Alain Pinel Realtors (APR) Chief Executive Officer Paul L. Hulme recently announced management changes including his returning role as President of the luxury residential real estate firm. Mr. Hulme founded APR in 1990 and the firm is now the largest privately owned and independent brokerage company in California.
The move follows the departure of Larry Knapp, who served as President and Chief Operating Officer from July 2003 until a week ago.
“The circumstances are right for me to resume the responsibilities of the office of the President and for Larry to move on with his career – we parted amicably,” said Hulme, a real estate veteran since 1972 when he began buying single-family homes, sometimes blocks at a time, as investments. He is also a long-time investor in shopping centers, land and commercial office properties. Many of APR’s 32 office buildings are owned by the Hulme family. Additional leadership changes at APR headquarters include the promotion of Chief Financial Officer David Bellamy, who will take on the additional responsibility of Chief Administrative Officer, Rainy Hake who was elevated to the position of Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs in charge of Technology, Training and Strategy as well as Mike Hulme who will advance from his position of Facilities Manager to Director of Corporate Operations. These changes reflect a practice of recognizing internal talent and promoting from within.
APR is enhancing its field operations with the formation of an advisory board to the CEO and President, comprised of branch managers who will take on the additional role of Managing Directors. These recently appointed directors include: Jeff Barnett (Los Gatos Office Vice President and South Bay Regional Manager), Bob Gerlach (Palo Alto Office Vice President), Joe Cutrufelli (Walnut Creek Office Vice President) and Tim Murray (San Francisco Office Vice President and North Bay Regional Manager). Combined, these four managers have more than 100 years of real estate experience.
“2009 has been a challenging year for many companies, yet we are seeing signs of improvement for residential real estate, and with the best management team in our industry and region, Alain Pinel Realtors is poised to continue to thrive in 2010, which will be our 20th year in business,” said Hulme.
A life-long entrepreneur, Hulme has five decades of experience running companies and still owns numerous enterprises that conduct business in 30 states.
About Alain Pinel Realtors
Alain Pinel Realtors (APR) is the largest privately-owned and independent residential real estate company in California. APR was ranked the eighth largest residential real estate firm in the United States based on its sales volume in 2008, and has been consistently ranked in the Top 10 firms in the country. The firm has approximately 1,400 agents in its 32 offices throughout the Bay Area. APR was founded in 1990 by CEO and President Paul L. Hulme, and is based in Saratoga, Calif. For more information about APR, please visit our website at apr.com.