MARION – Chris Massey sells houses – and his community.
“I had a fairly normal childhood,” Massey said, “going to school, playing sports, and hanging out with friends. I had a bent toward creativity and art. If you would’ve asked me when I was a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, I commonly said an architect because of my love for drawing. However, I was raised by a career car salesman in my dad John Massey, whom I have a lot of respect and admiration for, so I guess sales was just in my blood. In the end, that’s where I ended up in my journey.”
Today, Massey is a real estate agent with Generations Realty.
“Real estate was never on my radar,” he said, “but it has been one of life’s greatest surprises and blessings for me and my family.”
Massey, 35, grew up in and around Marion, graduated from Pleasant High School in 2009, then earned a degree in business administration from Ohio State University.
“I had a very diverse career path on my way to real estate,” he said. “I was trying to figure out life and find what I enjoyed and was good at in my 20s and early 30s. This included serving as a youth and outreach pastor at Cornerstone Alliance Church, working in community development in Cleveland and even selling cars just like my dad.”
“I think I’ve always had an affinity for houses,” he said. “But in my 20s, I worked for a nonprofit in Cleveland that partnered with the Cuyahoga County Land Bank to revitalize tax-foreclosed homes. They would be used to meet affordable housing needs to at-risk population groups in the city. We would literally get them for $1. It was during this time that I fell in love with the process of acquiring properties, going through inspections, planning rehab, etc.”
Massey started working with Generations Realty at the beginning of 2024.
“Chris is the biggest cheerleader for Marion,” said Nicole Workman, director of communications at the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities. “He has a large social media presence to create awareness of the good that’s happening in Marion County, and he’s great at real estate.”
Derek Mullins of Shovel City Drinkery agreed.
“He’s super nice and just an overall positive person,” Mullins said. “You don’t see that very much anymore. And it’s not all about selling houses. He actually loves Marion, and it shows. When it comes to promoting the positive aspects and the joy of living here in Marion, he’s in rarefied air.”
“I love all things real estate,” Massey said. “I love sales and I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I think it gives me space to be creative in how I build my business.”
“However, I’m also motivated by a deep sense of purpose. I find my love and gifting in real estate and marketing give me unique opportunities to serve my community,” he said. “While I’m helping people make good decisions and set them up for success on a personal level, I’ve also worked equally hard helping to set Marion up to succeed on the community level. I see my role as not just selling houses but also selling my community and championing all of the awesome people, businesses and organizations that make Marion such a great place to live.”
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Chris Massey promotes Marion as this week’s Aces of Trade
Reporting by Drew Bracken Special to Marion Star, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
