Abigail Jennings

What can you do with a fine arts degree? For Abigail Jennings, the answer is creatively and successfully operating the oldest real estate firm in the Lake Norman region. Her innovative vision combined with the business training she received working alongside her father, company founder James Jennings, has allowed her to grow her firm during a time of unprecedented upheaval in the real estate market. Since 1998, she has served as president of Lake Norman Realty, one of the largest brokerage firms in the North Charlotte market, maintaining the reputation for integrity, and unparalleled service that has been a company hallmark since its formation in 1978. As a Lake Norman native, Abigail Jennings has observed first-hand the remarkable evolution of the Lake Norman real estate market. She joined Lake Norman Realty, Inc. in 1990 and began learning from the ground up the business founded by her father, James Jennings. In 1993 she formed Lake Norman Realty’s Relocation Department, which grew considerably under her supervision and now contributes substantially to the company’s total sales volume. In 1998 Abigail became president of Lake Norman Realty, and under her leadership the company has more than doubled its sales volume and opened three new offices to better serve the entire region. Some of her other initiatives have been to implement “one-stop, in-house” services to streamline the home-buying process. The firm now offers clients mortgage and insurance products under the same roof as its full line of residential, commercial, relocation, and rental real estate services. In 2010, Abigail was named by Business Leader Magazine as one of the 2010 Women Extraordinaire, and in 2009, Abigail was named by the Lake Norman Business Magazine as one of the Top Ten Most Influential People in the Lake Norman area. In 2008, Abigail was recognized for her business achievements with the prestigious Mooresville South-Iredell Business Person of the Year Award. Under her leadership, in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 Lake Norman Realty was honored as a finalist in the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” contest. Lake Norman Realty was the highest-ranking company from the Lake Norman area in the Mid-Sized Business category for the Charlotte-metro region out of over 250 entries. She has been a past speaker at the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World regional conference in Charlotte, where she addressed brokers and owners of real estate companies in a session focusing on growth and overcoming challenges in today’s real estate market. The October/November 2007 issue of Real Estate Business featured an article by Abigail entitled “In Her Own Words: A CRB Designee Knows Life Is More Than Work”. And in the August 2007 issue of Lake Norman Woman, Abigail was the subject of the cover story, “Real Estate’s Renaissance Woman”. She is also a recipient of the distinguished CRB (Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager) and CRP (Certified Relocation Professional) designations. In 2005, she was named one of the “Most Influential Women in the Golden Crescent” by Business Today, and in 2002, she was honored as one of Charlotte’s “40 Under 40” by the Charlotte Business Journal. The impact of Abigail’s leadership is felt not only within the real estate industry, but in her community as well. Currently, she is serving as Vice-President of the non-profit economic development organization, SICDC (South Iredell County Development Corporation) and is a member of the Developer’s Council of the MSI EDC (Mooresville South Iredell Economic Developers Council). Abigail is also a board member for BlueHarbor Bank, a community bank based in Mooresville, NC serving the Lake Norman region. Furthermore, Abigail is founder and president of the Lake Norman Lucky Cat Program, a non-profit organization dedicated to humanely managing the population of stray and feral cats in the Lake Norman area through TNR (trap-neuter-return). Her previous community involvement has included: Past Chairman of the Town of Cornelius Historic Preservation Commission. Past Chairman for the Motorsports Taskforce Committee for the Mooresville South-Iredell (MSI) Chamber. Two terms as Vice-President of Economic Development for the MSI Chamber. Board Member for Junior Achievement of Iredell County, member of the MSI Gateway Enhancement and Preservation of Lake Norman Committees, and charter member of the Top-of-the-Lake Rotary Club in Mooresville. In addition, she has served as past Chairman of the MSI Chamber’s Economic Development Fundraising Campaign, Chairman of the Town of Cornelius’ Steering Committee for the North Mecklenburg Cultural Study for the Arts and Sciences Council, Vice-President of Public Affairs for the MSI Chamber, a Leading Lady for the Charlotte Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Chairman of the Mooresville-South Iredell United Way Professional Division, alumnus of the Mooresville South-Iredell Leadership program, Board Member for Keep Iredell Clean/Keep America Beautiful, executive officer of the Lake Norman Homebuilders Association, and Board Member for the Iredell Community Concert Association. From 2004 –2006 Abigail published “Lucky Friends”, a monthly magazine with a circulation of 10,000 copies providing free exposure for local rescue groups’ animals for adoption, with feature articles and a service directory for pet owners. Abigail graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelor of Creative Arts degree. She and her husband, Randolph Lewis, are currently restoring the old Mt. Zion Methodist Church Parsonage, a local historic landmark in downtown Cornelius where they reside with their daughters Genevieve and Ia, and their ten cats. In her rare leisure moments, Abigail enjoys painting, gardening and reading.