Real estate magnate makes philanthropy a priority





She's a common sight around town–appearing in dozens of newspaper advertisements, sitting on multiple committees and her likeness is even on bottles of water. Roxann Taylor has been at the front of real estate, and her community, for over 40 years.





"My mother got her engineering degree in the 1930s," Taylor said. "When you are raised by somebody who is a pioneer, she told me that I could do anything that I wanted to do. She just didn't know the meaning of the word no, and she instilled that in me."





Because of this, Taylor calls herself a "bulldog" and will not take "no" for an answer.





Not only was Taylor's mother, Connie Guyatt-Higgins, a pioneer in her professional field, Guyatt-Higgins was also an activist in many different circles.





"She was involved in the California state movement for equal pay and equal rights for women," Taylor said. "And in the 1950s, I went in the back of the station wagon to help put up signs when I was a little girl."





"I have always approached my business as being a way of life. I am involved in 43 fundraisers and charities, I am involved in the school system. I've got my fingers in everything; when there is somebody in my profession who is successful it is somebody who has embraced their community and is there to help every body."





"Real estate is a way of life for me as the philanthropy work that I do is intertwined with my clients and my daily life," Taylor said. "One of my mottos is try to make a difference in somebody's life everyday."





Engel & Vlkers partnership





As of Nov. 15, Taylor has joined the international real estate firm Engel & Vlkers, a Hamburg, Germany-based company.





Taylor kept the secret under wraps for five months as she drew up business plans and scouted new office locations around the Metroplex.





"The tool and technology package [available to agents] is phenomenal," Taylor said of her new company. "There is not another franchise that has anything like this."





Taylor had been thinking of ways to change her business model after a period of illness about five years ago.





"[My assistant] did such a great job while I was out that nobody realized how much I wasn't here. But it also made me realize how much of my business was centered around me," Taylor said. "I felt like I had to do something to shore up a stronger business model and take all of the advisers that I have on staff with me and make them more like me: totally independent and able to work on their own."





And with that idea, Taylor set a goal for herself: 10 new offices and 100 of "the top advisers in the Metroplex." She plans to personally mentor each adviser to develop their business to help them become successful.





As a part of Engel & Vlkers, Taylor now has one new advantage that she did not have before: international exposure, and not just online.





Her real estate listings can now appear in the windows of other Engel & Vlkers offices across the world and are also featured in a magazine that is distributed to 39 countries.





"I have already received requests from Abu Dhabi, somebody in Belgium, somebody from Majorca, Spain. We're just getting bombarded with requests."





Engel & Vlkers





640 N. Carroll Ave., Ste. 100, Southlake, 817-416-2700, https://dallassouthlake.evusa.com





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