NEW PALTZ — Joan Lonergan, real estate broker and owner of Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty, discusses her career, mantras and how her passion for real estate helped her create a successful business while “elevating the profession” on “Leave Your Mark: The Coldwell Banker Podcast,” a part of the CB Women series.
Lonergan lays out her professional history as she discusses the origins of Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty, the No. 1 selling real-estate company in Ulster and Greene counties from 2011-2018.
Inspired by the work ethic of her grandmother, Lonergan “always felt that failure was just not possible,” and she has used her position as a woman in business to help elevate the voices of those around her. In this talk, Lonergan goes in-depth on breaking glass ceilings, saying, “Some of us who have broken these ceilings… we forged a path for people to come behind us.”
Lonergan credits much of her success to her four professional mantras — Always tell the truth, always do what you promise, don’t pretend that you know something that you don’t, and always keep your moral and ethical compass straight. By following her heart and allowing it to inform her business strategy, Lonergan has structured her business as a solar system and not a hierarchy, creating a welcoming workplace environment where she is “always open to ideas” from her team, to achieve collective goals that move them all forward.
A graduate of The School of Visual Arts in New York City with more than 30 years in the real-estate industry, Lonergan founded Village Green Realty and has been a Coldwell Banker affiliate since 1995. In 2017 Lonergan joined forces with business partner Candida Ellis, who shares her ideals and will help her carry Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty into the future. Lonergan is a community activist and civic leader who believes in standing up for what is right, which she teaches to her children and grandchildren.