Rush Blakely is at the heart of RealtyCom Partners, managing the entire team, our strategic and financial vision for the company, as well as lending his negotiation skills for our client’s new development projects.
Rush quickly became an integral part of the team after joining RealtyCom in 2015, showing dogged determination with the various service providers to solicit the best level of service and compensation for our clients, while overseeing complex technical projects. He grew our business operations team and in 2016, relocated to our corporate office from Southern California. In 2018, Rush was promoted to President. He brings diverse experience from senior leadership positions with Time Warner Cable (now Charter Spectrum) and Comcast where he led successful multifamily sales teams in Texas, California and North Carolina. He ran all sales channels for Logic/WestStar, a fiber to the home provider in the Cayman Islands. Prior to his career in telecommunications, Rush managed a construction lending portfolio with Wells Fargo Bank. He holds a BA in Finance from Texas A&M University, his birth state.
If you’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Rush directly, his love of motorcycles, poker-playing and fine Cuban cigars has surely shone through – but to get to know him a bit more we asked him some fun questions below:
1. Who is someone you admire, and why?
I admire my late father. My dad was at all times both a big company man and also an entrepreneur. He was competitive, yet compassionate. He did more with less than most people I have known. I admired him when I was younger, but as I grew older without my dad, I learned to admire him even more.
2. Tell me three pet peeves.
I like to think I do not have that many, but…(1) punctuality (although back to back Zoom calls can make that tough these days!), (2) respectfulness, (3) slow internet….I am definitely spoiled in that regard.
3. What’s a typical day like for you?
Thankfully every day is different – I get started fairly early, so I like to review my calendar first thing, RealtyCom’s KPIs, and act on any outstanding items like proposals calls, new business inquiries, and check in with the management team. Working from home, my day is mostly filled with a mix of phone calls, Zoom meetings and Teams meetings. I do miss being able to collaborate with our team in person. Oh, and emails, lots and lots of emails like most everyone!
4. Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?
I’m a novice at quite a few things (or I know a little about a lot of things?). I belong to a local woodworking club (although sometimes I lack the patience that requires), my wife and I are members of an off-road club so I’m exploring the outdoors and learning a lot, and love a little friendly competition over some hands of poker.
5. If you could be anywhere other than here, right this minute, where would you be?
Smith Cove, Grand Cayman. My wife and I were lucky enough to live on Grand Cayman for two years. It’s a very nice place to spend some time and Smith Cove is my favorite beach!
6. Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What do you want to be when you grow up?
I wanted to be a banker, like my dad. Full disclosure, after college I did go into banking and spent 7 years in that business before getting into telecommunications.
7. Beer or wine?
Most likely a beer, my co-workers (most likely Cat or Bob) would offer up all kinds of awesome craft/local beer suggestions.
8. On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…
Puttering around the house, garage or workshop. During COVID, often I’m on a re-supply mission for my Mom who lives in a retirement community that is on lockdown!
9. How do you want people to remember you?
I would hope to be remembered fondly as a friend.
10. What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job?
Over my career I’ve gained a lot of experience in different projects and had a lot of exposure to emerging technologies and built awesome relationships inside the industry. If I don’t know something myself, I can often make a couple calls and friends and colleagues provide education and guidance. That’s one thing I really love about the multifamily/telecom industry – it’s small and most are very collaborative and open to sharing and finding new or interesting ways to do things.
11. Name three words that you describe you.
Persistent, honest, funny.
12. How do you think your colleagues would describe you?
This is a tough one for me to answer, so I asked for some help – they described me as patient, even-tempered, collaborative, and always willing to hear someone out or help with anything (they were compensated for these endorsements!).
13. What do you want to make sure you do before you die?
Visit every US National Park.
14. What’s a goal you have for yourself that you want to accomplish in the next year?
After 7 months in lock down in California, its travel related! My wife has been wanting to go to Spain and Europe so hopefully we can do that together soon.
15. Name a few of your daily habits (other than a shower and brushing your teeth).
I review my long-term personal goals daily. I also walk my dog Mika every evening to play fetch and get outside. We don’t watch a lot of TV in my house, but we try to carve out an hour every day or so to keep up with whatever series we are in the middle of – lately that’s been Ray Donovan.
16. What publications do you regularly read?
The newspaper (yes, I still read a newspaper), but most of the other content I consume in electronic versions now, like multifamilyexecutive.com.
17. What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working?
Out on the trails with my wife and my friends. The muddier the better!
18. What are some causes you care about?
There are many that I care about, but chief among them are animals and child homelessness/food insecurity. Regarding animals, my wife and I have rescued two street dogs – one off the street in Mexico (Bella) and another (Mika) through a rescue agency in the Bay Area.
19. What do you do with friends in your spare time?
I love to go four-wheeling in our Jeep as much as possible.
20. What would be your personal motto?
I have no idea, never thought of myself as a “motto” guy.
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