The Orlando Business Digest has lunch with Dominic Pickering (MRI Overseas Property)

Jan. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- Born and raised in London, he started his professional career managing and leading Telemarketing Departments, Marketing Departments and Call Centers. He moved here nearly a decade ago, and has witnessed both the highs and lows of the Florida Real Estate Market.

We caught up with Pickering at Timpanos Restaurant in Doctor Phillips for a light lunch and had a chat about what brought him to Florida in the first place, why he chose to make it home and his current position at MRI Overseas Property.

“My background is Finance. I worked for the largest Independent Finance Company in Britain for a few years and it gave me great grounding but I always knew I would eventually travel.  I decided to emigrate and had planned on going to Seattle. Instead I got one of those life – changing calls from the President of the bank who asked me to launch a new mortgage program for Abbey National in Florida.  I had never been to Florida at the time!”

Dominic Pickering can boast a Bachelors degree in Marketing and a Masters Degree in Leadership, so he decided he would take the plunge and head to Florida. “I figured that even if it didn´t work out with Abbey National, I had a solid education and a very successful CV, something else would turn up”.

But when he got to Florida in the pre-9/11 days he found a vibrancy that he knew would suit his entrepreneurial style.

“The Florida market was great, and the spirit was great! There is an inbuilt confidence in people around here. It makes you feel that anybody can be successful – as long as you are willing to work hard, you´ll do ok.”

The project Pickering was tasked with delivering was to launch a mortgage program based in British Pounds to satisfy the demand of the huge numbers of British overseas
property purchasers in Central Florida.

“It started really well”, Pickering explained, “but 9/11 took its toll on the market and it never really recovered.”

However, the product for Abbey National had served its purpose for Dominic who had adopted Orlando as his home, and had made many useful connections. One of them, Austin MacAnthony – father of Darragh, turned out to be significant.

“Darragh´s company (MRI Overseas Property) was really taking off in Europe and Austin had come to Florida to seek out someone to set up and run the newly formed US arm of the company.”

“He wanted someone young, but well educated, ambitious but methodical. I guess I fit the bill.”

Pickering had ended his education when he left university, and he had used his time well in Florida.

“I went to Exeter University in England, and I was introduced to the concept of lifelong learning i.e. Learning should not stop when you leave school. It´s good to keep educating yourself throughout your life.  It keeps your mind agile and I think it keeps you young. So I qualified as a mortgage broker, then a Real Estate Agent and then a Real Estate Broker.”

Pickering´s career at MRI Overseas Property hit an upward trajectory and he was soon asked to take on worldwide responsibilities rather than just the USA.

“In my career at the bank I had managed hundreds of people, and even large-scale IT projects.” It meant I could turn my hand to a variety of challenges and adapt quickly.”

Over the next few years Pickering travelled literally hundreds of thousands of miles with MRI Overseas Property, regularily visiting four different continents.
“
It´s been a bit of a blur and I don´t see too much of Florida these days – but I still call it home.”

Why? “Because it has a way of life that is tough to beat anywhere – and believe me, I´ve been to most places!”

Even with the recent turmoil in the Real Estate industry, Dominic Pickering´s career looks set to continue its rise, there is even talk that he will soon take over as Chief Executive Officer of MRI Overseas Property.

Does the downturn in the market worry him? “Certain aspects of it do. I hate to see peoples investments take a down-turn which inevitably some peoples will. But the market will bounce back. When all is said and done, all wealth is linked to Real Estate in one form or another, so it is never going to go out of fashion for long.”

Before we wrap up, I ask Dominic what his predictions are for Central Florida Real Estate.

“Let´s face it; most people buy Real Estate to live in as opposed to rent out. That means that attractive areas with a good infrastructure, decent weather, and quality housing are going to always be the most popular. Central Florida checks all those boxes. We have to ride out the storm for the next year or two, but soon enough Orlando will be buzzing again. I´m certainly staying here, and I´ll be ready for the next gold rush.”

In that final statement, it´s easy to see the infectious enthusiasm of Pickering and why he embodies the optimism of Orlando Business.