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Cricket Staggs, Ozark Empire Realty
I’ve always believed that if you take care of people, the rest takes care of itself.
People think my name is a nickname, but it’s not. My birth certificate says Cricket. My dad’s nickname was Cricket. My brother’s middle name is Cricket. But when I was growing up, people thought my real name was Ricky. Just take the C and T off Cricket, right? That’s what they called me. The first time I really used my name was when I started at Pizza Hut at 16. They made a name tag that said “Cricket,” and I wore it. People remembered me. It stuck.
I was born here in Lebanon. We moved around a lot when I was little because my dad was a biker. Southern Missouri, Southern California, Northern California. I remember going to biker jams with hundreds of motorcycles riding down the interstate. It was chaotic. Not the fondest childhood memories. My siblings and I came back to Lebanon when I was about eight to live with my Grandpa and Grandma Bynum. Grandpa was a pastor here, and we lived in the parsonage until my parents patched things up… In hindsight life wasn’t horrible, but family was difficult, and I ended up moving out on my own young. I had a hardship license and was living on my own by 15.
I dropped out of high school senior year, even though I had a 3.85 GPA. The classes I took hadn’t prepped me for college. At a college fair I found out I was missing the real credits I needed, like geometry! So I walked away and got my GED.
I helped open the Applebee’s here, and that led to a career in sales. I was working there when the Twenters approached me and said, “You’re good at this, come sell cars.” And it turned out to be a GREAT fit for me. I treated my customers the way I’d want to be treated. If a car wasn’t right, I wouldn’t let you drive off in it. I wanted people to get a product they could count on, at a price that made sense, from someone they could trust. That mattered to me.
I spent 17 years selling cars at Twenters. It was a solid place to work, and I learned a lot about people. But over time, the industry started changing. I started feeling like I couldn’t serve my customers the way I wanted to anymore.
One of my customers said something that stuck with me. He said, “You treat me like I’m your grandma. That’s called fiduciary duty.” He told me I should go into real estate, and that was my next step. I started at the lake, which is a harder market, and it sharpened my skills. More inspections, more regulations, different counties, more layers. With the help of a friend and business partner, I started my own brokerage. I eventually made my way back to open up a second location here in Lebanon.
Real estate, like anything else, is about relationships. You have to trust the person you’re working with. You need someone who knows the product and has your best interest in mind. I’ve always believed in being that person. It’s not just about selling a property. It’s about helping someone make a good decision, maybe one of the biggest they’ll ever make. That’s a responsibility I take seriously.
A lot of that comes from my work with nonprofits. Years ago, a woman asked me, “Before I buy this car, what nonprofits do you serve?” She helped me understand that helping others truly was helping myself. She got me involved with the Literacy Council. Turns out I have a weird gift for understanding Robert’s Rules and a true passion for helping others. Presiding over that board led to Elevate Lebanon and other boards. I’m also on the board for The Changing Table, a diaper bank. They cover multiple counties, and yeah, I’m Cricket the Diaper Guy now. Still never changed one myself.
We moved our real estate office downtown this year. Our lease was up, this building became available, and the timing just made sense. After showing the building to a few people and explaining what a good opportunity it was, someone said, “If it’s such a great deal, why don’t you buy it?” So I did. Now I’m the owner of a building that houses a lot of great local businesses – Rebel Ink, the Lunch Box, The Smiling Goat, Ralph Pitts with Shelter, Vitality Massage, and Buzz Cuts. Some of my longtime tenants have been here for decades.
I believe in this community. Downtown is thriving. There’s a Hallmark feel to it that’s rare these days. We have the people, the architecture, the history. All the pieces are here, and I want to be part of building on that. We’re involved in First Fridays, Third Thursdays, and we’re working on a plan to revitalize the alleyway beside our building to make it more inviting and beautiful.
I know some people think I’m too outspoken or opinionated. That’s usually when they’re on the other end of my opinions. I try to stand for fairness. I try to protect people. I focus on what’s best for the whole. I’m not a knight in shining armor, but I’d say I’m neutral good. I believe that if you help people get what they want, you’ll get what you need in return. It’s a positive feedback loop. That’s what community is.
I’ve been married to my wife, Patty, since 2005. We met when she was working at the gas station next to the dealership where I was cleaning cars. She had three jobs and three kids when I met her, and she managed to handle it all with the most effervescent smile you’ve ever seen. These days she works full time and STILL helps with everything from Pride events to nonprofit dinners. She serves on the Literacy Council Board. She’s not in the spotlight like I am, but she’s the reason I can do any of this.
People think I’m super social, but I’m actually an extroverted introvert. I’ve trained myself to do the public stuff. Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, those guys taught me that if you want to succeed in sales, you can’t sit behind a desk. You have to get out there. So I do it. I go out and stir things up. But I’m happiest at home with Patty and the dogs, or maybe out on the golf course or with a fishing pole in hand on one of our many little Ozarks streams.
I believe in people. I believe in this town. I’ve never wanted to be a big shot or anything like that. I just wanted to be happy. I guess I am a leader now, whether I meant to be or not. But I try to lead the way I live – with honesty, curiosity, and care for the people around me.
That’s what matters to me. Always has.
