Back in the day, there was arguably not a single fifth-grader in Columbus who had achieved more of a “cool status” than Megan Cimpl.
After finishing her school day at St. Bonaventure Elementary, she moseyed on over to nearby Scotus Central Catholic High School, where she would wait outside by big sister and then-Shamrock senior Erin (Cimpl) Nahorny’s car to get a ride home. If she was lucky, there was also an occasional trip to the local candy store on the way back to the house.
“Of course she was cool because I was so cool – like every senior in high school,” recalled Nahorny, with a bit of a laugh. “She always got to talk to my friends when we would come out.”
The two sisters spent a lot of time together growing up – from car rides home to babysitting adventures. Cimpl even looks back on freak accidents that happened when her older sister was babysitting – like when she mistakenly stepped on a bladed sprinkler – with laughs and healed injuries now.
They’re a little older now, but their closeness hasn’t changed. Nahorny is a realtor at kwELITE, while Cimpl serves as its marketing coordinator and sales manager. They also collaborate at local nonprofit organization Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation. Although there is not a ton of overlap in terms of what they do at kw, they acknowledge it’s fun being in the same building.
“When you have your sister as one of your best friends and something is going on, it’s always really nice to have a trusted person by you every day – day in, day out,” Nahorny said. “I have a good relationship with everybody, but Megan and I can talk about work outside of work. So for me, it’s nice to have somebody in the office I can bounce ideas off of.”
Cimpl relishes the fact that her job requires her to do a lot of different things, which results in no day being quite the same. Among her responsibilities is shooting drone footage of kw property listings for VRLY’s custom 6D home tours. Being part of the same team as her older sister makes it more special.
“I used to say Erin was my idol. I’ve always respected Erin because she cares about making a difference in the lives of others and is passionate about giving back to causes,” Cimpl said, referencing both of their work with Sammy’s and Center for Survivors, the latter of which is a nonprofit that serves victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking in the area.
Although they have a lot of similarities, the sisters are distinctively different. They have a bit of a yin-and-yang dynamic. Nahorny is the self-proclaimed “bossy” one being the oldest of the four Cimpl girls (they have two sisters, Amy and Jennifer, in between them). Nahorny finds ways to get things done and is unafraid to speak up to accomplish tasks. Cimpl counters that with a determined, but maybe quieter approach.
“Megan’s always the person who grounds me. She’s so emphatic toward other people, and definitely helps me with that,” Nahorny said. “Megan has a huge heart.”
Cimpl was quick to reiterate Nahorny’s big heart too, whether it’s through her work with nonprofits, her church or when she and her now-husband, Chris, let her live with them while she was in college.
Their love for one another was on full display back in 2012 when Nahorny’s son, Sam, was diagnosed with a form of cancer. Cimpl was one of a few loved ones who moved back to Columbus as a result, though her specific reason was to be able to help watch Nahorny’s other children and be a form of support while they dealt with travel to and from stressful doctor’s appointments.
Although Sam is doing well and it was a scary period in their lives, they both are grateful for that time in some sense because it brought Cimpl back home. Cimpl had been enjoying big-city living in Omaha, but she had no problem giving it up to be there for her family.
“We’ve always been close,” Cimpl said.
The two are appreciative of kwELITE Broker/Owner Renee Mueller for giving them the opportunity to be part of the same work team. They take pride in it and have great respect for Mueller.
“Renee is definitely an innovator in terms of knowing what’s coming, how to be on pace with it and how to embrace it, because you can’t really stop the fact that our clients are coming to use with tons of knowledge about a home. Everything’s on the internet. You can buy a house on the internet…” Nahorny said.
“What I think is awesome is that kw has embraced that. We have to get onboard with it, and then figure out how to still add value and make sure our clients can depend on us, trust us and need us to make sure things go smoothly through a transaction.”
Years after all those rides home from school together, the sisters occasionally still take a ride together. Only it’s for lunch instead of the candy store.
Are you looking for an expert to help you find your next dream home or business location? If so, Call kwELITE Real Estate at 402-563-4663 to speak with Nahorny or any of our realtors.
To learn more about Sammy’s Superheroes, visit www.sammyssuperheroes.org.