Re/Max Sarnia Realty - Howell & Associates
Re/Max Sarnia Realty - Howell & AssociatesAndrew Howell was born and raised in Sarnia. After graduating high school, he attended Georgian College in Barrie to study Police Foundations. Howell found police work eye-opening and emotionally challenging, and realized he was not built for it. He switched gears and started working in sales for Howell Data Systems (HDS), his brother's point of sale software solutions company. "During that time I learned a lot about customer service and professionalism. In 2007, we decided to move home to Sarnia, and we purchased Ice Cream Galore and Wick's Variety, in Point Edward. It was a great fit for us because Holly had worked there in her youth and I had a lot of retail experience from working at HDS."
Holly ran the ice cream shop, and Howell operated the variety store. "The store was both fun and challenging. It allowed me to connect with a lot of people, but I discovered I missed working in sales. A family friend suggested I give real estate a try. I've always loved homes, and I've always been a people person, so it seemed like a really good fit." Howell began his real estate career while still working at the variety store.
After five years of selling real estate, Howell took himself off the schedule at the variety store, and just managed it. "Real estate slowly started to take over my time, which was great because I loved it. In 2016, we made a really tough decision to close Wick's Variety. It was a community staple for over 50 years, but the variety store industry had changed, and the business was no longer viable." Ice Cream Galore expanded into the variety store space, and Howell focused 100% on his growing real estate business.
For the first four years of his real estate career, Howell was with Magic Realty before moving over to RE/MAX Sarnia Realty. "I believe in specializing. I sell exclusively residential, and I don't take business from out of town. I always make sure my clients' needs are met and that they are happy." Last year, Howell opened his own mini brokerage, RE/MAX Sarnia Realty - Howell & Associates. "This change has been amazing. I am a broker, but RE/MAX Sarnia still runs my back office, which is great because I love to sell, and I want to keep my focus on my clients."
Howell loves giving back to the community and has coached many soccer teams over the years, including both of his daughters' teams. He also gives a portion of each pay cheque to The Children's Miracle Network. This year, Howell was among RE/MAX's Top 40 Under 40 and part of the Chairman's Club, which puts him in the top 1.5% of RE/MAX realtors in Canada. "I love what I do. When I help a client sell or purchase their new home and we put that sold sticker on together, it is just awesome."
Related Stories
Sarnia Historical Society
The Sarnia Historical Society is doing their part to preserve local history. First established forty years ago, the volunteer-run organization sat in limbo for a number of years before the newest group of community leaders stepped forward. Ron Reale-Smith, Laura Greaves and Phil Egan were appointed t
Slipacoff Dental Centre
Dentistry has been part of the Slipacoff family for over 40 years. Dr. Lennie Slipacoff graduated from the University of Western Ontario's School of Dentistry in 1981 and immediately established his dentistry practice in Sarnia. His wife Cindy was a dental hygienist at the practice for 39 years be
Ryan's Sweet Maple
Ryan Vandenberg knew from an early age that he wanted to be a teacher when he grew up. And that is exactly what he did. The 43-year-old is a high school math teacher. However, Ryan also found another love at age eight following a grade school trip to a local conservation area where he witnessed how
Twin Bridge Lighting
Gary Burdett started Burdett Electric Ltd. in 1973 and has installed lighting fixtures in countless homes and businesses throughout Lambton County. However, the builders that he worked for found that there were never enough lighting options available locally. Burdett saw this opening and started Twi
Related Stories
Fabien Jagoo & Associates Inc. | The Co-operators
Shaun Antle insists he has a great working relationship with his business partner, Tara. That's a good thing considering Shaun and Tara are also husband and wife! The dynamic duo runs Corunna's Co-operators, a satellite agency to Sarnia-based Fabien Jagoo and Associates Inc. They delight in serv
The PT Body Shop
Tracey Tully took a potentially deadly situation and turned it into her dream job. Tracey had been the fitness manager at Good Life in Sarnia, but in 2019 was diagnosed with lung cancer. Following surgery to remove the second lobe of her lung, Tracey's doctor advised her not to rejoin a large gym
Rayjon Share Care of Sarnia Inc.
Heather Smith never takes the comforts and opportunities she has living in Sarnia for granted. That's because as the executive director for Rayjon Share Care she has seen the extreme poverty people living in Haiti endure. The charity was started by John Barnfield and Ray Wyrzykowski in 1986. In
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sarnia-Lambton
Big Brothers of Sarnia-Lambton was established in June of 1967 and almost 51 years later is still serving the needs of children in Lambton County. "I’ve been with the agency for over forty years now," explains Executive Director M...