Angela Stamoulos and Ken Tutunjian
Title: Senior vice presidents and joint managers of Coldwell Banker’s two Back Bay offices
Age: Angela: 44 Ken: 55
Experience: Angela: 9 Ken: 32
Angela Stamoulos’ extensive experience in corporate training was what led her into the real estate industry. Until a few short months ago, she oversaw career development for all of Coldwell Banker New England’s 4,000 agents. Now, however, she’s put her boots on the ground in the Back Bay, under the wing of experienced broker Ken Tutunjian as joint managers of the company’s two Back Bay offices.
Q: Tell me a little about your background, Angela. Did you always want to get into real estate?
AS: I’ve always had the belief that real estate is the best form of investment, and always had an interest in it. But I came to it later in life. I went to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and then I got my first master’s degree in creative arts therapy. I was hired by UPenn as a mental health clinician, and a few months into it was recruited into a management role, and started doing a lot of staff development. I became interested in change management, so I went to UPenn for a second master’s in instructional systems and development – which is a fancy way of saying corporate development. While I was in the program, I was recruited by Accenture. I was with them a number of years. There was a lot of travel involved, and I wanted to come back to Boston to be closer to my family. Coming back here, I spent a lot of time looking into the market to find my own home, and eventually I said to myself, ‘You know what, I’m going to do it, I’m going to get my license.’
Q: What about you, Ken? I understand you’ve been based in the Back Bay for quite some time.
KT: Centuries. I started at the Back Bay office in 1981. I was at another firm for about a year. I was here, and the company got bought out and merged. There’s something to be said for staying in place, particularly in this business, where it’s all about relationships and people, and having people know where you are. The other day I saw a young girl walking up the street and I said “Blair?” and she turned around – I recognized her from when she was kid, her parents lived over on Marlborough Street. Now we’re friends on Facebook. People think of this as a big city, but it’s really a bunch of little towns, little villages.
Q: What made you want to switch from working at Coldwell’s corporate office to managing a brokerage, Angela?
AS: I started with the company in 2004, and the company has a strong history of promoting from within. I started as a sales trainer, and then my role expanded, and I was covering Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and then I got Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island and became the director of education. It’s a different scope. In my prior role I oversaw four states, close to 4,000 agents. So for me, having an opportunity to really focus in on the skill set of a smaller group of agents and be able to follow their progression and their careers, is exciting. And this is a very vibrant office, very energetic agents, most of whom I know through their prior role.
Q: Have you gotten to know the neighborhood, these past months, running around in your heels?
AS: I’m known for my heels!
KS: That was the first thing I said to her: ‘Those heels might have to go!’
AS: I’m really very good with them. When I used to show real estate as an agent, even in the snow, you could see my little heel trackmarks. So they’re not about to go, Ken! I’ve always come into metro Boston, and I’ve been exploring the [neighborhood].
Q: Have you noticed any changes in the marketplace?
KT: 20 years ago, 25 years ago, even more, there were a couple full-service buildings in the Back Bay, and they weren’t very popular. Now it’s just the opposite. People want concierge service, they want gyms, they want function rooms, they want places where they can entertain, they want garage parking. The difference is now they’re willing to pay for it. They’re stylish, they’re in vogue, they’re what everyone wants.
Top Five Things To Love About Living and Working In the Back Bay:
- Vibrancy: Walk out the door onto Newbury and you’re among people from all over the world.
- The architecture: This is a landmark neighborhood, with a unique mix of 19th century brownstones and modernist architecture.
- Killer shopping.
- Hidden gems, like the courtyard at the Boston Public Library.
- The sense of community: After the bombings, the neighborhood came together like never before.
