RISMEDIA, February 3, 2009-Noted management consultant John Geha has been named president of Coldwell Banker Canadian Operations effective immediately, the company announced. Geha, well known throughout Canada and the U.S. for his efforts helping real estate brokers increase productivity, growth and profit, will succeed retiring president, Gary Hockey. Hockey will remain with the brand on a consulting basis to assist Geha with specific growth initiatives. There are currently 266 independently owned Coldwell Banker residential and commercial franchised offices in every province across Canada, except Quebec, and also in the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
In his new role Geha’s mandate will be to build the brand’s presence in markets across Canada. The Coldwell Banker brand first came to the country in 1993, originally as one of the brand’s first international master franchisors, and soon grew to become a national real estate leader. Realogy Corporation, the Coldwell Banker brand’s parent company acquired the Canadian operation in May 2007 in order to expand its North American network and help its affiliated brokers maximize cross-border business opportunities between Canada and the U.S.
“Despite some changing market conditions, there are many new opportunities emerging in the Canadian marketplace,” said Jim Gillespie, president & chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, franchisor for the Coldwell Banker brand in the United States. “We are very pleased to have John Geha take over the reins to lead our brand in Canada. John has a tremendous depth and range of management experience, and he is ideally suited to implement the next stages of our growth strategy.”
Geha heads up a seasoned management team headquartered at the brand’s national office in Burlington, Ontario. Geha is a Canadian resident who is well prepared for his new role, having consulted with independent Coldwell Banker affiliates across Canada during the past ten years. His 30 years business experience includes the development of real estate management and leadership programs in use throughout North America. A founder of the successful Accresco Consulting Group LLC, based in Toledo, Ohio, Geha spearheaded the creation of “Growth Management Systems,” a series of highly integrated retreats and workshops focused on leadership, recruiting, coaching, mergers & acquisitions and profitability designed to help brokers grow their operation and their bottom line.
“There is already a positive synergy in place between Coldwell Banker Canadian brokers and their U.S. counterparts, and we plan to build on that moving forward,” says Geha. “While there are unique differences in how real estate is marketed and legislated in Canada, there are even more similarities that we can maximize to the advantage of our affiliates and the consumer. A leading example is the recent integration of all Canadian listings onto the brand’s flagship website www.coldwellbanker.com. Canada is entering a new era of cooperation and integration with the considerable resources available through the global Coldwell Banker brand. The increased exposure that this offers Coldwell Banker listings is good news for real estate customers on both sides of the border.”
For more information, visit www.coldwellbanker.com.
