About Lila Keim

These days I operate on an Executive Level with a deep understanding of the discriminatory needs and wants associated with coastal living. I have enjoyed a long executive career in a variety of service-oriented businesses throughout the Nation and I am closely familiar with what many of my customers are looking for when searching for a first or second residence to enjoy and/or invest in.

If you have the time to get to know me more up close and personal, then the following synopsis of my life story may help you make it easier to decide on retaining my services.

Thank you.

Lila Keim

The Early Years

I was born on a farm near Lyndon, Kansas, as the oldest of 6 children with 3 sisters and 2 brothers.  My father was a farmer and my mother was a housewife.  I grew up in a family with a very strong faith, discipline and work ethic. In addition to my parents, both of my grandmothers were very important role models in my life.

My “country-side” Grandmother cooked, baked and worked everyday in her flower garden.  I spent a lot of time with my “country” grandmother in those early years, picking berries and veggies from her gardens. I also loved listening to her stories about growing up around the turn of the 19^th century when the west was still wild.

My “city” grandmother was a seamstress and cooked at the local restaurant.  So, obviously at a very young age I learned to cook and sew and maintain a garden. Other jobs I was assigned around the house were washing dishes, picking and cleaning eggs for the market, and feeding and watering the chickens.  Like most houses in our small town, the house I spent most of my young life in did not have air conditioning, a TV, or indoor plumbing and the restroom was rather an out house.  Besides going to school I spent most of my days outside playing with our pet dogs and cats; playing ball in the yard; climbing trees, and fishing.

In today’s estimate my family was very poor, but we did not know it.  We grew our own fruits and vegetables and raised cows and pigs for meat and to sell at the market. So what is poor when you always have plenty to eat?  My “city” Grandmother was one of 13 children with many sisters who all sewed.  Since I was the first niece born, all of them sewed dresses for me. Not only was I always very well dressed; I also had enough clothes to compete with any of the girls on that “Sex in the City” movie.

Several of my Aunts and Uncles did not have children and they always bought me birthday and Christmas presents.  I spent summers visiting with all of them.  My Mom’s sister was my favorite Aunt and I spent two weeks every summer with her and she would get me anything I wanted. My Dad’s two brothers spoiled me as well.  They always wanted me to accompany them on the weekends and they would buy me pop at the gas station for $0.05.  They also took me riding in their truck and on their tractor.

My “city” Grandmother lived by the ice plant which sold ice cream, so every week we visited her and she would give us a nickel for a very large ice cream cone.

She had a swing on her front porch and we spent many days swinging and talking.  What a simple life and time.

As I’m writing these memories on days past, I realize that I must have been quite spoiled, were it not for the fact that I carried my load around the house.

My Parents

My Mom and Dad are both gone now, and as you might imagine, I miss them very much.  I remember how we always ate meals together, at the same time, sitting at the kitchen table–not like today.  My Mom was a housewife and an excellent cook and as a result we ate 3 large meals everyday of mostly Southern fried dishes. Mom taught me to cook, clean house, and can veggies and fruits.  She taught me to bake homemade rolls and ice cream, noodles and pies, and many other family favorites.

My Mom and Dad were fully dedicated to their faith and their family and I honestly attribute my long marriage and successes to the examples they set in their daily lives with family, friends, neighbors and community. Throughout their lives they volunteered to help others, even though they worked from sun up to sun down while raising their 6 children.

Being the oldest I spent time helping Mom with each child that came along, setting the example for how I raised our two girls in later years. She assigned us chores inside the house, and Dad assigned chores outside.  An immaculate housekeeper, her motto was ”a place for everything and everything in its place”.

I vividly remember that doing laundry for a family of 8 was quite a chore.  On the farm my Mom did laundry with a ringer washer and that happened on Monday. She washed and I would hang the close on the line.  When they dried, I gathered them in, and we damped them and rolled them up for ironing on Tuesday.  On Wednesdays I went to the grocery store with her.  Here she taught me how to buy the best produce for less and she always knew which brand was the cheapest. Sometimes we sold the grocery store enough fresh eggs from our chickens to pay for our groceries.  Otherwise, we charged them until the crops came in or we sold livestock. Can you believe it–the pre-cursor to the credit card was a receipt pad and a list of items bought.  My Mom was a really good singer and she taught me the art of singing when she discovered that I had a talent for it.  We sang together at church and at home.  She also made sure I took piano lessons and later played for church services.  She also made sure I learned how to sew even though she did not.

