Dwight
I migrated from Belize when I was 21 years old, after college. My mom was living here, I had been already been coming to the states vacationing, and she wanted to me to come. I had a job that fell through and she said “I got some stuff lined up for you– come see what happens.”
We lived in Chicago. The north side; Lawrence and Foster. I don’t like the city. It’s too busy, it’s too hectic, it’s too congested. Not my style. So that lasted about a year and a half. A girlfriend had friends in Waukegan, and we decided to move. I found that a lot more pleasant. A lot more relaxed. A couple years later I got married– not to the girl I moved here with– and I have two daughters. In fact, I’m taking them out later for steak dinner.
I started working at Abbott in about 2000. I was working in maintenance. Abbott sent me to CLC (College of Lake County) for skilled trades. My thing was pipe fitting, an industrial plumber, but over the years you learn different trades. I became the group leader of the night shift and I learned a bit of electrical and HVAC work, and I had some carpentry under my belt even before I got there.
2008 to 2010, the housing market wasn’t doing well. I picked up a home for pennies on the dollar just one block west of Abbott. I moved from Waukegan to North Chicago with the idea of walking to work and started rehabbing that property. I fell in love with remodeling.
My stay at Abbott terminated in 2014 and I decided to keep using my tools to remodel and flip homes. That didn’t last even a year when I decided I needed a license so I could do my own closings. So, I became a Realtor and then a broker. And I also have another license. I also became a home inspector.
I still live in the same house I bought, and I’m not looking to move anywhere anytime soon. To me, North Chicago is a community that is underrated, underestimated, and had some bad light shone on it. I’m not one to cower and shy away instead of trying to be a part of the solution. We can be as good or better than the communities around us through hard work and love for where we live. I’m a property owner and I’m a landlord, and I plan on improving on what I have control over, which is my properties. Hopefully, if God’s willing, I can grow from there and leave an even bigger footprint, a positive footprint in this community.
How did your perspective or opinion of the community change when you left Waukegan and became a resident of North Chicago?
My idea of North Chicago was that it was not that great. My perspective changed once I was living here. It started off with great neighbors. You know, standing in the alley and having conversations. Barbecuing, playing music, we became friends. All of us. Unfortunately, and that’s how life is, some of them have passed on.
Me being a Realtor, now I’m selling properties more to Hispanics than anybody else, so I’ve witnessed that change. And I’ve noticed that knowing people firsthand, by name– their first name– it helps with caring more about the community where you live, because you're invested.
As a businessperson, it’s natural to have somewhat of a public persona and to be known by that. What’s something people in the community might not know about you, or don’t know about you yet?
I may tend to seem like a flashy guy. You know, jovial and outgoing. Inside, I’m actually a quiet person. I’m dedicated to fitness. I like to spend time alone and to travel. I love my family. These are things that hold high value.
Your daughters are 20 and 18 years old. What three words would they use to describe you?
Weird, loving, fun.
What’s the last thing you learned?
The last thing I learned is that family comes first. It should have been the first thing that I learned, but it just happens to be the last thing that I learned. Friends will come and go. Girlfriends will come and go, boyfriends will come and go, but family is forever. We should always put family first. That’s the foundation of who you are.
If you come from a good family, when you’re outside of the home, in peace and at peace, you’re more able to perform at a higher level compared to walking in chaos. With a strong family foundation, a person can go a lot farther than someone without one.
Complete this thought: To me, North Chicago is…
To me, North Chicago is a community with a lot more potential than it’s exhibiting right now. North Chicago is going to grow. It’s going to become better, it’s going to look better. It will be one of the communities around here that will be looked at in a positive light and talked about in a positive way, because I don’t see other cities jumping leaps and bounds like North Chicago will.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.