Real estate agents, friends and members of the community stopped by Pigford & Corey LLC. Tuesday to celebrate a milestone with one of the realty company’s founders.

Bob Pigford was first licensed to practice real estate on April 23, 1974, and marked his 50th year of being a real estate agent with cake and camaraderie. Half a century is a long time to do anything, he said, and real estate has changed dramatically since he first began.

It used to be house hunters would call realty companies on the phone, he said, and it would be answered by someone in the office. Nowadays, everyone has a cell phone and can take calls almost anywhere. Listings have also evolved, he said, with the first stop for many would-be house buyers being real estate websites where homes are listed.

Although the technology has changed and the way people approach the home buying process has changed, the core of realty is still the same, Pigford said.

“Real estate is all about people,” he said. “It’s about relationships and all that.”

Realty is a service industry, Pigford said, and individual realtors build their reputations through the relationships they build with their customers and throughout the community. Like similar industries, he said it takes time to establish oneself as a realtor, but quality service is rewarded through recommendations, referrals and word-of-mouth bringing new customers through the door.

“Everything else changes, but that never changes,” he said. “It’s all about trying to build a reputation and helping people.”

Realty, however, is just one part of Pigford’s contributions to Meridian as he has also been active in the community and passing on his knowledge to others. A part-time real estate teacher at Meridian Community College, he taught for more than 30 years training new real estate agents to enter the job market.

“Now my son-in-law, who’s in the business, he’s teaching out there,” he said.

Pigford has also worked hard to promote girls softball, served with the chamber of commerce and more. As a member of the North Meridian Optimist Club, Pigford was also involved in the development of Northeast Park and its softball complex, which is named for fellow Optimist Club Member Larry Stewart. At the time, he said, the North Meridian Optimist Club had a large membership, and many people in the community were involved in the Northeast Park effort. Stewart, however, championed the project.

“He was the driving force in that too, but there was a lot of people in the community involved in the North Meridian Optimist Club at that time,” he said. “It was a lot of fun to see that come about. It really was.”

With a half century as a real estate agent under his belt, Pigford said he has enjoyed his career in Meridian and has no plans to hang up his hat just yet.

“I’m not quitting, I’ve just been here 50 years,” he said. “I’m not saying I might not slow down a little bit, but I’ve enjoyed the relationships not only with the people in the office but also in the community.”