Her love of cooking meant we had a lot of friends over to eat; at least twice a week with a card game afterwards.  It was never just chips and dip and a soda.  It was a full course meal with several choices in each food group.

After breakfast everyday my Dad would read to us from the Bible and say a prayer before we started our day… and then he was out to the fields for the day.  I was excited when he asked me to help with the outside chores and tasks around the farm so I could spend more time with him.  He taught me to milk a cow and drive the tractor and truck.  When I was little every night before we went to bed he would play his violin as we all gathered around the potbelly stove.  There was no heat in our upstairs where the bedrooms were, and in the winters we slept under mounds of covers and quilts, made by my Grandmothers.  In the summers we slept on the floors in front of the windows.

I always thought I was my Father’s favorite child since I was the oldest and he chose my name.  He was always there for me–directing me, teaching me right from wrong, encouraging me, disciplining me, and supporting me.  He taught me to play ball, which he loved doing as well.  He played on town teams and church teams, and with his brothers.  He loved the land and taught us to respect it and nature and to care for it.  He taught me to fish and ride a horse, even though I didn’t have a horse until after I was married.  He was very protective of me and didn’t really want me to date.  As he had to approve of the person I was going out with, I didn’t get to date until my junior year in High School.

Dad liked to read to me and he was very smart, even though he did not graduate high school. I’m not even sure there was a high school in the area when he was a teenager. But he could do all of our math problems in his head, yet he couldn’t show on paper how to do the work.  He bought and sold farms as well as farming them, and as I grew up he loved investing in “futures” and the stock market.  Before getting his real estate license, he took the High School Equivalency Test without studying and passed it.  He took the real estate test without any training, just reading a preparation manual, and passed it the first time.  He was at every activity I ever participated in (the same for my sisters and brothers).  He was the rock under my foundation.  He was very proud of me in my career, as a wife, and as a Mother and his grandchildren were the light of his life.  Since they grew up in the city, he taught them everything about the farm when they came to visit.  He was an avid Kansas Jayhawks fan and passed that passion on to me as well.  My car still proudly shows a Kansas Jayhawks tag.

Dad chose me to take care of mom and dad’s affairs in their senior years and I oversaw his health care through a major depression he had shortly after he retired from farming.  Mom stayed with us during this time as well, as she had health problems, which caused her to lose her eyesight as she experienced several mini strokes.  They both stayed with us for about 1 year after Dad got out of the hospital. He was never the same, but I could still see the love in his eyes.  The faith and trust he had in me was unbelievable.  I helped take care of both of them during their life ending illnesses, which was obviously a very hard time for me.

Family was the Nurturing of a Lifetime of Values

Every Sunday we went to Sunday school and church.  This is where I met many of my long time friends.  I went to church camp every summer and met even more friends.  Every Sunday we went to one of my Grandmothers or Great-Grandmothers for lunch.  Family was very important

I learned to milk the cows and at the age of 12 I was driving a tractor in the fields and helping to bail hay.  I would also pickup corn and throw it in a wagon after the corn picker went by.  The days on the farm were long and hot and the work was hard, but I didn’t mind.  I cherished the time with my Dad and his two brothers.

Before I knew it I was in school.  Pre-school or kindergarten was not a concept in the Midwest of those years.  We just started with first grade.  Getting good grades in school was very important to my parents, so it was very important to me.  A’s and B’s were expected and I studied very hard to make that happen.  I liked school and even though I spent a lot of time studying, learning came easy to me.

I had a competitive streak from early on

City girls in my classes would join the Brownies and Girl Scouts.  I was a country girl so I went to 4-H.  I focused on cooking and sewing and every year entered my projects into the county fair.  I would win ribbons – blue was the best; then red; white; and green.  I don’t remember winning any green ribbons.  The county fairs were a highlight of the year.  There were parades and carnival rides in addition to 4-H projects.  There were four fairs each year in the county we lived in as well as a huge 4^th of July celebration in our small town.  We always had water melon for 4^th of July, a wiener roast, a hay rack ride, and stayed up late for the great fire works.  In 4-H my brother’s project was a pig.  His pig had 13 piglets and he sold them and made a lot of money.  I begged my Dad to let me have a pig because I wanted to be able to sell its piglets and make a lot of money too.

