Eleonore Hutton

RISING STAR

WRITTEN BY DAVE DANIELSON | PHOTOS BY PEAK RES

The opportunities we often realize in life are the ones we decide to actively go after … to move our visions of the future from the realm of dreams to plans and actions.

Eleonore Hutton represents the power of that through the accomplishments she has reached in her own life.

As director of sales and a REALTOR® with the Brett Boone Real Estate Team at The Brokerage, Eleonore demonstrates what the future can hold if you actively pursue possibility.

Building Strong Bonds

As she says, it starts with the bonds she enjoys with people.

“With my work, I love the fact that I interact with all the incredible humans I get to meet and work with. I fuel with people’s energy and whether it is clients, peers, partners, providers,” Eleonore says. “I have gotten to grow some pretty special relationships throughout the years.”

Coming to America

Eleonore was born and raised in Southern France, where her father worked as a chemical engineer and entrepreneur.

“I grew up watching him work countless hours establishing his business and always looking for ways to provide for our family. I had a tremendous amount of respect for him, although he was not always the most present,” Eleonore remembers. “My mother was a freelance journalist for a home decor magazine but mostly was home to take care of my older brother and myself.”

When Eleonore was 15 years old, she decided to pursue a new set of opportunities — as an exchange student in the United States.

“I wanted to spread my wings, experience something new and become fluent in English. So, there I was, living on a ranch in a town of 600 people in North Texas where everyone knew what ‘Frenchie’ was up to,” she smiles. “I came in with what I thought was a good level of English. However, it wasn't the case. I worked tirelessly with my host mom on my grammar, my pronunciation and overall understanding of the language.”

Capturing the Dream

From the beginning, Eleonore says she knew the American dream was real.

“And at that point, I wanted some of it … all of it. However, when I decided to stay at the end of the year, I got vetoed by my parents and went back to France, always with the goal in mind that I would be back.”

After high school, Eleonore moved to Paris, where she handled corporate marketing/communications for Sanofi Aventis, a large French pharmaceutical company. She was ready for something different. Around that time, an acquaintance invited her to come work in their real estate brokerage.

She wasted little time in establishing her business, putting her first property under contract in her first week, and selling six properties in her first three months.

Making the Move Permanent

Soon, her grandfather passed away — a dynamic businessman who had built substantial success with a range of companies … from lead soldiers to parts for rotary phones.

As she remembers, “With his passing came a little bit of money that I immediately took to come back to the U.S., invest in myself and get my degree from the University of Oklahoma. I was 20 at the time.”

As she thinks back on the events that have shaped her, two big ones come to mind.

“One was a powerful conversation with my host mom, Robin, when I was an exchange student. I remember her telling me, ‘Eleonore, you never finish anything you start. When you start something, you need to finish it.’ My 15-year-old self was shaken by the perception someone so important to me had of me. I think some people wouldn’t think twice about this, but I did, and it stuck with me.”

The other was during Thanksgiving 2008 when Eleonore was a student at the University of Oklahoma. She tossed and turned throughout the night.

“My gut told me something was off, and it wasn't Thanksgiving dinner. I called my dad but quickly understood a tragic accident happened and he was gone at age 51. Shock. Confusion. Disarray. Anger. All the emotions,” Eleonore recalls.

“I flew home to attend the funeral and be with family. My mom asked me to stay and move back. As much as I felt for her, I knew that’s not what he would have wanted for my future. I told my mom I had to go back to finish what I had started to be whole and in integrity with myself because I was the person that finishes what they start,” she says. “I don’t know where I would be today if I would have decided to stay, but what I do know is that out of those hard decisions came a wonderful life that I have built and that I cherish every day.”

Eleonore continues to build success through time. In fact, in 2021, she recorded $18 million in sales volume, representing 72 transactions. This year, she’s on track for $25 million in sales volume, representing 100 transactions.

Signs of Success

Away from work, Eleonore treasures time with her family, including her husband, Tyler, and their sons — a 6-year-old, Oliver, and a 4-year-old, Henry.

“I also had to French up our life, so we added Java, a French bulldog, and Saint, a French mastiff. Tyler is a mortgage lender, and between our careers and those two little guys, it’s keeping us on our toes,” Eleonore says. “We love to have people over, cook out and watch some football, but always look forward to new adventures. We love traveling and discovering new places. I absolutely love being in nature, away from the city, whether it’s a challenging hiking trail or driving down a dirt road.”

In their free time, Eleonore and Tyler enjoy supporting their children in their extracurricular sports and activities. Eleonore also enjoys working out at True Grit.

As she reflects on her success in the business, Eleonore thinks about the power of building on what you’ve achieved.

“I’m not reinventing the wheel on how I run my business. Every time I experienced massive growth was always when I either fine-tuned my systems and processes or when I added extra leverage,” she says. “What’s always the core focus is making sure the client experience stays impeccable regardless of circumstances.”

Congratulations to Eleonore Hutton for the impact she creates for others each day. She definitely makes a lasting difference for others by pursuing — and realizing — possibilities.