Hometown Hustle: Brokerage Southwest — A Legacy Built on Hard Work, Family and a Good Deal

The History: Where It All Began

Every successful business has a story, but Brokerage Southwest has one that is especially rooted in family, determination and a whole lot of hustle.

In 1998, Maggie Riley began what would become Brokerage Southwest with a small handful of agents. Just one year later, in 1999, the business opened the doors to its current location. Nearly three decades later, Brokerage Southwest remains a familiar name in Sweetwater County and holds the distinction of being the county’s longest-standing real estate company.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty with Broker/Owner Kelly Palmer, who also happens to be Riley’s daughter, we have to talk about the woman who started it all.

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Meet Maggie Riley: The Woman, the Myth, the Legend

When Palmer talks about her mom, there’s a smile and a chuckle that make it clear Riley was one of those people who left an impression everywhere she went.

Palmer describes her mother as a lifelong entrepreneur who worked hard at everything she did. Armed with her signature golden fanny pack and a gift for gab, Riley never met a stranger.

“She was always about making a dollar, and she always said, ‘Never leave home without a dollar in your pocket,’” Palmer recalls.

Real estate was actually just one chapter in Riley’s entrepreneurial story.

Long before she settled into the real estate world, Riley bought and sold houses and businesses and jumped into just about every opportunity that came her way. In the mid-1970s, she opened a bar in Arizona called Maggie’s Mine Beer and Wine.

In the late 1970s, Riley and her family moved to Rock Springs, where her list of ventures continued to grow. She owned two motels, including one where she actually moved in and lived onsite. She earned her cosmetology license and went on to own three different beauty salons.

She also ran the golf course restaurant and bar for several years, oversaw concession stands at the horse races in Rock Springs and even made trips to Sturgis to sell kronski’s.

“I remember selling concessions at the races with my mom, and she even dragged me to Casper to sell concessions at the races there,” Palmer says with a laugh.

For Riley, there was always another opportunity, another business and, most importantly, another deal to be made. So perhaps it was no surprise when she found her way into real estate. Riley spent the final 20 years of her life in the industry, growing Brokerage Southwest from a small operation into the business it is today.

Palmer Joins the Team

In 2007, Palmer was working for a credit union when her mom encouraged her to make a career change.

Riley wanted her daughter to join the family business — and, eventually, take the reins. Palmer took the leap into real estate and hasn’t looked back.

Today, she serves as Broker/Owner of Brokerage Southwest and has continued building the business her mother started. Under Palmer’s leadership, the number of agents has doubled from when the company first opened its doors. But stepping into a parent’s legacy comes with its own set of challenges. When asked what the hardest part of filling her mom’s shoes was, Palmer didn’t hesitate.

“I’m not my mom,” she says. “To overcome that internally was a hard challenge for all of us, but we did it. We overcame it, and we are all better for it.”

While Palmer and Riley shared the same entrepreneurial spirit, they approached one important thing differently: family. Palmer says her mom was an absolutely wonderful mother, but Riley’s business was her number one priority, which meant she occasionally missed family events. Palmer has taken a different approach. For her, family comes first — a philosophy she carries into the way she leads Brokerage Southwest.

Challenges, Changes and Triumphs

Real estate is never boring, and Palmer says the past year has certainly proven that. The market has been inconsistent, with inventory constantly shifting. “Either you have inventory or you don’t,” Palmer says. Competition has also changed dramatically over the years. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were only a handful of brokers with agents in the community. Today, Palmer says there are over 30 active real estate offices in Sweetwater County.

And then there’s social media.

Keeping up with the ever-changing digital landscape has become another part of doing business in today’s real estate industry. Add in the fact that national and economic trends can have a direct impact on the local housing market, and it’s easy to see why real estate can be a challenging career. But for Palmer, the challenges are outweighed by the rewards.

There’s a reason she has stayed in the business — and a big part of that is the excitement. She loves the fast pace, the variety and the fact that no two days are ever exactly the same.

And Brokerage Southwest isn’t simply a business with a recognizable name in Sweetwater County. It’s made up of people who call this community home. The team lives here, works here, volunteers here and gives back to the community they love. For Brokerage Southwest, being part of Sweetwater County means more than selling houses. It means being invested in the place they call home.

Carrying on the Brokerage Southwest Tradition

So what does it mean for Palmer to carry on the legacy her mother started nearly three decades ago?

“Everything,” she says.

Riley worked hard to build something of her own, and Palmer knows continuing that legacy is exactly what her mom wanted. Now, Palmer is writing her own chapter in the Brokerage Southwest story — one that honors where it started while continuing to move the company forward. From a golden fanny pack and a dollar in her pocket to a thriving real estate company, Maggie Riley certainly knew how to hustle.

And today, that hometown hustle continues with her daughter at the helm.