As luck goes, the pig my Dad gave me turned out to be sterile. What a disappointment.  One of my projects in 4-H was to save Gooch Red Circles (http://www.emporia.edu/business/kbhfhistdetail.php?k_id=21)

All of our family and friends saved them for me too.  They were on all types of products, i.e. flour, sugar, noodles, cereal, et al.  I saved enough Gooch Red Circles to go to their ranch in Western Kansas in the spring of 1962 and used those circles to bid on a sewing machine.  I had enough Circles to bid and get the last machine they had.  I was on cloud nine.  During the next year I had to sew one garment every month and report on it.  At the end of the first year I had to go back to the Gooch farm and model one of the outfits I had made.  After this experience I made many of my own clothes, which helped my parents out a lot as my siblings were adding to the family size.

As a teenager I made numerous friends at school and had way too many sleepovers according to my parents.  I loved the Beatles and Elvis.  We listened to the radio, as we did not have a TV.  We always listened to Yankees baseball games and Kansas University basketball.

I was home sick from school on the day JFK was killed on November 23, 1963. It was a sad day that forever became etched on my generation’s brain and I have since visited the “grassy knoll” in Dallas as well as the museum and memorial.

The first Pizza Hut opened in Topeka and now we had a good reason to go to the City.  My favorite classes in high school were business, typing (on a manual typewriter mind you), accounting, shorthand, government and history.  I typed faster than anyone in high school at the time – 70 words per minute.  Since I was so good on the keys I was selected for participation in a school/work program and starting in my sophomore year, I was allowed to leave school early every day and work in the office of a local lawyer.

I loved all of the high school sports, i.e. basketball and football, and played softball in the summers.  I also played the flute in the marching band and I joined every school club and organization and went on every school trip I could reasonably apply for.  The best trip was the senior trip to New Orleans, LA.  We went by train and our class of 24 only had 2 chaperons—one lady and one man.  If my Mom and Dad only knew all the things we did on that trip, one chaperon per every two kids would become mandatory for every trip.

After high school graduation I continued to work at the lawyers’ office and became a full time legal secretary yet my thoughts were already occupied with traveling the world.

Kind of married out of high school

It wasn’t long until Bob, my future husband, found me and as things go so often in the heartland, we soon were married.  I had saved enough money to pay for everything our wedding required. My youngest brother was only four years old at the time and he was my ring bearer. We took our honeymoon to Orlando, which was just a small, unknown Florida town at that time. When we came back we bought a new car and a new mobile home and started married life.  Bob repaired televisions at that time and soon the thought set in that we would happily live ever after in our small hometown in Kansas.

Yet, two years after we got married Bob was hired by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Topeka and started driving 50 miles each way each day.  He soon got tired of driving and we sold our mobile home and bought a new house in Topeka.  I left my job as a legal secretary and became a travel agent.  Now we surely would start traveling the world??

Well, not quite. We were blessed with our first daughter, Carol, after three years of marriage.  What a wonderful experience.  I went back to work and my Aunt took care of Carol during the day.  At this time Bob worked nights and on occasion we went on a Caribbean cruise on the new Carnival Cruise Line and took several trips to Hawaii.

We went with the ups and downs of America and during an economic slowdown Bob lost his job at Goodyear for approximately 2 years and we found it impossible to afford our new home, an experience many people in the recent recession have come to share with us. Thankfully we were able to sell it and buy another new home in the countryside with less taxes and a lower house payment.

We spent a lot of time in those years entertaining and playing cards with friends.

Building A Burlington Northern Santa Fé (BNSF) Railroad Career

And then I got hired by the Santa Fé Railroad as a typist in the Typing Pool.  I thought it was a great job—I loved it and it paid double what I had been making as a travel agent.

From the Typing Pool I started my climb up the corporate ladder.  I did not have a college degree so I started taking classes at the local college.  I completed 18 hours before our second daughter, Jennifer, was born. When I went back to work, Bob was still working nights and I was working days and it wasn’t long until I was moved to the computer room on nights.  We had wonderful neighbors and they volunteered to let the girls spend the nights with them.  We are so thankful for them.

Years later our oldest daughter ended up marrying their grandson.

I knew I didn’t want to work nights for an extended period of time so during the day I went back to college. At that time you had to pass three computer courses to get into the newly formed computer department at the railroad. The only problem was that the department was off limits for women and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway was still a name in the company’s future, even before Santa Fé merged with Burlington Northern.

