Ward Peters has experienced a long and fulfilling membership in the Suburban Rotary Club of Omaha. A member for more than 40 years, Ward has served as the President of the club, has been an integral part of many committees, and now serves on the Blue Ribbon Committee—made up of all past Presidents—to help advise the board. His reputation in Rotary may only be matched by his reputation in the Omaha business community.
Ward began his career in real estate with Bob Wurdeman and his real estate company. It was only after Bob passed that Ward realized what an inspiring mentor he had been to him. Almost everything he learned about how to treat people came from observing Bob and these lessons continue to serve him to this day.
At the time he started his career in the early 1980s, interest rates were a sky-high 19%. However, rates quickly dropped to 15% and Ward saw his business grow quickly due to the lower rates and his exceptional ability to connect with others on a 1-1 basis. He was awarded Rookie of the Year his first year in business and, with business partners Joe Valenti and John Kraemer, bought Wurdeman of Omaha from Bob in 1985. They continued to operate the company as Wurdeman of Omaha until 1987 when they merged with Allen Young and Maenner Residential to form HOME Real estate. In 1998, HOME merged with CBS to create CBS HOME Real Estate with the principles of those two companies selling to Mid-America Energies to become a part of Homeservices of America. Ward agreed to stay on for four years after this transaction, then decided to move on to something new and became a certified life coach.
Ward has built his life and his career on trust and it’s one of the reasons he loves being involved in Suburban Rotary. Everyone in the group has a common goal to do good for the community, the other members, and the organization as a whole and Ward feels there is an enormous amount of trust among all involved. He also enjoys the many opportunities to serve that the organization has given him. Ward has had the opportunity to travel to India to help inoculate children against polio as well as serve with many local projects including maintenance of the Prospect Hill cemetery and helping flood victims in Iowa.
Along with his long career and membership in Rotary, Ward is fulfilled by his family. This includes his wife, Jean Anne Ballinger, who he has been married to for 33 years, and his daughter Dolan Peters, an interior designer. His daughter is the proud stepmother to two kids ages 18 and 15 and Ward and his wife love being grandparents to them.
If Ward had to give advice to anyone joining Rotary, it would be to visit a few different clubs to see where you feel most welcome and included. He also advises potential members to not focus on getting business from the club, though business will surely come if you get involved. For new members of Rotary, he suggests sitting with different members each week, come to the meetings as often as you can, and to choose a committee to serve on that speaks to your heart.
If you would like to experience Rotary for yourself, please reach out to board member Angela Chaney at (402) 890-3406 or [email protected]. She would love to bring you as a guest and tell you all about the club!
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