Chicago-area REALTOR® Gaspar Flores Jr. aims to keep building on a foundation of positive real estate experiences as a slated candidate for the 2020 Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors.

The positive energy started years before Flores started his own career, as his parents – Gaspar Flores Sr. and Gloria Flores – built their real estate business, Su Familia, in Chicago.

“I’ve had the opportunity to grow up in the REALTOR® world,” says Flores, who shares ownership of the business with his parents. “Both of my parents are real estate brokers, and I’ve been able to witness firsthand the beautiful things this career can bring to a family. There are not many careers where you can help others and earn a living doing it.”

Flores, wife, Jaclyn, and daughter, Jaclyn Rose, live in Chicago. He visits with many of his clients at the Su Familia office in Bolingbrook. He is grateful that he can work almost daily with his parents, and he appreciates the teamwork he experiences with Managing Broker Nelly Lara, his parents and his sister, broker Glory Greuel.

“My parents have had a monumental impact on my career,” Flores says. “They have been able to go through the ups and downs of economic cycles, learned to stay productive and positive regardless of what is happening. I am forever grateful to them.

“Now that I’m getting a bit older and have a family of my own, I can only hope my little Jaclyn Rose is able to spend a similar amount of time with us,” he says.

The current Illinois REALTORS® board votes on slated board members during the Illinois REALTORS® Fall Business Meetings, Sept. 18-19 at the Chicago Marriott in Naperville.

Local association work adds to his positive experience

Not long after joining the family business, Flores followed his father’s example and became involved with the Chicago Association of REALTORS® (CAR) and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) Chicago. The younger Flores worked on a number of CAR committees and joined its board of directors in 2015. He remained a member of that board for three consecutive years. He also served several years on the board of the CAR Young Professionals Network and as a trustee for the CAR Education Foundation.

On the state level, Flores is the Illinois REALTORS® state legislative contact for state Rep. Luis Arroyo of Chicago and he joined five different committees/working groups in 2019.

From 2013 to 2018, he served on the board of directors for NAHREP Chicago. In 2017, he served as NAHREP Chicago’s president.

“REALTORS® being involved and aware is crucial for our communities and for the longevity of our businesses,” he says. All the time he’s spent serving in volunteer roles for associations has helped him grow.

“It has impacted me in ways that I never expected; from being able to be part of some of the major decisions that impact our day-to-day business, to being part of different amazing brainstorming groups that have facilitated my business,” says Flores. “But what I value the most is the friendships that have come from being a REALTOR®.”

Flores enjoys helping customers find the right home as much as he enjoys collaborating with fellow REALTORS® on projects that impact legislation, property owners and communities. But with so many responsibilities, how does he measure his success?

“I measure my success by finding a balance with personal and business,” he says. “Many of us forget about our motivations – why we do what we do – when our businesses are keeping us so busy. It’s admirable seeing colleagues that balance their business, children, family and volunteering.”

(Read previous stories about slated members of the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors: Chris Pezza, Matt Difanis, Teresa Camarato, Debbie Prodehl, Max McComb, John LeTourneau and Ginger Sreenan.)