The Certified
Realty Story
How One Man Made A Difference
Certified Realty's beginnings are traced to post-World War
II Portland, Oregon. There, a young ensign named Don Widing
had just completed years of military service with the Merchant
Marines. His tour of duty took him to exotic countries of South
America, plus India, Australia, Hawaii before statehood, and the Arabian Sea. He'd
enjoyed his travels, but was glad to be home and soon headed out on
another journey almost as unpredictable.

Don Widing in front of
Sandy Blvd. Location |

Don Widing at work |
In 1946, Don began selling real estate, learning the
business at several local firms. In 1950, he founded Certified
Realty Company. Before long, Certified Realty was involved in
virtually every
aspect of Oregon real estate. This included handling the sale
of homes, farms
and commercial properties, along with construction, subdivision
development, business opportunities, industrial properties and even
insurance.
Don's involvement in so many different areas remains
impressive. Early on he realized he was dealing with people,
and they always came first. As a result, Don was respectful,
worked very hard to be fair (often at his own expense) and provided
excellent service, never forgetting 'the customer is always right.'
Don was also personable and could relate to virtually anyone and
from every station of life.
Certified Realty eventually grew to
multiple offices with a capable staff of salespeople, secretaries
and support crew. Given this long tradition of assisting
buyers and sellers throughout much of Oregon, the firm continues to
sell real estate not only in the Portland metro area, but throughout
the Willamette Valley, including the Salem metro area and much of
Oregon. Certified Realty is also one of the first
Oregon real estate firms to fight racial discrimination and hire a minority salesperson.
Many employees remained at Certified Realty for decades, the
surest sign of a satisfying work environment. These included office
manager extraordinaire Nancy Schnackenberg, super-salespersons Ralph
Dehler and R. A. "Rod" Radmacher, plus insurance man and
"Jack of all trades" Max Johnson. A vital part of Certified
Realty for many terrific years was Don's close friend, business partner and fellow
former Merchant Mariner, Andy Fuhrer.
In the 1990's, Don handed the ownership and operation of
Certified Realty to sons Bruce & Roy Widing, who share more than
four decades of real estate experience between them. Since 1950,
many firms have come and gone, but Certified Realty is still going
strong. We hope you've enjoyed this story that shows how the
vision of one man can make a positive difference in the lives of so
many others.
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Founder Don Widing & Wife Shirley-1960's |

Don & Shirley-1970's

Don & Shirley
circa 2000
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Don Widing & Family
In loving memory of
our Founder, Leader & Dad
Don Widing
1918-2010 |
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