Growing up first in Wauwatosa and later in Waukesha, Kimberly Stark was never the quiet kid in the room. As the oldest of two children, she says leadership came naturally — along with plenty of energy.

“My teacher would always tell my parents that I was more worried about what was going on the other side of the classroom,” Kimberly recalls. “I also earned class talker award numerous times.”

That outgoing personality followed her through a childhood packed with gymnastics, swimming, Girl Scouts, dancing, softball, and roller-skating. In high school, she built the kind of friendships that still remain part of her life today. After graduation, she moved to Milwaukee’s east side to attend UW–Milwaukee for criminal justice before eventually taking a sharp turn away from the traditional path.

At 20 years old, Kimberly accepted a management position at Park Avenue nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

“I thought it sounded glamorous and fun,” she says. “It was a great experience.”

A year later, Kimberly and her future husband returned to Wisconsin expecting their first child, Nikki, born in 1989. Over the years, life moved quickly. Kimberly bartended and waitressed nights while helping with her husband’s painting business. The couple eventually had three children and bought multiple homes before parting ways. Despite the divorce, Kimberly says they have remained close friends.

“My life has been amazing and I am very grateful,” she says. “I have always been a hard worker.”

That work ethic began early. Kimberly started her first job at 14 washing dishes by hand at a small restaurant in Waukesha. From there, she worked at UPS, AT&T, in retail, behind bars and restaurant counters, and even became a partner in a restaurant venture in Okauchee.

But real estate entered her life unexpectedly.

“If you would’ve walked into the Union House in Genesee Depot in 2002 and told the waitress carrying a tray of Old Fashioneds that she’d be standing here one day… I would’ve said, ‘Are you sure you don’t want dessert with that?’” Kimberly says.

 

One of her regular customers, Harry Bielinski, asked if she had ever considered selling real estate. Kimberly had thought about it, but with three children and a packed schedule, the timing felt impossible.

“I was busy. Like.. microwave-dinner-at-9pm busy,” she says.

Still, she pursued it. Kimberly met with a sales manager and began studying using cassette tapes from Robbins and Lloyd.

“Nothing says ‘future top producer’ like studying real estate scripts over a Grand Slam breakfast,” she jokes.

Kimberly launched her real estate career in 2003, but the recession forced her to step away in 2009 as a newly divorced mother of three.

“I needed to sell more than one house a month to survive,” she explains.

She pivoted into foodservice sales with Reinhart Foodservice for seven years, where she also met her fiancé, Bryant Johnson, owner of several restaurant and catering businesses. Kimberly describes their relationship as “a rom com story,” the kind where two people initially clash before eventually falling in love.

In 2016, Kimberly returned to real estate and rejoined First Weber, where she has remained ever since.

Now deeply rooted in Lake Country, Kimberly has lived on Okauchee Lake for 11 years and is currently closing on an investment property of her own on the lake at the end of May. She operates out of two offices — her own satellite office in downtown Okauchee and First Weber’s main office in Delafield — and says her experience spans every corner of the market, from first-time homebuyers to multimillion-dollar lake properties throughout Lake Country, especially Okauchee.

“It does not matter what name is on your business card,” she says. “This is a business of relationships and I will not get more relationships at another broker. I create my own relationships.”

Today, Kimberly operates as an individual agent with the help of her licensed assistant, Robin Hehn. Robin’s roots in real estate run deep. Her mother, Robin Vogen, worked as an agent for 15 years in the early 2000s, giving Robin firsthand exposure to the business from a young age. After assisting Kimberly part time over the last three years, Robin recently stepped into the role full time. Kimberly’s success has steadily grown, culminating in her being named the No. 1 individual agent in southeastern Wisconsin for First Weber in 2025 and No. 3 statewide.

For Kimberly, the business has never been about transactions alone.

“I am genuine and I will look for reasons to help you not buy the house rather than push you to buy it,” she says. “It’s not about the sale, it’s about the happiness and joy people feel.”

That philosophy extends into every corner of her life. Thursdays are reserved for “GaGa day” with her grandsons, Liam and Bennett, whom she calls “the light of my life.” Kimberly also spends time traveling with Bryant, boating on her pontoon, kayaking, golfing, and preparing for her first triathlon while supporting cancer research fundraising efforts through the Audaxity bike ride.

Family remains at the center of everything Kimberly does. Her daughter Nikki lives in Fox Point with her husband and Kimberly’s two grandsons. Her son Alex runs the kitchen at Bryant’s Dousman House, while her daughter Rachel, who is engaged to be married, works as a therapist for children with autism. Kimberly also credits her mother, Niti, as the rock of the family.

Despite decades of hard work and career success, Kimberly says she still doesn’t view real estate as work.

“I love what I do every day,” she says. “It is not their problem, it is our problem to solve together.”