By Karen Keene
Gloria Nilson, an icon in the real estate community known for her trademark hats, and her husband, Len Nilson, have built their life on hard work, integrity, and authenticity. Gloria started her successful company the same year Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) was founded, in 1977, and both she and Len have helped MCF to flourish while they have grown their family and respective companies. They have solidified a powerful legacy.
MCF’s Nilson Society, commemorating donors who provide for MCF in their estate plans, is named in honor of Len and Gloria in recognition of their remarkable generosity and support of MCF through a major planned gift. “We’re so pleased to be able to memorialize our long and rewarding relationship with Monmouth Conservation Foundation in such an exciting way. MCF is an organization we’ve respected since its founding in 1977…,” Gloria and Len remarked.
Len first learned of Gloria when a friend pointed her out in a high school yearbook, and it took six months and a happenstance meeting for him to get his introduction. At the time, Len was stationed at Fort Monmouth, and Gloria was home from college for the summer. They dated on and off through Gloria’s undergraduate studies at Goucher College and were engaged during her senior year. Len wanted to get married right away, and they could not afford to be in graduate school at the same time, so Gloria gave up a graduate fellowship at Columbia University. This later turned out to be serendipity because that is what propelled her in the direction of real estate. They were married at The Stone Church in Navesink, New Jersey in 1956 and later had a son, who has brought them three grandchildren.
Len had earned a degree in physics from Upsala College and was drafted the day after graduating. He served two years at Fort Monmouth in the Army Signal Corps before entering the workforce and embarking on a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Newark College of Engineering (now NJIT). He became a microwave engineer and ultimately partnered with a colleague to launch UTE Microwave, a small business which designs and manufactures custom components for radar, communications, and medical applications.
Len shared his perspective - “Starting with a slide rule and a fax machine and progressing to computers, the internet, and more, we have to keep abreast of new technologies, but there is still no substitute for hard work and dedication to your vocation.”
This rings true for Gloria in her own pursuits to become a business owner, crediting her success to hard work and perseverance. Gloria showed a lot of grit working as a ward attendant at Marlboro State Hospital while still in high school. Through humble beginnings and ingenuity, Gloria Nilson Realtors quickly became a part of the fabric of Monmouth County signifying fine properties, a commitment to community, and an in-depth knowledge of real estate. The company’s first office in Shrewsbury faced several hiccups during renovations from being a hamburger stand - with no heat for a period in winter, so staff had to wear gloves while typing, and no water for a short time, causing employees to resort to using the nearby post office for restrooms and melting snow to make water for coffee.
Gloria also had to overcome some adversity to grow and succeed with her company. Len shared how Gloria “broke the glass ceiling for women in real estate when she was starting out,” and Gloria recalled her struggles to be taken seriously as a female in the industry. For instance, early on she had to try six times to apply for a credit card to pay for gas and other business expenses and was denied the first five times, where the creditor wanted Len as a co-signer.
Gloria, leveraging her psychology degree, required applicants to take a personality test administered by Caliper to measure traits for success in real estate sales. It was an exclusive, innovative approach that allowed her to select the best candidates for the growing company and which instilled a sense of pride in those hired. Once on board, members of Gloria’s company were treated like family. Gloria recalled attending each of the 11 company offices’ holiday parties annually and taking top sellers into New York for their choice of a Broadway production as a reward.
Today the company is owned by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach REALTORS, and the foundation of excellence continues. Gloria attributes her decision to sell her company to a hard lesson she learned from her grandmother. With just $75 in her pocket, Gloria’s grandmother came to the U.S. from Norway alone and started a coal company. She managed to put her five children through private school, then lost her company during the Great Depression when people were unable to pay their bills. Gloria saw big business moving into her market and decided to sell while she was on top but has continued on as a full-time realtor.
Both entrepreneurs who don’t believe in retirement, Len still works at his company, while Gloria continues every day in her distinguished career in real estate.
Throughout her real estate career, Gloria attests to clients highly valuing green spaces. “People want to live near parks, open spaces, and natural features. If clients are thinking of buying property adjacent to an undeveloped area, they are concerned as to what could happen there,” she shared. On more than one occasion, Gloria has recused herself from a real estate transaction because it conflicted with her beliefs in land preservation.
The Nilsons’ involvement with MCF to preserve open space, farmland, and natural habitat in our region has intersected with their professional and personal lives. Gloria and Len’s favorite area parks are Huber Woods, where they might be lucky to see an equestrian on the trails, and the soon-to-be transformed Swimming River Park, with access to the Navesink and Swimming Rivers and beautiful marsh landscapes. They feel the Monmouth County Park System is one of the best in the state, and it’s a frequent selling point Gloria uses in her work.
It’s no surprise that the couple is passionate about conservation and our natural environment, and that comes through in their work and activism. For 25 years Gloria has lent her time, expertise, and leadership as an MCF Trustee, currently serving on its Executive Committee. Both she and Len have made a significant impact as steadfast advocates and generous philanthropists to MCF and throughout our community.
When asked about a favorite memory or experience from their years involved with MCF, Gloria and Len shared stories of the annual polo matches that took place in Colts Neck, which MCF would often help to sponsor. On two occasions, horse carriages paraded through Middletown roads to end at MCF’s fall Dinner Dance fundraiser events. In terms of impact, they feel MCF’s work to create parks, save open space, preserve farmland, teach environmental sustainability, safeguard waterways, and protect wildlife benefits everyday needs like our drinking water and air quality, and ultimately helps to secure a healthy environment for their grandchildren and future generations.
The Nilsons’ life together in Monmouth County began with their meeting at Fort Monmouth. They lived in Matawan after getting married and bought their first home in Lincroft, before building their dream home together in Middletown. Len grew up in Jamestown, New York and came to New Jersey for college. Gloria grew up in Staten Island, and her family used to sail and spend nights on their boat in the waters off Atlantic Highlands. Her father dreamed of owning a farm, and their first home in the area was on a farm in Colts Neck, the majority of which has since been developed.
Over the years, the couple has seen tremendous change in our region – some for the better, and some not, in their opinion. They commented, “We have witnessed overdevelopment in some instances, like sprawling townhouses in previously open space, increased congestion on our roads, loss of farmland, and closures of Bell Labs and Fort Monmouth. Yet we have seen the addition of numerous parks and some farmland preservation, some exciting redevelopment such as Bell Works and Fort Monmouth, the growth of medical facilities, and influx of wonderful restaurants. It’s a balance, and overall Monmouth County has so much to offer. We see MCF’s role as critical to partnering with local governments and our park system to keep Monmouth green and maintain the natural characteristics of our community.”
Acknowledging their success in Monmouth County, Gloria and Len feel strongly about giving back, and have chosen to support several organizations spanning conservation, healthcare, education, and arts and culture. MCF is pleased to recognize the Nilsons for their decades of involvement and support of its mission to preserve land and protect the natural habitat of Monmouth County. The couple will be honored at MCF’s Fall for Conservation cocktail party on Saturday, September 24, 2022 evening, hosted by John and Robin Klein at their riverfront home in Middletown New Jersey. For details, visit Fall for Conservation — MCF (monmouthconservation.org).