WHAT DO SCOTT AND MARATHEFTIKO HAVE IN COMMON?
What do a Scott and Maratheftiko have in common. First of all when I talk about Scott, I mean Scott McMillin, CEO of The Corky McMillin Companies and McMillin Realty, Inc. When discussing Maratheftiko I am referring to an ancient grape. Scott and Maratheftiko are both rare, international and know Cyprus; however Scott is not ancient. The ancient part brings a smile to my face only because my husband and I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary with Maratheftiko. (Sorry Scott and Susan you got the Cab.)
I looked up “rare” in the Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. Rare means “marked by unusual quality, merit and/or appeal”. My experiences with both Scott and Maratheftiko certainly meet or surpass the “unusual” in the definition of rare. Please let me explain.
I was not yet born in October 1923, when the flag was raised over the new Naval Training Center (NTC) for the first time in San Diego while 100 school children sang “The Star Spangled Banner”. I did not even know NTC existed until I moved to San Diego in 1986 and learned about the military presence. I lived in land locked Iowa. I was learning about corn, beef and tomatoes.
The San Diego Naval Training Center (NTC) popped on my radar when the McMillin family’s company; The Corky McMillin Companies went to work facilitating a city’s vision now know as “Liberty Station”. The history of 1.75 million trained recruits and how those recruits helped shape their military, their city, and the cause of freedom internationally I learned during the renovation period of the NTC.
Since 1986 I have been selling real estate in San Diego County. In 2007 when the market started shifting I began to recognize the transition of “Local Markets, Global Clients”. With this knowledge in mind, I invested in a Certified International Property Specialist Designation (CIPS) through the National Association of Realtors as well as becoming a member of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) based out of Paris, Francis and joining the World Trade Center. The CIPS designation addresses cultural, currency, regulatory, liquidity risks and taxation differences which affect foreign nationals as well as expatriates when purchasing real estate. Now you are probably asking what does this have to do with Scott and Marathefitko? Keep reading I am getting to the point!
Marathefitko, the rare grape is grown in sparse quantities around the island of Cyprus but mostly in the Pitsilia region. The Pitsilia region is in the Troodos Mountains. Every September Cypriots harvest this endogenous variety. Since this grape is only grown on Cyprus an island out in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea; a bottle of Fikardos Maratheftiko is very hard to acquire. Scott McMillin might say this particular bottle of wine is as hard to acquire as the prestigious Prix D’ Excellence Award which The Corky McMillin Companies was recently awarded in May of 2011 for “Liberty Station” in Pafos on the island of Cyprus.
You might be asking yourself: Why is this award so important to San Diego? If I may...FIABCI,
the French acronym for the International Real Estate Federation was founded in Paris, France in 1946. In FIABCI’s 63 years of existence, San Diego. California has never entered the
Prix D’ Excellence Award Contest and with a rare jewel like “Liberty Station” The Corky McMillin Companies entered the contest. FIABCI currently operates in 60 countries, comprising over 3,500 individual members, 20 Academic Members (including University of San Diego), 120 professional organizations that encompasses 500,000 real estate professionals worldwide.
Hello, my name is Julie K. Danielson and I am a Broker-Associate with the McMillin Realty, Inc. going on 18 years and a member of FIABCI. I strongly encouraged Scott McMillin to enter “Liberty Station” in the Prix D’ Excellence Contest. I believed the project was a beautiful outstanding reuse of a decommissioned military facility worth international recognition.
Scott accepted the challenge and with the team lead by Senior Vice President Kim Elliot submitted the detailed application. We competed and won! Kim and I were fortunate enough to fly to Cyprus and accept the award for the citizens of San Diego and The Corky McMillin Companies at the 62nd International Congress of FIABIC.
In closing, my husband I and really enjoyed the rare Maratheftiko bottle of wine which I carried over 8000 miles from Cyprus to drink on our anniversary after participating in a wonderful event. But, the real rarity in this story is Scott McMillin and The Corky McMillin Companies organization that brought home to the citizens of San Diego County an international winner worth celebrating: “Liberty Station”. Congratulations, Scott, family and all of the team.
