Oklahoma is The Place to Be For Ebby Halliday’s First Out-of-State Hire

From Staff Reports

In historic news for the Ebby Halliday Companies, President and CEO Chris Kelly announced that the first agent has been hired for the first Ebby Halliday office outside of Texas. Stan Gardner, an established real estate professional in Owasso, Oklahoma — which is near Tulsa — will carry this unique distinction into his new role. 

“Stan is a highly respected agent and member of the community,” Kelly says, “with qualities that dovetail nicely with our mission of ‘People First. Lasting Relationships. Elevating Real Estate.’ He has proven a visionary and entrepreneur in his career decisions thus far, so becoming our first resident Oklahoma agent seems to be a natural progression of that.”

The Ebby Halliday Companies first expanded into Oklahoma in October 2020 with a virtual presence. Since that time, more than a dozen Ebby Halliday agents have become dual licensed in both states. 

Sherry Smith, who currently manages Ebby offices in Sherman and Whitesboro near the Texas/Oklahoma border, has been appointed as the Oklahoma office’s first sales leader. 

About Gardner’s hiring, Smith says, “As we cross the Red River and begin building rapport with our neighbors to the north, it was crucial to bring someone onboard who could help us lay a firm foundation there. From Stan’s military service to his successful business ventures to his work with local Eagle Scouts, he invests himself wholeheartedly in whatever he does. We are excited to watch him do that in this case as well.”

Originally from Boston, Gardner attended Norwich University, a Military Academy in Vermont. He started a stainless-steel pipe business from the ground up at the age of 30 and was also the No. 1 recommended service distributor to the pulp and paper industry in the Northeast for 20 years. Outside of work, Stan has served as a local Scoutmaster with Boy Scouts, helping over 30 young men become Eagle Scouts. He once started a Boy Scout troop in an urban Tulsa neighborhood and promoted three Eagle Scouts from it, which was a first in the history of a HUD Housing Development.

His diverse background has provided Gardner the opportunity to work with professional men and women, city council members and people from all walks of life – the perfect segue to his career in real estate.

Once licensed, it didn’t take long for Gardner and his team to become No. 1 in sales production in Owasso. 

“My specialty is selling custom homes and working with developments,” Gardner says. “I have been one of the Top 25 Realtors in Tulsa for the past 10 years and am the No. 1 luxury Realtor in Stone Canyon in Owasso. My clients say that I’m the hardest-working Realtor they know. ‘Like a dog with a bone, finds it and moves it!’ I’m excited to work hard at growing the Ebby Halliday brand in Oklahoma.” 

Stan is a USMC Vietnam Veteran and lives with his wife, Maria, whom he enjoys traveling with all over the country.