About Marcel
Marcel Ford attended University of Southern California Business School’s Entrepreneur Program and lives in Newport Beach, California with his wife, Diane, and their two children.
Marcel earned his California real estate license in 1992 and immediately put it to good use by purchasing several bank owned properties for renovation and resale.
In 1993 he created, Simply Silk, a silk plant cleaner for the retail market, and within eighteen months it was in over 125 Costco locations. Marcel continued to expand his product line into several other categories and retailers. His company, Botanical Science, boasted over eighty five products that could be found in all major retailers: Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Costco Wholesale, Sam’s Club, Toys R' Us, Michaels Arts & Crafts, Linen’s and Things, Pet Smart, PetCo, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, Albertsons, and several other national chains.
Marcel stepped away from Botanical Science in 2000 during the internet startup era and launched the first online arts and craft superstore called CraftProducts.com. He was first in market with 13,000 craft items online after raising capital and partnering with a major distributor in the Midwest. During acquisition talks from a public company in the industry the internet bubble burst and venture capital vanished, so he returned to Botanical Science.
In 2002 with a 150,000 square foot distribution facility and over 120 employees manufacturing product 24/7 he decided it was the opportune time to sell Botanical Science.
Marcel returned to buying, rehabbing and reselling houses where he applied his passion for marketing. He was one of the largest home buyers in Southern California within a few short years, buying and personally reselling 50 to 75 homes annually. Marcel credits his success to the effective marketing campaigns he created by purchasing 1-800-CASH-TODAY and incorporating the slogan “Sell Your House The Easy Way, Call 1-800-CASH-TODAY,” into his TV commercials, billboards, direct mail and strong online presence.
His desire to focus on the more fortunate side of real estate, led him to found Old Newport Realty which aims to emulate the casually elegant, yet upscale culture of Newport Beach. The towns’ atmosphere is perfectly in tune with Marcel’s own charm, and sophisticated marketing. Don’t be fooled by Marcel’s sense of humor, his hard work ethic is truly impressive, his experience is unparalleled, and his professionalism is undoubtedly world class.