Know Your Neighbor: Chris Woodard, Local Boy is Right at Home

Bristol native Chris Woodard grew up riding his bike in front of what is now his office at Keller Williams Realty. He was raised on Franklin Street with three brothers. His home was the go-to house in terms of raising hell and getting into relatively wholesome mischief. Being the youngest, Woodard took some licks from his brothers and gave a few back. Life was all fun and games.

Even when it came time for chores, he and his brothers would find ways to make things interesting. They would rake their own yard for five dollars and a trip to Burger King. When it snowed, they would throw shovels over their shoulders and hit the streets, clearing driveways for senior citizens and making a few bucks shoveling for others. It was the early beginning of Woodard’s eventual activism in the community.

Woodard wrestled in high school and rode dirt bikes in the surrounding woods. After graduating, he started working with a seafood distributer.

“I moved out of Bristol to the big world of East Providence,” Woodard jokes.

While working for a seafood importer, Woodard began dabbling in real estate. He bought a duplex in East Providence, living on the second floor and renting out the first. It seemed like a great way to make money. It was the early '90s, with Donald Trump at the peak of his original fame and fortune as a real estate mogul. Woodard approached the industry with a wrestler’s calculated aggression. At one point he owned 28 units without ever having lived in a single-family home of his own.

“If it wasn’t making me money, I didn’t want to own it,” Woodard laughs.

He began selling off some of his properties at the peak of the housing bubble, and then in one year’s time, he left his career of 12 years to open a restaurant in Warren, he married his wife Lisa, got his real estate license, bought his first single-family home in which he would actually live, and had his first child. Again, Woodard seemed to be tossing life around the mat, but his Warren restaurant Wings to Go didn’t work out.

“It was like a bad marriage,” Woodard says. “There was always something to worry about. I never got a break.”

Like Trump, Woodard experienced his first loss, but that did nothing to stop him from moving on.

“At some point in life, everybody goes through struggle,” Woodard says. “Whether it’s financial, marital, or health issues, you've got to persevere. Sometimes you get slapped in the face. Sometimes you have a smile on your face. You can’t let failures get you down. You got to keep going.”

Woodard launched a new career as a real estate broker for Keller Williams with the understanding that selling homes is about building community. He’s on the board of directors at the Bristol Rotary Club, which helps raise money for local and national charities. Most recently, they’re sending shelter boxes to tsunami victims in Japan. They also make donations to the Women’s Resource Center and conduct book drives. This month, they’ll be purchasing astronomy books for every eighth-grader in the Bristol Warren school system. These are the kind of endeavors that keep a community healthy and thriving.

“It’s not just about money,” Woodard says. “It’s about helping build the kind of community that you want to live in.”

Woodard is also a member of the Elks Club and is currently helping develop an organization for veterans. Even in the office, Woodard is often involved in local charity work as Keller Williams makes donations to the local food pantries and soup kitchens. They’re also involved with the Women’s Resource Center and Red Cross. Last year, they took part in Red Day with local activist Stan Dimock in cleaning up and beautifying Bristol streets. It’s a hands-on approach to ensuring your investment in the community.

“My wife is shocked if I get home before 7,” Woodard says. “Sometimes I’m fielding calls late at night from a first time buyer who is panicking, but it’s totally worth it. I love helping others. It’s why I’m in the business in the first place.”

Woodard wouldn’t have it any other way though. He loves being his own boss. He’s on the road observing the world at large firsthand.

“I get to see things that others who from a work desk don’t,” Woodard says. “Driving around certain sections of Providence or wherever, you get to see others who are less fortunate. Being my own boss allows me time to help others.”