Originally from Alabama, Jess moved west after graduating from the University of Alabama. After several years of “adventure jobs” from being a cowboy to working in shipyards in New Orleans to casinos in Nevada, Jess started his career in Real Estate in Salt Lake City in 1975. In 1978, Jess moved to Park City and managed the Park City branch of the then largest real estate company in Utah.
In 1983, Jess felt that he could prove that the biggest is not always the best and started Jess Reid Real Estate. Thirty-five years later he still enjoys actively running and maintaining a successful mid-sized company in Park City.
When Jess arrived in Park City there were two old highways coming into town and Main Street was almost deserted with many stores literally boarded up. There was no Deer Valley, no Park Meadows Country Club and very little development. The population was 1,100 people and there weren’t even any stop-lights. Jess along with a lot of other incredible people worked to help make Park City what it is today.
He was the founding president of the Park City Chamber Bureau. He was asked to come back years later to the Bureau to be president again when the organization was having problems. He was on the founding board of directors for the first Park City Board of Realtors and president of that organization. He also received the Community Service Award and Realtor of the Year award from the Park City Board of Realtors.
Jess was one of the first people to make up the Park City Rotary Club and has been president and on numerous boards. Through Rotary, Jess founded the Park City High School Interact Club and has been its advisor for 16 years. Interact Club is a service club for high school students who perform community, school and international service.
Jess was appointed by two different governors to the Utah Travel Council Board of Commissioner’s and served as its chairman. The board’s purpose is to promote tourism for the State of Utah.
As Park City has grown, Jess has enjoyed growing with it particularly with the real estate market. With Park City’s real estate market becoming one of the biggest and most affluent of any mountain resort community in North America, Jess felt it was the time to expand the companies capabilities.
In 2019, Jess Reid Real Estate joined Windermere Real Estate, the largest regional real estate company in the west. Windermere Real Estate is proud to be a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and its luxury division, Luxury Portfolio International.
Other milestones:
Recipient of Rotary International Four Avenue’s of Service Award
Egyptian Theatre Past Vice President
Board of Director’s for Utah’s Association of Realtors
Leadership award from Park City Municipal Leadership Training School
Huntsman Cancer Institute Community Council Co-Chair
Park City Centennial Commission executive committee member
American Cancer Society Board Member and Past Chairman
Park City Men’s Coalition – started the 4th of July Parade and Miner’s Day Parade!
25 years on the Wild Buffalo Roundup – Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake
