Contemporary Custom Built Lake Home

Derek Carlson

Realtor - Licensed in Missouri & Arkansas

Derek W. Carlson was born and raised in Missouri, where he graduated from Willow Springs High School as the only child of a retired 1st grade teacher and elementary principal. Growing up, his family had two farms: one in Willow Springs with registered Black Angus cattle and another on a 200-year-old family-owned farm in Elk Creek, MO/Texas County with primarily registered Charolaise cattle. Although the farm is still owned, there are no longer any cattle. Derek has always been passionate about sports, though now he mainly enjoys golf and billiards. An avid outdoorsman, he resides on Bryant Creek in Ozark County, engaging in activities such as floating, fishing, fly fishing, tying flies, camping, and hunting morel mushrooms. He occasionally hunts but not as frequently as he would like.

Derek pursued higher education at both Missouri State University/SMSU and the University of Central Missouri/CMSU, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications with an emphasis in Marketing. He is a proud alumnus of the national fraternal organization of Delta Chi. With over 25 years in the food and beverage industry, Derek has held every position within the field and even owned his own bar and grill. For the past 20 years, he has focused on the sales side, working for various full-line distributors, including as a business development manager for a Fortune 500 company and the largest full-line distributor in North America. Derek's love for cooking and diverse culinary experiences is evident.

His travels have taken him to Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, Europe (Italy and Nice/South of France), as well as numerous large U.S. cities and states. After spending 17 years in Springfield, he moved back "home." Derek is a proud father of two boys: one attending college at Missouri S&T, and the other a summa cum laude graduate of Truman State University who now teaches high school mathematics with focus on physics and calculus. An active member of the West Plains Elk's Lodge #2418, Derek also shares his life with a special rescue pit bull terrier named "Whiskey," who has been with him for almost nine years and enjoys accompanying him to show and list properties.

With three years of experience in real estate, Derek may not consider himself an expert, but he is known for his exceptional client care, making new friends and not only meeting customers expectations, but also exceeding them as well! He is licensed in both Missouri and Arkansas.