Melody Cusick, second from left, was presented the 2024 Kosciusko County Board of Realtors’ Realtor of the Year at the organization’s annual Christmas party, by her family. From left are Jennifer Murphy, daughter; Cusick; Nicholas Murphy, grandson; and Tiffin Murphy, son-in-law.

Text and Photos
By DEB PATTERSON
InkFreeNews

NORTH WEBSTER — Each year, the Kosciusko Board of Realtors recognizes an Affiliate of the Year and a Realtor of the Year at its annual Christmas dinner. The event was held Friday, Dec. 13, at The Owl’s Nest, North Webster.

This year, Nicole Parson, Beacon Credit Union, was named the 2024 Affiliate of the Year and Melody Cusick, RE/MAX Partners, was named the 2024 Realtor of the Year.

The awards were announced by last year’s recipients with family members of each recipient arriving to present the award.

Heather King, 2023 Affiliate of the Year, read a few unknown facts about Parson. King was confident in stating Parson is the first affiliate who is a member of the Wabash Baton Corps and even competed at the state level.

“Their favorite pastime is spending the afternoon browsing tack shops and exploring horse-riding equipment … speaking of horses, her spouse also shared a fun tidbit. Our affiliate has a deep love for horses, even if their ride sometimes ends abruptly.”

Nicole Parson, front left, was named the 2024 KBOR Affiliate of the Year. Shown with Parson are her husband and daughter, Trent and Braya; and family members Paula Bailey, Sarah Bougher, Andrew Kelly and Mike Merrell.

A memorable eight-second adventure was shared, when on a horse trail ride, it ended with a bucking horse sending her flying. A broken wrist was the souvenir.

“How cool is it that we have a KBOR affiliate that lasted eight seconds,” stated King.

Parson grew up in Wabash, earned an associate’s of science degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. Following college, she worked a few jobs before starting in the banking industry in 2005 and with Beacon Credit in 2012. She began on the front line of the member center and moved to a position in loan origination in 2014.

Outside of her professional life, King stated Parson has a “heart for service. She’s dedicated many hours of energetic volunteer work, not only to KBOR children’s charity, but also her community church and other local charities.”

It was noted family is a cornerstone of her life. She and her husband, Trent, have been married for 21 years and have immense pride in their 18-year-old daughter, Braya, who is a registered nurse.
King read an excerpt from one of the nominations received on Parson.

“As a lender with years of experience, they have shown a high level of service and integrity, which has earned them the respect of clients and team members alike. More important her genuine kindness and unwavering dedication makes her not only a valuable teammate but also truly beautiful person in every sense. She approaches every role and interaction with a whole and giving heart.”

Realtor Of The Year

Fred Steffen, KBOR president and 2023 Realtor of the Year, read a few facts about Cusick.

Kosciusko Board of Realtors affiliate and realtor members enjoyed the annual Christmas part at The Owl’s Nest with appetizers, desserts, an opportunity for group photos, a dinner and silent auction.

“This Realtor apparently has a rather unique addiction of being completely addicted to her espresso coffee machine. They travel with it, which I think is genius. I think that’s really smart.”

Cusick was born in Gary and moved to Louisville, Ky., at an early age. She was a supervisor for NISCO for 12 years and has been involved in her true passion of real estate, being a Realtor since 1996.

“As a managing broker, she has maintained professionalism and fostering a positive relationship with every client,” he said. “She shares her passion with agents and empowers them to succeed in their careers as well. Acting as an advisor and mentor, she recognizes each agents’ personal achievements.”

Steffen noted her involvement in the community through her volunteer work at the fall harvest party, area festivals and bike races.

“She just stays busy all year long,” he said. “She’s passionate about her faith in God. She enjoys paddle boarding, practicing Pilates, dedicated to teaching exercise classes, and being an active Rotary member.

The evening also included active bidding on approximately 14 silent auction items, all but one, a motorized Hot Wheel car, carrying a theme indicating what was wrapped. Such items included: Blooming surprise, man-made, sit-stay-bid, feeling lucky, glitz and glamour, don’t wine about it, do you hear what I hear, and an olive branch. There was also an opportunity to donate to the organization’s children’s charity program.

There were approximately 125 guests attending the evening.