Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS® will host Coldwell Banker Real Estate Chief Executive Officer Jim Gillespie to celebrate the brand’s 106th birthday today, August 28, at the Westchase Marriott. Coldwell Banker, the nation’s oldest national real estate brand, was launched on August 27, 1906 in San Francisco in the aftermath of the great earthquake.
Colbert Coldwell, and later Benjamin Arthur Banker, founded the company to bring ethics and integrity back to the San Francisco real estate community that had lost its way after the 1906 earthquake. The damage from the earthquake and fires, along with the loss of documents, allowed for unscrupulous behavior in the industry that Coldwell worked to eradicate. Today, Coldwell Banker has approximately 83,000 agents working in 3,100 offices in 51 countries/territories.
Coldwell Banker United is the largest Coldwell Banker affiliate in the world and was recently ranked as the sixth largest real estate company (in units) in the United States, according to REAL Trends and is a market leader in the Greater Houston area.
Gillespie will be joined by Realogy Chief Executive Officer Alex Perriello and Coldwell Banker Real Estate Chief Marketing Officer Michael Fischer in Houston and honor Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS® for its efforts in Coldwell Banker Heroes, the brand’s charitable program. This will highlight the efforts of the management, staff and Sales Associates of the local broker on behalf of the American Cancer Society. Over the past 10 years, Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS® has raised over $1,600,000.00 for the battle with breast cancer.
“Coldwell Banker has navigated the real estate industry during two World Wars, the Great Depression and most recently the challenging recession that has impacted all of us,” says Gillespie, who was recently named one of America’s most admired CEOs by careerbliss.com. “While the world and our industry are in a different place now than 106 years ago, the dream of homeownership is still alive and remains linked to lifestyle needs that never change. It is fitting that I have the opportunity to celebrate our 106th birthday in Houston with our largest affiliate. I know all of the agents, staff and management team led by Richard Smith at Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS remain committed to impeccable service and dedication to the Houston community.”
“We believe Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS® agents, as part of the greater Coldwell Banker brand, are the best in the real estate business and exemplify that strong heritage of ethics and integrity established by Coldwell and Banker,” says Steve Barnes, president and chief operating officer for the Houston region of Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS. “And while we do that, we are proud to give back to the community with our charitable efforts on behalf of the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer efforts, Habitat for Humanity and Candlelighters. This event will put a spotlight on those efforts, as well as other unique and generous personal stories by some in our family.”
Coldwell Banker has launched various new tools and apps over the past years that bring consumers fun and informative ways to engage in the home buying and selling process. Some of these include a new Real Estate App for iPad, On Location videos that provide a look into different neighborhoods from the comfort of home, as well as new tools for homebuyers in the properties section of coldwellbanker.com.
For more information, visit www.coldwellbanker.com.