I started taking computer courses (BAL/Assembler or internal computer language; PL1; and Cobol)  and while completing the courses three women from other departments took the railroad to court and won the case that opened up the computer department for women.  I was lucky and became the 4^th women to land a job as a programmer in the newly formed department.  Of course it stayed an uphill battle, as none of the men wanted us there.  They were determined to disqualify me and I was more determined than every to succeed.  And succeed I did.  I moved up to the position of analyst, senior analyst, supervisor, manager, and finally director.

In 1993 I graduated from Baker University with a Bachelors in Business Administration and Computer Technology and in 1995 when Santa Fe Railroad merged with Burlington Northern, I was transferred to Ft.Worth Texas while Bob got a transfer as Goodyear logistics manager to Dallas. We were lucky and DFW was our new base.  I lead teams of people numbering up to 800 and was assigned to many special projects such as guiding the company’s IT operations safely through the Millenium scare.  I was always looking for the next big opportunity and volunteered to travel as a representative to the national railroad association in Washington, DC. Traveling the country became a lifestyle.

As if I had not enough on my hands, while the girls were in high school and I was climbing corporate at the railroad, I opened a retail, collector toyshop. The majority of the items we sold were European and I loved going to markets and choosing the items to be sold in our shop. We were blessed once again that one of the mother’s of a girl on our girls’ softball team wanted to run the shop for us. This was my first experience of opening and running my own business.

Also during this time my Dad was selling real estate and he found us a really good deal on a farm that we bought. We rented the house and the land out to a local farmer, which became my first experience as a landlord and real estate caught my attention.

My husband Bob has always been very supportive of my career. When the girls were young I often portrayed myself as super Mom, but I knew it was Bob who made sure the girls got to the doctor’s appointments and to swimming lessons, tap, ballet, and gymnastics. One thing we did stick to every summer was a 2-week road trip.  We visited every state in the US and visited all of the tourist attractions as well as the historic sites.  We would sign songs and play car games as the miles flew by.

After 32 years with the railroad I retired and we moved to Fernandina Beach in North East Florida.

The Florida Life Style

We chose Fernandina Beach, FL as our new home because we loved the warm winters, the beach, and the ocean.  The history of the tiny community was intriguing and the vibrancy of the community is unsurpassed.  Everything you would ever want is here—art, music, theatre, festivals, parades, volunteer opportunities, friendly people, shopping, boating, fishing and good food.  Our home is only 20 minutes to Jacksonville’s International airport which makes it really convenient to fly anywhere in the world.  We like being close to a metroplex, just in case we miss the big city flair—which is not likely- considering the very cosmopolitan feel of Amelia Island.

One of the things I like most about Amelia Island is its character.  As you move through the Island the wonderment of a fishing village with shrimpers who still shrimp is amazing—seeing shrimp boats docked next to multi-million dollar luxury yachts is stunning.  Having a 2-dollar beer in a local pub and a perfect Chateaubriand across the street is a rare experience in this part of the world, but part of every day life here on the island.

The history of the Island is unsurpassed and starts in Old Town Fernandina.  I would love to live there someday with a view of the Intercoastal Waterway and the Amelia River and the small lots and dirt roads.  It reminds me of where I grew up.  Everyday I go downtown and soak up the history and the charm of the shops and the people.  I see something new every day – musicians on street corners while people walking dogs, sitting on benches, eating ice cream, just talking, asking directions from locals or recommendations on the best restaurants. The Historic Downtown District is vibrant and full of people, fun, and history. I also love the little tucked away areas where you would never think you would find beautiful “old Florida” style homes with porches and white picket fences. The carriage ride past the historic homes is a must at least once a year and the story never gets old.  Another fascination for me are the beach houses that have stood the test of time and storms along the ocean, next door to multi million dollar homes.

There are few places in the world where you can find this merging of designs of beauty and functionality. And if that isn’t enough, there is the South end of the island with the beautiful canopy roads with mature shade trees and incredible fauna and wildlife surrounded by impeccably manicured gardens and golf courses.  In my opinion, the attraction is in the perfect match of diversities that makes the Island what I love about home.

We’re too young to retire!

