Prudential Gallo celebrates success
The agents and staff of Prudential Gallo, Realtors gathered for their annual breakfast meeting Jan. 25 at the Virden Center of the University of Delaware, Lewes. With the opening of its Bethany Beach office, the company now numbers nearly 100 associates.
Andrew Ratner, vice president of the company and broker of the Rehoboth Beach office, led the meeting, noting that 2011 was a highly successful year for the company, which was founded in 1979.
“We continue to be a strong, profitable company, even during difficult economic times. This is mainly due to the hard work and tireless effort of the management team, agents and staff,” he said. “And I envision this continuing in 2012 as we roll out new programs to keep us innovative and productive.”
Ratner noted benchmarks of great success for three divisions of the company: rentals, sales and commercial property.
The rental departments in the Lewes and Rehoboth Beach offices booked more than 3,700 seasonal reservations, an increase of 7 percent over the previous year. Guests took advantage of the new, seamless online reservation system, which allows guests to book the unit, secure travel insurance and order linens, all in one place.
“I also want to note the outstanding work done by the rental agents during Hurricane Irene,” he said. “The agents worked tirelessly to evacuate rental units, coordinate the travel plans of the next week’s guests and check on the safety of the homes. They are to be commended for the way they handled this highly stressful situation.”
The sales agents of Prudential Gallo, Realtors had a banner year, ranking No. 1 in Sussex County in several categories, including total units sold in 2011 and units sold per agent in 2011. The company sold 522 units in 2011 and averaged 11.86 units sold per agent. (Statistics from the Sussex County Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service.)
“I am really proud of those figures,” Ratner said. “At a time when other sales agents have given up, concluding that the market is too difficult, our Prudential Gallo, Realtors sales agents worked all the harder and have reaped the rewards. Our figures show a steady growth since 2008, and I feel that we have the momentum to propel us to a highly successful 2012.”
The commercial division enjoyed its most successful year of transactions yet in 2011. The agents make use of a new program to retrieve demographic data, and a new program links the company to other commercial brokers throughout the nation.
“Building on these successes, we took a calculated chance and opened our new office in Bethany Beach,” Ratner said. “While many companies are downsizing, we made the conscious decision to expand and reach out to a new market that we feel is a logical fit with our strong position in the Lewes-Rehoboth Beach area. We understand the real estate market at the beach in sales, rentals and commercial property, and look forward to a successful 2012 in our Bethany Beach office.”
Awards for service with the company and achievements in sales and rental production in 2011 were recognized at the meeting: five years of service: Adriane Gallagher, Melinda Ingram, Dawn Singley and Jay Young; 10 years of service: Cathy Olenderski; 15 years of service: Stacy Lariscy; Rentals, Gold Level (over $120,000 in gross commissions produced): Rachel Cooper, Kim Lawson and Stacy Lariscy; Rentals, Platinum Level (over $185,000 in gross commissions produced): Melanie Anderson; Sales, Honor Society (over $75,000 in gross commissions produced): Kathy Ford, Laurie Bronstein and the Nancy Lurty Team; Sales, Leading Edge Society (over $120,000 in gross commissions produced): Melinda Ingram, Lana Warfield, Cindy Baker, Denise Moore and the Barbara Morales Associates; Sales, Chairman’s Circle (over $280,000 in gross commissions produced): the Andy Staton Group and the Lee Ann Wilkinson Group.
