With Julie Gileo, Regional Support Specialist
Julie’s story with EXIT began long before she officially joined the company 22 years ago. It began with a man who would become one of EXIT’s earliest pioneers and someone she would eventually consider family.
As a girl, Julie first knew Bill Nasby simply as her mom’s coworker. While her mother and Bill worked together, Julie and her sister entertained themselves by racing through the office, sliding down the banister of its grand spiral staircase before running back up to do it all over again. Bill’s imposing stature and commanding personality initially made him seem intimidating, but it didn’t take long for her to discover he truly was a gentle giant.
One of her earliest memories of Bill came in 1994, when her parents hosted a large work gathering at their family farm. He was scheduled to make an unforgettable entrance by skydiving into one of the fields. Instead, a catastrophic accident during the jump left him with life-threatening injuries and required an airlift to the hospital.
As a child, Julie didn’t fully understand how serious the situation was. Looking back, she realizes just how close everyone came to losing him. Most people assumed he would never skydive again, but those who knew him won’t be surprised to learn that wasn’t his last jump by any means.
A few years later, as EXIT was taking shape, Bill became a regular presence in her family’s home. He and his wife, Raina, often spent time there with her parents as they worked through the early days of building the company.
Julie still laughs about one particular memory. Coming downstairs, she found Bill shirtless in the kitchen, trimming fresh herbs he’d been growing in the windowsill. His signature rose tattoo stretched across his chest, his bald eagle chain hanging around his neck, and that mischievous young twinkle in his eye as he reminded her that the box of Kraft Dinner she was making wasn’t exactly healthy. Like any preteen, she simply rolled her eyes and kept cooking.
The moment that forever shaped Julie’s view of Bill happened when he visited her elementary school as a guest speaker. At 12 years old, she was embarrassed that he was driving her to school that day. She remembers cringing when Bill even let a swear word slip during his presentation. But what happened afterward left a much deeper impression.
Long after the assembly ended students gathered around Bill with questions. Rather than rushing out the door, he stayed. He listened. He gave every child his complete attention. Watching those conversations unfold, Julie saw a different side of the man she had known for years. She saw a leader who genuinely cared about people and who had an extraordinary ability to make others feel important. It was in that moment that her embarrassment turned into pride.
That ability to connect with people was one of Bill’s greatest gifts and one of the reasons he became such an important part of EXIT’s history.
He wasn’t simply one of EXIT’s first District Owners. He took the company’s very first listing, placed the first EXIT sign in the ground, and closed EXIT’s very first transaction. Long before many people understood Steve Morris’s vision, Bill believed in it wholeheartedly and helped turn that vision into reality.
Julie had the privilege of working alongside Bill for 13 years before his passing in 2017. Today, when she reflects on his legacy, she doesn’t think first about the milestones or accomplishments. She thinks about the man who started as her mom’s coworker, became a trusted family friend, and ultimately became family.
Thirty years after EXIT’s beginning, Bill Nasby’s fingerprints remain on the company’s foundation and in the hearts of the people who knew him.
