78 Photo Essay: Brian Alexander
White Pepper Real Estate
Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Ryan McGill
Brian Alexander was selling building materials for a Birmingham company when he began to befriend a few real estate agents he’d met at job sites. Eventually, he and his friends would exchange tips to help each other’s business. Little did he know that seeds of a real estate career were being sown.
“They started giving me info and I’d tell them about houses and take them through them,” Brian recalls. “The next thing I knew, I was hooked on real estate.”
That was in 2002, around the time Brian’s mom, Carol Alexander, and Charlotte Pugh, were forming White Pepper Real Estate in Jasper. Two years later, Brian moved back home and joined their team.
Brian is now co-owner of White Pepper along with Danielle Goins. Carol and Charlotte are still active realtors, along with 15 other agents.
While he enjoys the thrill of making a sale, for him, the reward is more personal. “We get to help people make the biggest decision they are going to make. We get to see the look on their face when they walk into a house and it's the one,” Brian says. “Some people think we just want to put a sign in their yard and get it sold as quickly as possible. The special part is when people understand that you weren't just trying to make a sale, that you were truly looking for the right house for them…when they say, ‘I'm so glad you helped me find that house. You knew what I was looking for and you were patient and didn't try to make me jump on the first thing that became available.’”
Forasmuch as Brian enjoys helping buyers find the right fit, he also enjoys the listing side as well, representing residential and commercial sellers in Walker County and at Smith Lake.
Twenty years after White Pepper was created, people still ask about the name. Brian says it was coined by Charlotte’s husband, Ray, to symbolize the company’s uniqueness and high standards. “They were struggling with a name, and they didn’t want ‘C and C’ or anything like that,” he explains. “White pepper is a garnish that not everybody uses. The tagline we use is ‘a cut above,’ like our service is a cut above. It just stuck.”
Understanding the importance of community, Brian also serves in various civic capacities, including serving on the Advisory Council at Synovus Bank, the Board of the Walker Area Association of Realtors (he also served as Past-President), and, most recently, Jasper Park & Recreation Board.
He and his wife, Kristi, have two boys, Reed (9), and Brodie (7), who participate in youth sports. Faith is an important part of the Alexanders’ life, and they are active members of Glory Fellowship Baptist Church.
Brian is now in his 17th year in the business—and he’s still hooked. “I’m so glad I chose this profession,” he says. “I love to meet and talk to people and hear their experiences. The biggest reward is putting people in the right situation, making sure they make a good financial decision as far as what they can afford. I truly enjoy what I do. I wouldn't trade it for the world.” 78