By Sherri Coner
As Kathy Arsenault, owner of Arsenault Realty Group, reaches the 30-year milestone of her business, other people remind her to do at least a little bit of celebrating.
After all, three decades is a huge accomplishment.
But for Arsenault, the anniversary is another reminder of how far anyone can go when they tirelessly persevere.
Inspired by her own mother’s work ethic
Raised in a single-parent home on the Southside, Arsenault’s mom first worked at US Rubber Company. With seven children to raise alone, she constantly looked for other income possibilities. So she enrolled in evening classes and learned how to upholster furniture and decorate homes.
“With an eighth-grade education, my mom learned how to do all of that,” said Arsenault, the middle child in the family photo. “She taught all of us kids to go through the alleys and look for furniture that was thrown away. We also delivered a lot of furniture for her. She was very popular. A lot of people knew my mom.”
For as long as Arsenault can remember, her mother taught work ethic simply by the way she lived and worked and tried and never gave up. Her children had front-row seats to witness the distinct way she overcame challenges.
“She raised all of us to be strong, especially the girls,” Arsenault said. “She taught all of us to drive a stick shift so we could drive the truck for furniture deliveries.”
After graduating from Southport High School, Kathy married young and had four children.
Then she found herself living her mother’s history as a single parent.
That wasn’t the only history repeating though.
Like her mom, Arsenault stepped up to the task and tackled how to best raise her children alone.
“I made a decision that I wanted to get into something challenging,” she said.
A promising career
When a friend suggested real estate, Arsenault jumped at the idea.
“I grew up in a business family,” she said. “I felt really comfortable working with people in their homes after accompanying my mom for all those years.”
Her first step was to hire on as a salesperson with Dura Builders, now known as Shoopman Builders. After getting a real estate license in 1986, she acquired a broker’s license in 2001, “with the intention of starting out on my own.”
Around that same time, life threw a curve ball in this strong woman’s direction.
She took full custody of two of her 10 grandchildren. They were 3 years old and 8 months old.
There she was, trying her best to fly solo in the competitive world of real estate and now she also had diapers to change.
Again, Arsenault followed her mother’s example.
“I dragged the grandkids along with me, like my mom did with us,” she said with a laugh.
Arsenault’s 10 grandchildren, hopes to one day take over managing the Indiana office that his grandmother opened 30 years ago.
An unexpected diagnosis
Nearly 10 years later, this woman who has burned the candle at both ends since childhood was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Arsenault viewed that time in her life as another bump in the road that she was determined to travel. After completing cancer treatments, she and her family got involved with Relay For Life.
In 2014, Arsenault made a completely new, out-of-the-box business decision.
With two of her children and one of her brothers residing on Florida’s West Coast, she often visited the area and got familiar with surrounding areas, as far south as Punta Gorda. When she had a few minutes to spare, Arsenault also thought about retirement someday.
In 2014, she got a broker’s license in the Sunshine State.
Today, Arsenault Realty Group includes eight additional real estate agents.
One of the faces in the office is that of Kaleb Arsenault, one of the grandchildren she raised.
“My grandson is trying to one day step in and take over Indiana,” she said.
When there is time to get together, they will celebrate 30 years of a woman-owned business, 30 years of hard work and dedication, 30 years of facing and conquering challenges.
Arsenault Realty Group
8343 Fieldfare Way
Indianapolis IN 46237
(317) 538-1192
