The Realtor
Phil Wood
Photographer by Vanessa Rogers at a private residence in Grey Oaks
Name recognition has never been a problem for Phil Wood, perhaps because his name appears on “For Sale” signs scattered across Naples and the surrounding area. As a guy who has always enjoyed playing sports, the athlete in him thrives on the
competitiveness of the industry, and Wood also enjoys helping people find their dream home. Most importantly, though, Wood, CEO of John R. Wood Realtors—one of the first homegrown real estate firms in Southwest Florida started in 1958—is an expert on selling people on Naples. The only son of company founder John R. Wood, Phil went to Emory University in Atlanta. Eventually, he returned to the place he had grown up and has stayed ever since. “I did not make a final decision till late in my junior year,” he recalls. “I figured out that my friends were talking about going to work for different ?corporations where they might end up in North Dakota or some other crazy place. Naples didn’t sound too bad at all.” Wood has seen the market through growth spurts (2004 and 2005) and the resulting correction, but he says today’s more reasonably balanced state is what he prefers. And there isn’t a better firm in his mind than the one his father built that he’s dedicated himself to since the late ’70s. “We’re definitely one of the few remaining local companies that’s a major player.”
Facebook Comments