Meet KEN JONES: Rainey, Jones & Shaw Realtors | Louisville, KY

Get to know Ken Jones, Principal/Relocation Director of Leverage Partner Rainey, Jones & Shaw Realtors in the Louisville, Kentucky area.

How has technology, social media and online marketing changed and/or impacted your approach to business?

When I started in real estate 45 years ago, we got our listing inventory 3 times a week on 4"x6" cards that we filed in a metal box that we carried with us when we took our buyers out to see properties. Often we had to pick up keys from the listing offices in order to get into the homes. If we had to cancel or alter our showing schedule that often required stopping at a phone booth to call and make the changes.

Today technology has made our lives much more efficient and allowed us to be more professional and transparent with those we serve. From the electronic key boxes to smart phones to social media and the automated programs that keep our buyers and sellers informed our industry has embraced technology with a passion.

While almost all of my business is referral, I encourage our agents to network through social media as well as snail mail and even their telephone. A face to face breakfast or lunch date can be a powerful supplement to social networking. I guess I'm an old dog who is trying his best to learn new tricks, but not getting rid of the ones that got me here.

What do you love most about working and living in Louisville, KY?

I feel very fortunate to live and work in Louisville (Loo-a-vul) Kentucky. It is a historic city rich in culture and diversity. My favorite thing about Louisville is our amazing park system that exists throughout our community.

From our historic inner city parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead to our most recent series of connected parks known as "The Parklands of Floyds Fork", Louisville's park system offers a tremendous variety of outdoor activities including golf, tennis, baseball, softball, basketball, hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. I encourage Louisville visitors to bring their outdoor gear and enjoy some of the best parks in America.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I confess to being a workaholic but, that said, I play hard when I'm not working. I like to take long walks or go to the gym and work off some of the wine and food from the night before.

My wife Terry and I do a lot of international expedition travel and enjoy learning about other cultures around the world, especially third world and primitive cultures in Africa, Southeast Asia and Indonesia. (Over my career I have dealt with many relos from other countries and they always light up when I tell them I have visited their country.)

My current hobby is birding and it has taken me from my own backyard where I have seen 32 bird species to exotic places like Irian Jaya and Papua, New Guinea where I photographed tropic birds and rare birds of paradise and met beautiful native people who were fascinated with our cameras and light coloring.

Leverage Global Partners is proud to have Ken Jones and the team at Rainey, Jones & Shaw Realtors as our partners in the network.