By Ana María Ramos
El Inmobiliario
SANTO DOMINGO – The doors of his kind heart are open to anyone in need of a helping hand. He is known as the father of real estate brokers. In real estate circles, anecdotes abound of colleagues he has helped out of tight spots on more than one occasion; for others, he has paid the down payment on their homes, under the motto, “You can pay me back later when you can.”
The verb "to serve" runs through the veins of Bienvenido Paulino Columna, the veteran agent who has dedicated 38 of his 74 years to the real estate business, owner of Plusval Venta Directa and co-owner of Plusval Dominicana, one of the country's leading real estate firms, with 235 associates.
“The first thing I would say is that I am the father of three children, five grandchildren, and a husband who has a partner whom I adore, love, and venerate,” he replies, defining himself for the readers of El Inmobiliario.
He has been married for 48 years to Verónica Peña, with whom he had Urania, Mariel and Ramón, two of whom are integrated into the paternal office, to continue the family legacy.
Welcome Paulino. (Fidel Pérez/El Inmobiliario).
Family, passion, unity, serving, giving, vocation, legacy and love are terms that stand out in the conversation with this business administrator and marketer, who gets up every morning at 5:30 AM driven by passion, for him, the cornerstone of life.
“No matter how bad things are, you always have something to give to others,” says the famous Pepe Mujica, a phrase Don Bienvo agrees with. “If you don’t give, you don’t receive.”.
She has taught her children and grandchildren to share what life has given them with others. “We have a community in Sierra Prieta, where my grandchildren have to go to a breakfast with children and share their toys,” she points out, after emphasizing that she learned “giving” by observing her mother.
Paulino Columna entered the real estate business after living in the United States, where his family had emigrated from his hometown of Bonao. He came to the Dominican capital on vacation and decided to stay.
His first job was at Avelino Abreu. From there, he set out to start his own business. On February 1, 1986, Crédito, Hipoteca y Transporte (CHT) was founded, which later became Inmobiliaria CHT, and finally Venta Directa, a company he started in partnership with a married couple. Four years ago, he joined the Plusval family.
From any scenario one can serve, says Paulino Columna, who feels gratitude for having served as a real estate agent to many people, being part of the achievement of a basic human right, such as housing.
“The greatest satisfaction you can have is when you can be an instrument for someone to acquire that roof, that home that will shelter them from the cold, the heat, the elements. Selling a property represents the greatest satisfaction,” he emphasizes.
In his nearly four decades in the market, he has had to deal with the darker days, but he maintains that when you do your job with passion and a service-oriented approach, the burden is lighter and the satisfaction is twofold. “It gives you the satisfaction of knowing you are contributing to the growth of the person or the family, but also the financial satisfaction,” he emphasizes.
Don Bienvo continues to sow seeds of quality so that when it is his time to depart for the celestial world, he can leave his children and grandchildren the pride of being able to recount the memories of an exemplary father-grandfather.
Her view of society is one where a functional family model prevails. Her philosophy is that life is meant to be lived to be happy and to do good, with unity as an ally, acting with dignity and without harming anyone. "I would never do anything knowing that it could harm a human being.".
In the real estate sector, he wants to be remembered "as the person who made the best effort to help us take another step towards the goal of being more professional.".
Originally published in the 8th edition of El Inmobiliario print magazine.