After we retired from our previous careers and moved to Fernandina Beach, the plan was to stay retired—work in the yard, watch TV, and run around with our friends.  So first we remodeled our house.  We provided the oversight and it took a total of 2 years to finish.  I didn’t realize I still had that much stamina.  Consequently I decided retirement was not for me.  I saw an ad in the newspaper for a car sales person position in Jacksonville, which touted a salary I could relate to and I applied.  I got the job and I was off to sales training.  Permanent Education is also one of my life’s passions.  I have been on a life long trip of learning and have never stopped. The best part of my job at the dealership was the sales training, meeting new people and helping them get what they wanted—a new car.  It worked out very well for the dealership and myself, but the drive to Jacksonville and the late hours was not what I had in mind for a retirement job.  I sat back and looked at my options.  I had recent sales training, I loved meeting people and helping people, and I had always liked to visit open houses on Sunday afternoons in KS.  There was no better fit for me than real estate.  Being in charge of my career once again just felt right.

After becoming a real estate agent, I went back to school and became a broker.  Since then I have taken numerous classes and been awarded several real estate certifications.

Concierge Business

During the time between remodeling our house and getting a job, I had brainstormed extensively about opening my own business—something that would not take allot of cash to start up, something Bob and I could do together, and something that had a real need on the Island.  After seeing a talk show interview with someone who owned a concierge service, I went to work.  It seemed like the perfect business.  Once again helping others.  I researched every concierge service on the Internet.  Made a list of what they did.  Sat down with Bob and went through the list and decided what services we would offer.  Since I had owned my own business before I was quite easy to get everything going.  I developed marketing materials, business cards and a newspaper ad and we were in business.  What a great business it has been.  It amazes me how it grows every week—mainly through word of mouth recommendations from customers that we provide impeccable service to.  Obviously this business has been highly complimentary to my real estate business in either direction.  It is all about the people, the relationships, and the service.

My Spare Time Charities

When I am not working or traveling I love to work in the yard.  I landscape our yard, plant bushes and trees and a wild myriad of different flowers.  My favorite flowers are lilies, peonies and pansies. Even though island life invites to a different pace, my life hasn’t slowed down one bit. I love to cook and entertain our friends for home cooked dinners.  I have a passion for people—for getting to know them, for building a relationship that is every lasting and, if needed, to help them. I volunteer locally through our church, at Micah’s Place, the Boys and Girls’ Club, for beach cleanup, cooking and serving food at the homeless shelter, and thru Women in Nassau Helping Women in Need, which supports women with breast cancer.  I walk in the Katie Walk for Life, which supports organ donor ship, and volunteer through the Chamber of Commerce.  I am a member of Amelia Island Rotary Sunrise, which gives me many opportunities to volunteer in the local community, nationally and internationally.  The main project is to rid the world of polio.  One of the largest projects last year was providing safe drinking water for the people of Nicaragua in Central America.

God and our beautiful daughters have blessed us with four grandchildren, Carol and Jason with Christian, Isabella, and Landon; Jennifer and Chris with Hunter.

The circle of life continues.

Lila Keim in a Nutshell

My strengths are communication, business savvy, leadership, team building, people, and listening.  I value my faith, family, friends, and neighbors, and all of the connections I will make with people in the future.  I have a passion for truth, fairness, building goodwill and better friendships all around the world and benefiting others by helping them find new homes and getting to know the community and all it has to offer.  My purpose is to be the best I can be each and every day.

I still start every day with a prayer and a positive attitude. Can’t is not in my dictionary.  I am passionate about seeking out opportunities and I am confident in my abilities. I have experience and knowledge in the real estate market, in marketing and sales, technology, and human resources.

Thank You

As a result of my community upbringing I contribute, participate and network in diverse charities, professional organizations and service clubs such as:

• Amelia Island Rotary Sunrise
• Chamber of Commerce
• European American Business Club
• Win Win
• Micah’s Place Against Domestic Violence
• Member of Amelia Island Nassau County Assn. of Realtors
• Florida Assn. of Realtors
• National Assn. of Realtors
• Council of Certified Residential Specialists
• Council of International Property Specialists
• USAA Movers Advantage Program
• Former Board of Director, Amelia Island Nassau County Assn. of Realtors
• Former Activities Chair Person
• Former Communications and Membership Chair
• Honor Society ANICAR
• Million Dollar Club ANICAR
• Cambridge Who’s Who Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs
• WHO’s WHO Worldwide
• North Florida Business Connection
• International Real Estate Council ANICAR
• Committee Chair of the Year 2007 ANICAR