Almost 27 years after Strano and Associates entered southwestern Illinois' real estate arena, the agency continues to make great strides in reaching new real estate markets in innovative ways. Dede Strano, Co-founder and President of Strano and Associates, remarked that even though the real estate agency is in a growth mode, it remains committed to providing excellent customer service as an instit
utional goal. "When Bob and I started out together we knew that the key to our success in this business was to provide superior service," Dede said. "There's always going to be tough competition in this industry, but by treating our clients with service that is second to none, your success is just about guaranteed." In 1981, a headline in a local newspaper read, "Couple Stakes Future on Real Estate Market." Today that kind of news may not necessarily make headlines, but over 20 years ago the story was remarkable because an ailing economy was taking the life out of the real estate market. The article went on to say, "The Stranos, after six years of working for other agencies, are set to open their own agency." Despite soaring interest rates for home mortgages and a general sluggish economy, the Stranos decided the time was right for a new Belleville agency. Bob Strano, a man with vision and perpetual optimism, was quoted as saying, "Just because times are bad doesn't mean they're not going to get better. When times are bad, you take a bullish posture." His background was in the stock market. Dede Strano was quoted as saying, "We will stress professionalism. Image is important and we want to stress quality not quantity." Bob Strano added, "We think there is a tremendous future here in the next five years." The Stranos achieved their five-year goal in just one year. Today, evidence of Strano's growth is astounding. Strano and Associates Real Estate has grown to over100 Associates and seven locations. Recently Strano and Associates was named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the "Top 50" Largest Women Owned Agencies in the St.
