the real estate industry. Her career has taken her through countless ups and downs. She’s survived and thrived through several boom and bust cycles, including, most recently, the financial crisis and the COVID-19 era. She’s also built a business in three distinct markets: the St. Louis metro, Springfield, Illinois, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through it all, Sally Jo has remained committed to her craft, her clients, and the betterment of those she touches. 

The First and Second Acts

After graduating from the University of Missouri-St Louis, Sally Jo began her professional life as a computer programmer. It didn’t take long before she realized she wasn’t cut out for sitting in a cubicle all day and began looking for other opportunities. That search ultimately led her to real estate.

“I had a good home buying experience and thought it might be fun to share something like that with others, so I took and passed the hardest exam ever, got my Missouri real estate license, and started selling real estate,” Sally Jo reflects. “I joined a small concierge brokerage and enjoyed an active social life with the other young professionals there. Living in St Louis, exploring the city and county through my workday travels, the up-and-coming historic rehab areas, and the broad range of lifestyles and people was very exciting.”

After selling in St Louis for two years, Sally Jo moved back to Springfield, Illinois to be close to her immediate family. She took up residence in a 137-year-old apartment building her folks owned on Old Aristocracy Hill, opened a small bakery (Sally’s Breads), met and married her husband, and worked for the State of Illinois for a couple of years.

By 1990, Sally was back in the real estate business. Over the ensuing years, she and her husband, Derek, began buying investment properties, including an apartment building in the historic Enos Park neighborhood, which existed when President Abraham Lincoln lived in Springfield. 

Moving to Tulsa

In 2010, Sally Jo left her business behind and moved to Tulsa, where her husband had embarked upon a new career opportunity.  

“It was a challenge rebuilding my business from scratch,” Sally Jo offers, “but I have been fortunate to work with very knowledgeable, forward-thinking brokers who have continued mentoring me. I have put what I learned from them into action, and as a result, have been able to help many more people achieve their goal of home ownership in Oklahoma than I had in my preceding years in the business.”

Sally Jo has been recognized as a top 500 agent in Tulsa for the past five years, four of which have been with McGraw Realtors. She closed transactions totaling over $6 million in 2023 and credits the support of her husband and business partner, Derek, along with McGraw's strong culture and backing as strong contributors to her success. 

Sally Jo’s Legacy

Sally Jo is proud of her legacy as a REALTOR®, but it’s not what she wants to be known for. She wants to be remembered as a woman of faith and a good mother, wife, sister, and friend.

Sally Jo’s daughter, Julia, teaches English at the Broken Arrow Freshman Academy and is the high school girl’s golf coach. Her son, Seth, and his wife, Kenzie, blessed Sally Jo and Derek with a granddaughter last year and are expecting another child in August. In her free time, Sally Jo enjoys working out at the Bixby YMCA, baking, reading, target shooting, and sharing time with those she is close to.

“Outside of my personal relationship with Christ, what really makes my heart sing is my family, friends, and clients. I love having quiet moments with my husband in the evening, family dinners with my kids and their little families, and celebrating holidays and birthdays with my extended family. It is also a joy seeing smiles on the faces of friends and clients when I randomly show up with homemade bread or cookies in hand and laugh through the evening once a month with my Bunco ladies in Bixby.

“What it is really about for me is my relationships and the people I treasure within those relationships,” Sally Jo says. “The brightest spots in my life are those spent with the people in it.”