Ruhl family celebrates five generations of ownership, business in Quad-Cities real estate

The family's rich history in real estate began in 1862 with Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors in a small corner store in west Davenport. By 1899, John H. Ruhl acquired an insurance agency, and his son John joined the business in 1919, putting an emphasis on real estate.

By 1920, C. Arthur Ruhl, the second-generation owner, joined the team with a focus on insurance, and in 1950 Charles A. Ruhl joined, representing the third-generation, according to the company's website.

In 1982, Ruhl & Ruhl Insurance and Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors split off to become two separate companies. Two years prior to that in 1980, Caroline Ruhl, daughter of Charles, got her start in the business. But despite the family connection, real estate was not an encouraged profession.

"My father wanted the brothers to be in real estate, but I was not supposed to," she said.

Instead, she found a job in Dallas, doing relocation for Rockwell International. From there she found work in international personnel, relocation and finally worked her way up the ladder to become the manager of employment and management development for Ebby Halliday, a Texas-based real-estate firm named after the founder. Halliday's firm is now the largest real estate company in Texas. 

Although Ruhl enjoyed the role she was in, she felt her calling was elsewhere. 

"I really thought what those people were doing in selling the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and trying to attract people to come to their area while I was trying to sell the company and the positions, I felt their job looked like more fun," she said. "I had always thought it would be fun to own my own business, so that was my aspiration. I loved corporate America, but I decided I would rather own my own business."

Ruhl then relocated to Davenport, started in sales, then set up a relocation office with Ruhl&Ruhl. Even though she was ready to start her new career, the economy was not making it easy.

"The early '80s here, we had a huge recession with the farm crisis. Lots of people were leaving the area, so that was a very challenging time to be in the business," she said. "It was like the last person out, turn off the lights."

Homes were depreciating at 1% a month and in the Quad-Cities specifically, an estimated 20,000 manufacturing jobs were lost, according to PBS. Over in Waterloo, 14% of the population left and homes were left abandoned. Ruhl said selling homes in the Quad-Cities was a challenge, too.

"It felt like a black cloud whenever you walked into somebody's house," she said. "Now when we walk in, they're pleasantly surprised their house is worth more than they think it is. But back then, they all thought it was worth more than it was."

Ruhl&Ruhl was able to weather the economy, and the relocation business kept it afloat, she said. Once the market turned around, the real estate side bounced back, the relocation office moved to Bettendorf.

Ruhl continued to manage and grow that portion of the company until 1989 when she became the CEO, and the fourth generation to lead the company. Being a woman in business was not easy, she said. There were many barriers to break, and especially because she was a woman, eyes were on her. She used this opportunity to rise to the occasion and beat the expectations of the time.

"Because you're a woman, they pay more attention to you because you stand out," she said. "They were pleasantly surprised."

While leading the company by day, Ruhl was also raising two sons: John and Chris Beason. The latter of which joined the family business after college, representing the fifth-generation of family ownership.

Beason said his path into real estate felt natural, because it was always a topic of conversation.

"Growing up in the family business, it was at the dinner table and at family events. There was always conversation about real estate, so it was sort of ingrained in me growing up," he said. "It came naturally to me, but I wasn't sure what aspect of real estate interested me."

After graduating from college, Beason's grandfather, Charles A. Ruhl Sr., mentored him. The pair shared a close bond until Ruhl's death in 2014. Prior to that, his grandfather identified him as the one who would take over the company next.

Initially, Beason felt the pressure of leading the company, but that feeling wore off quickly. Ruhl&Ruhl is the second-oldest real estate firm in the United States, and Beason wants to continue the growth until they are in first.

"I never had to be talked into it. It's more of a duty, but it's also an honor," he said. "After four generations, you can't just let it go."

Ruhl said when her son first came to her and said he wanted to join the company, she was happy to hear it, but it wasn't going to be that easy. If Beason was going to earn a leadership position, he would have to prove he had what it took.

"It wasn't an entitlement that he would rise to the leadership position that he's in, but I was thrilled that he was coming into the business," she said. "But he had to work his way up."

Beason graduated from college in 2007, armed with a real estate degree. But much like his mother's first foray into the industry, there was a recession looming that made it difficult to get started.

Ruhl instead used her connections to help Beason land jobs in other markets and essentially get his feet wet before coming back to Davenport. Beason eventually joined Ruhl&Ruhl in 2009 as a sales associate, marking the fifth-generation.

"She sent me to get checked out by other people, too," he said. "She wasn't looking at me just as her son. She wanted to get an independent opinion."

Eventually, Beason rose through the ranks and was named company president in 2018. Ruhl said while she was proud of her son and was happy to see him succeed, she was a little concerned about the amount of responsibility he would have to take on. 

"Once you get to this point at the leadership level, you have 400 families depending on us," she said. "We have to make sure we create a safe, profitable place for people to work. You lose some sleep at night just making sure you're doing the right things."

But, Beason has proved himself and is now respected in the industry, she said. Beason said getting to follow in his mother's footsteps is an honor.

"On a national scale, we are constantly getting recognition on how we are doing things," he said. "(She's) built that. The Ruhl&Ruhl that we have on the residential side is not what it was in the '80s."

Beason said he has big shoes to fill, but is grateful to have such a legacy to carry on. Moving forward, his motivation is to ensure the company continues to grow, and he will do that by following the lessons he has learned from his mother over the years.

"Most importantly (I have learned) how to treat people, and that people matter. You get back what you put into relationships and into your community," he said. "She's very giving of her time and resources and does it without blinking an eye on giving to others."