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Elizabeth "Bette" Buffington has spent 25 years watching her company evolve into one of the deans of the Olney business community.

Employees, community leaders and others gathered in March at The Inn at Brookeville Farms to honor Buffington and celebrate the 25th anniversary of her Re/Max Realty Centre.

"When I started out, I didn't have big goals, I just wanted to be a good real estate agent," Buffington said. "I have been very fortunate to see my business grow in the way that it has."

She began her real estate career with Shannon and Luchs, but decided she wanted to make more money, she said. In 1985, she opened her Re/Max business in a small office in Olney Professional Park across from St. Peter's Catholic Church.

"When we started, no one knew what Re/Max was," she said. "Now we are worldwide organization."

She then moved her office to the Courts of Olney across from Olney Library. As her business continued to grow, so did her need for more space, she said.

Buffington and her husband, Joseph Buffington, a well-known Olney physician who has since retired, purchased the historic Olney House and adjacent lot and opened Re/Max Realty Centre at 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in 2002.

When constructing the office building, they set aside a portion of the lower level for what they call the Olney Community Room, which they have made available for public meetings and events, and restored a historic springhouse that sits on the property.

Since 1985, the company has grown from seven employees providing brokerage services primarily in the Olney area to an 80-agent, full-service real estate company servicing communities throughout the metropolitan area.

The Buffingtons opened a second location in Clarksburg and recently received approval to build a 14,000-square-foot building in that town's historic district.

Her son, Joe Buffington, serves as the company's general manager.

"I am really proud of Joe, he is my succession plan," she said. "He came to work with me right out of college and has got that youth."

While business has grown, the Buffingtons have maintained their local roots, others say.

"The Buffingtons are a great example of a business that gives back to the community," Olney Chamber of Commerce Director Virginia Mauk said. "They are great business people and are very involved in the community and are always willing to lend a hand.

"I think it was a big step for Bette Buffington to take on the challenge of starting a business at a time when not many women really did that, so I think this 25th anniversary is a very big deal," she added.