Stuart Mackey began his real estate sales career at the Hathaway Group in Little Rock in 1994, and he’s been a principal there since 2000. He has been president of the Arkansas chapter of the Society of Industrial & Office Realtors since 2015.
Mackey has also been involved in Six Bridges Capital Corp., the Little Rock Regional Chamber, Greater Little Rock Leadership Institute, Leadership Arkansas, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Little Rock Sanitary Sewer Committee, Little Rock Realtors Association, Arkansas Realtors Association, Arkansas Real Estate Foundation, United Way and his church. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
Mackey is a member of the 2001 Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 class, and he was named Little Rock Realtor of the Year in 2004 and 2017.
With the pandemic push, will there be a lasting office paradigm shift away from conventional office space toward more home-office workspace?
We will always have traditional office space. This pandemic has pushed broader, faster acceptance of the ability to work from home. Moving to home offices will be balanced with the worker’s ability to avoid distractions at home and collaboration that can only occur in a shared workspace. Video conferences and webinars can impede nonverbal communication, restricting the ability to fully understand others. Work-life balance will also be closely examined due to this pandemic.
On a personal level, what has been the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make during this trying time?
I’ve had to adjust to less people time. Sales still occur between people. Real estate is not a product that sits in a store waiting for customers. It involves time out at properties and meeting with clients. Currently, this climate limits opportunities to meet clients, tour properties and even meet others in the real estate business.
Are real estate agents showing properties right now?
There are agents outside of Arkansas who aren’t getting out, and showings aren’t occurring there, but we are here, with proper care. We are working to meet clients’ expectations — from owners who are not comfortable opening their property to tenants wanting their team to walk through space discussing the property there as a group. Most agents are, in some form, going out and opening spaces, allowing prospects to understand the property.
What’s your outlook for retail space in Little Rock? How about industrial space?
This will not take as long as the recession of 2008 took to recover. Experts say this should take three to four quarters to get back to our previous market. Little Rock may take a little longer than larger markets that have bigger or faster swings. Recent announcements in Little Rock show that real estate is blurring the line between segmentation, especially with retail and industrial space. The news of Amazon’s explosion of occupancy in Arkansas illustrates that while a building may look industrial from the outside, much of the service it provides could be considered retail.
What deal are you most proud of?
I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of institutions, nonprofits, investors and small businesses throughout my career. Sometimes I feel my deals are like children; it is always hard to pick out one that you’re most proud of.
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