TODAY, YOU can buy a new home from the comfort of your old one. The internet has transformed how we conduct most business, but at Craig & Wheeler Realty & Auction, one thing has remained unchanged for 50 years and counting. Belinda Craig is the glue that secures the company’s past, present, and future.
In 1973, inflation was making its presence known, and mortgage interest rates were steadily creeping up. But the economic forecast didn’t dampen plans made by Belinda’s husband, David Craig, and her father, Auburn Wheeler, as they partnered that year to open Craig & Wheeler Realty. Belinda’s brother-in-law, Alan Gill, came on board as an agent, and Belinda took her place at the front desk. Soon auction services were added, and the company became Craig & Wheeler Realty & Auction.
Belinda and her sons, Ben and Tad Craig, are celebrating the family’s half-century commitment to Shelbyville and Bedford County and pausing to reflect on their experiences with each other and the community they serve.
Auburn and David shared a vision but differed in ways that made day-to-day operations challenging. From choosing the colors for the business (Auburn was for black and gold; David was for orange and white.) to disagreeing in various situations, their mutual respect and work ethic and Belinda’s intervention and mediation combined for a successful team.
Tad said, “You’ve got our grandad, the guy telling jokes, shaking hands, and kissing babies that could make anybody laugh. Then you’ve got Dad, the guy counting every nickel and looking at all angles and was equally humble but driven. He was very focused. They were polar opposites, and that’s why it worked. And Ben and I are, too. We each have our strengths, and we play off that.”
Belinda agreed. “I don’t think I ever realized how genius he was until he was gone. He never made a major decision without asking my opinion. David really pushed integrity and honesty,” she said.
David and Auburn agreed on integrity and honesty. All decisions were and are led by the golden rule.
Ben said, “Grandaddy Wheeler gave me a ruler once — a Coca-Cola ruler printed around 1939-40, that said ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ And he said, ‘I’ve always had this in my desk. Take this and keep it in your desk, and don’t ever forget it because the world is changing rapidly.’ I know how it’s changed since he’s been gone, and I just haven’t forgotten that.”
Most changes in the past 50 years have been in the tools of the trade. One-page real estate purchase agreements are few and far between. Listings were kept in a book that had to be signed out and checked back in by agents, and today listings are shared through a Multiple Listing System™ online and accessible to everyone with an internet connection. Cell phones replaced the multi-line desktop system, and emails and texts replaced letters and pink phone message slips.
While all these things changed the business’s logistics, the company’s heart and its ongoing success continued under Belinda’s watchful eye.
Auburn’s retirement and passing came following Ben and Tad joining the family business. David continued full speed ahead until a serious accident involving one of his cows caused a decline in his health that collided with cancer and led to his death in 2018.
As his life slowed through the duration of his health struggles, David shared his focused values with them.
Belinda said, “He told the boys, ‘All you’ve got is your name — you lose that, and you’ve lost it all. Money doesn’t matter; it’s just paper. But if you’re good to people, it will come back to you.’ And it has in the repeat business that we get.”
Belinda is committed to seeing her sons’ continued success. She is an active agent and presence at the office and can and will offer her wisdom and guidance as needed, recognizing when it’s time to speak up.
There’s one thing the brothers always agree on.
“Belinda’s been the glue and still is. She’s very active in what we do,” Tad said.
Ben added, “If she didn’t keep it together — the books, everything — we wouldn’t be sitting here today. Grandaddy was aware of it, and Dad was aware of it. They would tangle. It was a family business, and there was controversy, but there’s less today than there’s ever been, thanks to the time we had at the end with Dad.”
It’s still a family business. Alan traded his agent license for an appraiser license. His son, Tyler Gill, now fills his shoes as an agent, and his son, Bo, assists him in the appraisal business. Ben’s wife, Lana, and Tad’s wife, Carissa, are also agents; the other 20 Craig & Wheeler agents are also family.
Belinda said, “I hate that they’re not here to see it, especially Daddy. He had seen a lot with David and loved that the boys were back. David was looking so forward to this 50th year. He talked about it a lot; he’s missed so much.”
Belinda’s committed to the company’s future, but she knows where to draw the line. “I don’t want to be a mediator when I get to heaven,” she said.
I guess that settles it. GN
