Bob Blough may be the longest-working Realtor in Rhode Island. At 92, he maintains a full schedule and has active listings with Randall Realtors, primarily selling properties in the Washington County area of Rhode Island and neighboring New London County in Connecticut. Blough, a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, spoke recently to the Providence Business News about his career. He joined Randall Realtors in 1988.
PBN: When did you get started in real estate?
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BLOUGH: I got started in 1968 and have been doing it ever since.
PBN: What did you do before real estate?
BLOUGH: I was a senior engineer with United Aircraft. I worked in the space program. We built the backup guidance system for the lunar module, on the first trip to the moon.
PBN: What attracted you to real estate?
BLOUGH: Well, I got laid off. That’s how I got into real estate. I was living in West Hartford [in Connecticut] at the time. I interviewed with some brokers. Nine of them told me I’d never make it in real estate. They said I had no sales experience whatsoever. But this one guy gave me a break. He gave me a lead the first weekend. And I sold that guy a house. By the end of the month, I was walking around with five contacts in my pocket.
PBN: What do you like about the business?
BLOUGH: You have total flexibility. You don’t really have a boss. Everything is on your shoulders as far as being a successful person.
PBN: Have you thought about retiring?
BLOUGH: I have no plans to retire. I’m active every day.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
