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Our team Partners John Whiteside, Kevin Sayre and Lou Alpert represent a fantastic blending of enthusiasm, energy and experience. The ages of our team span several decades which allows the ability to relate to the Real Estate needs of our clients and customers in the different phases of Real Estate ownership.

The team, which has added Karen Hettrick, Angela Thornhill, Jill Carpenter, Melissa McSpedden-Martinek, Casey Raney, Lauren Valek-Farris & Mark Gilsdorf. Britni Rives is the team manager."  John Whiteside says friendly competition is what makes the team so successful. Team Whiteside is the best of both worlds for our customers. They receive corporate support with boutique-level local service.

John Whiteside entered the Real Estate Business in Little Rock, Arkansas with Rector, Phillips, and Morse after a successful insurance career. He was named “Rookie of the Year” and was leading producer until 1981, when he was hired by Merrill Lynch Realty as Assistant to the CEO of the Merrill Lynch Dallas operation. In this capacity, John expanded their operation to the Lakewood/East Dallas market, where he opened an office for Merrill Lynch. It was “love at first sight.”

In 1984, Merrill Lynch began pulling out of the real estate business and leaving Lakewood/East Dallas was not an option for John. He founded Whiteside Associates Realtors in 1984 and managed it until 1996. Whiteside Associates was the 10th largest Real Estate firm in Dallas. Coldwell Banker NRT acquired the company in 1997 and John served in management until 2002.

In 2002, John returned to his roots in Lakewood/East Dallas as a Residential Real Estate Salesperson with The Whiteside Team. They work inside the Coldwell Banker Lakewood Office, providing the local community involvement and local knowledge. The team has grown to include Karen Hettrick, Angela Thornhill, Jill Carpenter, Melissa McSpedden-Martinek, Casey Raney, Lauren Valek-Farris & Mark Gilsdorf. Britni Rives is the team manager. “The Whiteside Team is the best of all possible worlds for our customers,” John explains. “We offer big corporate support, coupled with boutique-type local service. Being part of it is the greatest thing that has ever happened to my career.”

John is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University, The Travelers Insurance Marketing School, The Realtors Institute (GRI), and is a Certified Residential Broker.

His passions are duck hunting, "The Blues", Lakewood/East Dallas real estate, & YMCA.

John’s memberships include: the National Association of Realtors®, the Greater Dallas Association of Realtors®, the Texas Association of Realtors®, named in "Who's Who in Residential Real Estate" by The Dallas Business Journal, Hella Shrine, Ducks Unlimited {lifetime member), East Dallas YMCA Board, Lakewood Country Club, Kappa Sigma Alumni Association, AARP and The Mickey Mouse Club of 1959.

After a lifetime of living in East Dallas, Lou looks forward to applying her "thinking out of the box" approach to a new career in Real Estate. Founder of the Lakewood Service League, active in numerous public and private schools as well as an assortment of charitable organizations, she brings a unique knowledge of the area along with a strong background in sales and marketing to the Team. Creative, compulsive, and competitive, Lou looks forward to attacking the world of real estate with the same enthusiasm that has made her successful in previous endeavors.

Karen brings a strong business acumen to the team with experience in Marketing and Advertising. Karen has 13 years experience with clients ranging from Texas Commerce Bank and Haggar Apparel Company to Taco Bell and Burger King.

Karen is a Historic Homes and Restorative Enthusiast and remodeled her previous home in Forest Hills. In her first three months as a licensed REALTOR®, Karen successfully contracted over $ 650,000 in the Lakewood/Casa Linda areas.

Karen has lived in the East Dallas community for the past 12 years and has spent the majority of her life in the Dallas area. She is a graduate of Ursuline Academy of Dallas and the University of Texas at Austin. Karen is an active member in many area professional and civic organizations including the Greater Dallas Association of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, St. Thomas Aquinas Parents Association, and the Texas Exes. She is also a board member of the Forest Hills Home Owners Association, and a member of the East Dallas YMCA.

Karen’s husband Greg is also in the real estate business as a Vice President of Community Development for Bank of America. Greg focuses on developing affordable housing in the Metroplex. Karen and Greg have three small children, Kate, George and Jack.

Angela grew up in Dallas and Plano, and but for college, has continuously resided in the Dallas area her entire life.

Angela is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Houston Law Center. Prior to joining Coldwell Banker, Angela was a real estate attorney for the federal government and a corporate real estate manager for Verizon Wireless where she managed a portfolio of over $100 million in real estate assets.

Happy to have made the switch from commercial to residential real estate, in addition to her professional background, Angela brings her firsthand knowledge of Dallas and over 8 years as Lakewood resident.

Selling real estate in historical neighborhoods is a natural fit to Angela’s background. She is a fourth generation Dallasite and a college history major.  Learning the history of houses and their neighborhoods, and sharing such information with clients is one of Angela’s favorite parts of being a residential Realtor®.

Mark graduated from UNT with a degree in Marketing and moved to Dallas in 1981 with a restaurant-opening team called Gallagher’s. He then joined the staff at the Grape Restaurant on Lower Greenville where he worked in the capacity ranging from dishwasher to executive officer and every job in between up to manager.

Mark entered the Real Estate industry because the beautiful homes in East Dallas captured his heart and he began to really appreciate the architectural styles in the area. Many of the local REALTORS were customers and he decided that this was his next career. Mark says, “I discussed my plans with Kevin Sayre of Team Whiteside, a past member of the staff at the Grape, and he pointed out that many of the top producers in the area came from the food service industry, and top producer is my goal.

Between being a father of 2 teenagers and 1 toddler, and 30 years in the restaurant service industry I developed a work ethic that has helped me to achieve my goals of being the best. Team Whiteside has the same goals so they were a natural choice.

Jill Carpenter has lived in the Lakewood, East Dallas, and Park Cities areas for more than twenty years and has been selling real estate for the last five years. Previously active in the corporate world, Jill provides extensive knowledge of homes throughout Dallas and brings unrivaled professionalism to her clients.

Casey Raney graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelors degree in Finance and Real Estate in 2006. She currently lives in the M-Streets. She has always had a passion for real estate and is positive about what the future holds. Driven by genuine desire to help others, Casey develops strong client relationships built upon honesty and exceptional service.

Melissa McSpedden Martinek has lived in the White Rock area her entire life and attended Lake Highlands High School. A former president of the Lakewood Service League, she is also a 17 year East Dallas Volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Prior to real estate, Melissa worked as a paralegal and owned a litigation support business.

Lauren Valek Farris was born and raised in Lakewood. After graduating from The University of Texas in 2007, Lauren worked for a large public relations firm for two years. Recently graduating with an MBA from the University of Dallas, Lauren is eager to forge a new career in real estate.
With a passion for historic homes and an eye for restoration and design, Lauren loves living in Lakewood. A lifelong parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas, Lauren enjoys being involved in her community through her church and organizations like Lakewood Area Women in Business, the East Dallas YMCA, the Dallas Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi and her high school alma mater, Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Lauren resides in Lakewood with her new husband, Davey. Her parents, Tim and Renee Valek, live just around the corner and enjoy having Lauren and Davey so close to home as newlyweds.

Team Office Manager
Britni grew up in the neighborhood, attended Woodrow Wilson High School and has lived in the area basically her entire life.

Britni has been working most of her life; Her family owned and operated the White Rock Yacht Club where she was instrumental in computerizing the marketing flyers, menus and such. These talents are being put to good use in keeping the team running smoothly.

Britni brings a youthful influence to the team that we dearly love. Her cheerful disposition and attitude is a huge asset to Team Whiteside in addition to her work place skills. Team Whiteside is better because of her association with us.