Being nominated for 40 under 40 isn’t just about professional excellence, though that’s a key element that the Basin Business Journal looks for. It’s also about community involvement and being there to build up those around you.

Ashley Scott McKean, who was nominated by nine people, the most of any of this year’s awardees, exemplifies all of that according to Brett Lopez, one of the people who put her name in the running. 

“(She helped) us out the best way possible when she helped me and my wife find our first home together. I know she does a lot for kids sports and always helping in any way possible,” said Cody Webster in his submission honoring Scott McKean. 

McKean is a real estate agent at Better Homes and Gardens – Gary Mann Realty in Moses Lake and said that, basically, her career in real estate is all her mom, Chayo McKean’s, fault. 

“My mom has been selling real estate since I was a kid, and I’ve been driving around in cars with her for 20-plus years. So naturally, it kind of just landed in my lap.” 

With her mother’s encouragement and mentorship, Scott McKean said she joined the team at Gary Mann where her mother works and they’ve worked together since then.

She’s excited to move her career forward and wants to make sure she continues to understand the real estate industry more and more over time. It’s complicated and getting the right level of knowledge and always growing helps contribute not only to her success, but that of the team’s and, in the long run, the whole community that does better when business people excel. 

“I’m always looking to learn, and I’m hoping that I can take on a role in the future where I can influence other young agents to follow those footsteps of owning or managing their own businesses,” Scott McKean said. 

While she’s dedicated to making solid sales numbers and taking care of her clients, she said life is also about community and family time with her wife, Shelby, and their children. 

The pair met through friends and worked together for a time. They were just friends for some time until after Shelby had gotten divorced, Scott McKean said. Neither had expected things to evolve as they did, but Scott McKean said she was glad it worked out romantically. 

“It just, honestly, was a surprise, but it was a good surprise. I’m grateful to coparent with her and we’ve been pretty successful together,” she said. 

That success comes in multiple forms, she said. Raising the children has had its challenges and rewards, but they’ve also been able to set up another business that they run together – Backyard Big Screens. 

The business started out as a simple thing, but it’s grown. The family offers inflatable movie screens with all the trimmings like a projector and sound system for family movie nights, weddings and similar occasions. It’s sort of an event staging company that grew out of an important event. 

“It kind of stemmed off of our wedding,” Scott McKean said. “We had a lot of things that we purchased that we decided to start renting. So, we have bounce castles. We do greenery, walls, backdrops – you name it, we’ve probably done it.” 

Scott McKean was active in athletics when she was still in school. Now that she’s parenting, she’s taking those experiences and working to make sure the next generation can enjoy the same opportunities she had. As a coach, she’s junior varsity and varsity for the girls basketball team at Moses Lake High School. Now that her children are in school, she coaches their soccer teams. This coming year, she’ll be coaching fifth-graders.

With her main career in real estate, Scott McKean said she is focused on guiding real estate clients through the challenges that come with the industry. Buying property is a complicated business and homebuyers, especially first timers, can easily get frustrated and make mistakes without someone to guide them along. 

The first step is education, she said. A good agent looks at a client’s job history, income, debt level and other factors and offers advice on how to manage those so that a home purchase is successful. 

It’s all about getting a client to the proverbial finish line, and the reward that comes with it. 

“It’s such an accomplished feeling. I bought my first house five years ago, and I know how hard it was just from that, from my own experience. It’s just a great and accomplishing feeling, being able to assist my clients and family and friends in that aspect,” she said. 

Giving back is part of Scott Mckean’s nature, said nominator Brandon Rivera Hernandez. 

“(She’s) always going above and beyond. From having an open availability and answering phone calls, (responding to) questions and always pointing in the right direction. Very involved with the community (and) local businesses. Helping them achieve their growth with Maggie’s Kitchen, and Spring Festival 3-n-3. (She’s always) helping kids increase their confidence and encouraging (them) to play their best,” Rivera Hernandez said.