On a 2019 evening at a Berkshire Hathaway event in Chattanooga, Chris Scott was doing what he’d done for years – slinging drinks.
At the time, Scott was juggling shifts at nine different Chattanooga establishments. He’d poured cocktails at Songbirds, Memorial Auditorium and Tivoli Theatre events, worked gatherings at The Tennessee Aquarium and The Signal and helped set up bars at State of Confusion and Stir. He was as plugged into the city’s hospitality scene as anyone.
Real estate was not on the menu that night – at least not for him.
Yet as he tended bar, several local Realtors and brokers – including Doug Lawrence, Marcus Holt and Doug Edrington – began asking him a question that would follow him home.
Had he ever thought about what he was going to do when he stopped serving cocktails?
On his drive home, Scott says, the questions hit him “like a Muhammad Ali jab square in the face.” Bartending had been good to him, but it was not how he envisioned his future. The people skills he’d sharpened across hundreds of crowded rooms – listening first, reading body language and anticipating needs – might translate to something else.
The next day, Scott registered for classes at TREES. Within weeks, he was licensed and training with the Edrington Team at Berkshire. Not long after he’d sold his first home, Bill Panebianco of Pratt Home Builders invited him to lunch and offered him a role as a new home consultant – not because Scott knew floor plans but because he knew how to take care of people.
In his first year with Pratt, despite supply chain challenges, Scott sold 49 homes. In a 2022 article in the Hamilton County Herald, he calls the work “a blessing.”
On the morning of Feb. 6, Scott stood before a large gathering of local real estate professionals at Greater Chattanooga Realtors’ Honors and Awards Breakfast as his name was announced as the 2025 Realtor of the Year – the association’s highest individual honor. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the industry, the community and the association at both the local and state levels.
Since becoming a Realtor in 2020, Scott has immersed himself in the work beyond sales. He’s served on GCR’s Community Partnerships and Leadership Development committees and Young Professionals Advisory Group. He’s a Leadership Academy graduate, a Realtors Political Action Committee Major Investor and the chair of GCR’s Placemaking committee.
Originally from Memphis, where he worked in sales and marketing for the Memphis Grizzlies after graduating from the University of Memphis, Scott later served in the U.S. Air Force before making Chattanooga his permanent home. He volunteers with the Women’s Council of Realtors and remains active in association leadership.
Colleagues describe him as thorough, detailed and professional.
“Chris leads by example,” says Connie Brewer, 2026 president of Greater Chattanooga Realtors and a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Pryor Realty. “He invests in people, follows through and elevates every project he touches.”
In the following Q&A, Scott reflects on the moment his name was called, the faith and philosophy that shape his approach and the mindset he believes is essential for lasting success.
You were selected as GCAR’s Realtor of the Year from nearly 3,000 local Realtors. What was your immediate reaction when you heard your name called?
“Shocked, humbled, appreciative and grateful.”
What does this award mean to you personally – especially considering your relatively recent transition into real estate?
“It’s a reminder to never stop reinventing oneself – irrespective of one’s age.”
You’ve previously described your work with Pratt as “a blessing.” Has that perspective evolved as your career has grown?
“My work is still a blessing; however, certain conditions have changed within the real estate market that have raised the work bar but lowered the earnings bar – and that’s never a welcome change. The recognition doesn’t change the way I see myself going forward but rather further cements my idea of the ministry of presence. Intentional involvement in other people’s lives hopefully for their betterment which will in turn better my own life.”
You’ve always emphasized taking care of people, whether tending bar or guiding someone through building a home. How do you define great service today?
“Great service always begins with listening first and talking second. Additionally, accessibility is paramount. The most important aspect of any business is communications. Without it, there simply is no business, so by making myself as readily available as possible, I will in fact greatly influence my success.”
This award comes from your peers. What does it mean to be recognized by fellow Realtors?
“While our jobs are certainly important, life is all about people and relationships. People must remain as the top priority in life. Not only are our immediate family members important, but every person I come into contact with throughout the day is important as well. From the lowliest to the highest, they are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God.”
When you look back to that 2019 evening bartending at Berkshire Hathaway, what stands out to you about that moment?
“Truth be known when they first mentioned it, I was slinging drinks and making cocktails, so it went in one ear and out the other. However, on my drive home that evening, it hit me like a Muhammad Ali jab square in the face. While I certainly enjoyed bartending, I knew that it was not something to carry me forward into retirement, so I resolved that evening to begin the education process for something other than bartending.”
As a new home consultant with Pratt, you walk buyers through one of the most significant decisions of their lives. What do you strive to give people beyond simply a house?
“Most people are aware of the distinction between a house and a home – and it’s here that I try to focus my attention. A house is simply a structure with nothing but form and substance. A home, however, is life’s cradle for a family or an individual where everything occurs. The home’s location, the neighbors and all the memories to be made will directly and greatly influence the person’s or family’s entire life and lifestyle.”
What standards or principles do you hold yourself to each day, especially in a market that can be unpredictable and competitive?
“When people mention standards and principles, the foundation for both must be integrity. When we speak of integrity, it’s all about quality and not quantity. The world focuses on numbers and quantity yet God stresses quality. I’m always called to do my best, which might or might not produce the desired numbers. I try hard to keep this priority even when the numbers don’t look good. I’m called to be faithful and let God handle the success side of things.”
You’ve been active with GCAR through Leadership Academy and committee work. How important is involvement beyond sales numbers in building a meaningful real estate career?
“It’s monumental and absolutely paramount. I cannot over emphasize this. It’s impossible to be close to the thousands of buyers throughout the area but not with their Realtors. Relationships with other Realtors are essential for success in this business.”
If you could speak to the version of yourself who was juggling nine bartending jobs and wondering what was next, what would you tell him now?
“Two things stand out as essential: mindset and work-life balance.
“Without the right mindset every day, you’ll be defeated even before the day’s activities begin. Every day must be a new ‘Day One.’ You could be on year seven and week three into any given month and have zero sales, but you cannot allow that defeated mindset to prevail. Recent success or failure cannot and must not affect your mindset and approach to each new day.
“The other critical factor is work life balance. Life is not all work. Work is certainly important but by no means the ‘be all and end all’ of life. It’s easy to get caught up in your career and lose sight of your spouse, family, neighbors, friends and organizations, all of whom have obligations of their own. Constantly reassessing priorities and adjusting one’s schedule to keep everything in proper balance is critical.”