Edita Begic: Creating change, impacting community and giving back for her second chance

The 37-year-old real estate agent is one of The Courier’s 20 Under 40 honorees and has lived in the Cedar Valley more than two decades.

During the first part of her childhood, Begic lived an idyllic life in the village of Gornji Purici in Bosnia. That ended when a civil war broke out in 1992.

“My mother would make us sleep in our clothes and coats and shoes in case we had to leave in the middle of the night,” she said. “And that’s what happened. We grabbed a bag of clothes and ran for our lives.”

The family made its way to a larger city in 1993 where they were reunited with relatives.

“There were probably 15 or 20 people staying in a small house,” Begic said. “But the war just kept continuing. It was getting closer and closer.”

Her family continued fleeing and made it to neighboring Croatia, where they lived as refugees.

“The first refugee camp was very rough. What you brought was all you had. We lived in barns with animals, sleeping with strangers on the side of the road,” she said.

“The second camp was the same. You don’t have the essentials, like food, let alone a shower. In one camp I slept next to little piglets. I could hear them breathing and snorting.”

It was a shocking change for the girl from how she had grown up.

“I thought, ‘Is this our life?’ We had an amazing life before the war. We had a beautiful home. We traveled. Everything was gone. We had to start all over,” said Begic.

“That’s what gives me perspective to appreciate the freedom we have. People take that for granted.”

At that point, though, the family was still looking for a way out of the refugee camps.

“Someone in the United States had to sponsor us to come,” she said. “While in the third refugee camp, my dad found a distant cousin in the United States. The day we were approved to come, I will never forget that day. Our lives changed forever.”

They made the move to the U.S. in 1996.

“We arrived in Utica, New York. I was in the fifth grade. I didn’t speak a word of English. I felt helpless. I couldn’t even ask to go to the bathroom.

“But we were waking up to clean water and there were no bullets flying over our heads,” Begic noted.

Employment and having enough to provide for their family remained a concern for her parents, though. “My dad bought a bike that he would ride over an hour away to make $4.75 an hour to buy a car.”

The family lived in New York state for about a year. Then her parents learned about job possibilities with the IBP meatpacking plant in Waterloo, Iowa (now Tyson Fresh Meats). The company “sponsored buses and would bus people in to work there,” said Begic, so the family made the move to the Midwest.

“My parents worked at Tyson for about five years. My mother had an economics degree. My dad was a business owner. But their education didn’t mean anything.

“They had to start at the bottom. They paved the way for us in terms of work ethic,” she said.

Coming to the United States was a new beginning for the family.

“We felt so accepted,” Begic explained. “We spoke a different language, ate different food, had a different culture, but there were selfless individuals who would spend their Sunday afternoons with us teaching us to speak English. We had ‘grandmas’ who took such amazing care of us and showed us what this community is all about.”

Begic would go on to graduate from Waterloo West High School, where she also met her husband, Emsad. “Although, my husband says he remembers me from the first refugee camp we were in,” she said.

Begic studied finance at the University of Northern Iowa and got a job as a teller at Veridian Credit Union. As she worked her way up, her husband worked in real estate.

“Bosnian people are very, very hardworking,” Begic said. “Because we were given a second chance, we don’t take that for granted – but also to make our parents proud. The prime of their lives were spent in refugee camps.”

Three years ago, the Begics took a leap. They opened their own business, Vine Valley Real Estate.

“Our No. 1 reason was to create change, to create an impact in the community – to give back,” said Begic. To that end, Vine Valley has positioned itself to help immigrants and refugees who are looking to purchase a home.

“We represent the community. Many of our agents are bilingual. They speak Bosnian, German and Spanish.”

Over the years, she and her sister would translate important documents for their parents when they were buying a car or a home. “Now I do it for other people,” she said.

One of Begic’s real estate clients nominated her for the 20 Under 40 recognition.

“I have experienced Edita’s service firsthand,” wrote Aysha Weekley. “Her integrity, passion and tenacity not only equipped me to become a homeowner, but also an investment property owner.

“I know Edita stays busy growing her business, but still finds time to give back through fundraising and volunteerism to the community,” she added. "I’m grateful I met Edita, my life has changed for the better.”

Begic is proud that her team members are very involved in the community. “At least 85% of my staff serve on boards of local organizations,” she said.

Begic also serves on a variety of nonprofit boards and is co-chair of funding for Leader Valley, “a talent development initiative … (that) prepares pre-K-12 students for life by providing them with the essential soft skills needed for a life of effectiveness and a competitive advantage in the workplace.”

Her interest in the organization relates to the three daughters she and her husband have – ages 11, 8 and 3.

“Leader Valley is near and dear to my heart. It impacts my daughters directly. It really prepares them for the real world,” she said.

“Being a real estate agent, you have to wear many hats. Some just see it as a transaction. I lead with my heart.

“We take care of our clients. We ensure that they are happy. Nothing fills my bucket more than handing over the keys to new homeowners,” said Begic.

“Sometimes there are tears. It is so special in so many ways. I get to see my clients grow their families in that home. And circling back, I can say I was a part of that. I helped make that happen.”

There’s a lot about how she and her husband run the business that they hope their daughters absorb.

“We want to instill those values in them,” said Begic. “We keep holding onto our heritage as long as we can while showing them what hard work can do, if you are willing to work with grit and perseverance and take care of people and give back.”