Tampa-st. Pete-clearwater Leading Statewide Expansion Of Engel & Voelkers Franchises

A new Engel & Voelkers property shop located near International Mall in the West Shore district will soon showcase upscale homes from around the world when it opens within the next few months. This new franchise location joins an already existing, exclusive South Tampa Engel & Voelkers property shop and adds to the growing Bay area family of franchises that include a downtown St. Petersburg Engel & Voelkers site set to open this summer and three additional shops currently planned for Pinellas County.

Ray Alexander, a well established West Coast realtor and broker who recently acquired the licensee rights to the Engel & Voelkers property shop serving the Gulf Coast's Anna Maria Island, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton and Longboat Key areas, will share ownership of the West Shore franchise with Michal Winiarek. Winiarek first introduced the Engel & Voelkers brand to the Tampa Bay area by opening the area's first signature property shop in Hyde Park Village late last year.

While relatively new to the U.S., the Engel & Voelkers brand has represented unique, upscale residential properties worldwide for more than 30 years. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, the global company enables brokers, buyers, sellers and agents to access luxury home listings available at nearly 400 property shops found on five continents. Helping to fuel this rapid franchise growth locally are Kevin and Sara Maddocks, who recently relocated to the Tampa Bay area from England where they founded a successful utility pipe installation business based near London, and Maddy Krasne, a former sales and marketing executive with ties to multi-national corporations who has lived and worked in Tampa for many years.

With the announcement of the West Shore Engel & Voelkers real estate shop, a total of six franchise locations are now slated to open within the Tampa Bay region over the coming months. No other area of Florida has a higher concentration of franchise commitments within a single market.

Alexander, whose real estate career spans more than 25 years as a successful investor, broker and manager, recently contributed to a record-breaking Tampa Bay area real estate transaction that set a new all-time high price locally. Under his Engel & Voelkers license, he participated as the listing agent in the recent sale of a $10.25 million Belleair Bluffs estate, which was listed and sold within 60 days.

"The activity and interest we"�re witnessing within the Tampa Bay area is indicative of how attractive the Bay area's real estate and prices are to the international marketplace. There are some incredible properties currently on the market and some new developments that will be very appealing to someone who wants to have a second home here,"� said Alexander, whose current listings include several on Holmes Beach, each priced at more than $1 million. "The exclusive, international exposure offered by Engel & Voelkers allows for our aggressive expansion and bullish perspective despite challenges currently impacting the domestic market."� The focused team of real estate professionals that includes Alexander, Diane Gaffney, Mr. and Mrs. Maddocks, Krasne and Winiarek are driving the development of Engel & Voelkers real estate shops here as well as positioning this market as a major player in the worldwide upscale, luxury housing arena.

"Those of us working to develop the Engel & Voelkers brand in Tampa Bay are team players who are collaborating on some of our projects, which is fairly unusual for real estate operations in the U.S. That teamwork allows us to grow our brand presence and local awareness very quickly while staying on track with our aggressive growth plans,"� said Krasne. "The strength of our brand and the quality of our presentation make this a very appealing opportunity for realtors seeking an international marketplace in addition to clients looking for a global representation."� Tampa Bay Engel & Voelkers Expansion Timeline To Date February 2008 "" Michal Winiarek, a fourth generation real estate professional, hosts a grand opening celebration for the Tampa Bay area's first Engel & Voelkers property shop located in the center of the historic Hyde Park area.

June 2008 "" Kevin and Sara Maddocks, franchise owners of the downtown St. Petersburg Engel & Voelkers property shop, announce renovation of a 1,000-square-foot storefront site located in Bay Walk into an Engel & Voelkers property shop. The couple also own a St. Petersburg beaches franchise in partnership with Maddy Krasne. Previously, Krasne worked in franchise development for Engel & Voelkers Florida and helped introduce the brand to the statewide real estate community. Managing broker Diane Gaffney has also joined the growing ranks of Tampa Bay's Engel & Voelkers professionals and is working with Kevin and Sara Maddocks and Maddy Krasne to recruit agents, build the revenues of the franchise that will operate from a St. Petersburg beaches community location in early 2009 and assist with development of local marketing strategies.

First Quarter 2009 "" Michal Winiarek and Ray Alexander plan new Engel & Voelkers property shops for the downtown Clearwater area, Clearwater beach community and West Shore/International Mall corridor. That timing coincides with the completion and opening of the St. Petersburg beach Engel & Voelkers property shop.

For more information about the Tampa Bay Engel & Voelkers franchises, visit www.engelvoelkers.com/florida/ or call 1-888-EV TAMPA (1-888-388-2672).

Engel & Voelkers Florida With many European-style property shops soon to open throughout the state, and an anticipated 200 more debuting over the next 10 years, Engel & Voelkers Florida is rapidly exposing the Florida residential market to its elite international network of agents and buyers, offering premium property representation. The company was recently cited in the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) International Real Estate Report as bringing "European Culture to U.S. Industry."� International Service Check, a renowned worldwide customer service quality analysis firm, has rated Engel & Voelkers Florida as one of the top five real estate companies in the state in regards to its dealings with European investors.

For information on Engel & Voelkers Florida, visit www.engelvoelkers.com/florida/ or call 239-348-9000.

MEDIA CONTACT for interviews, information or images regarding the Tampa Bay franchises: Mary Lou Janson, [email protected], 813-361-1061 or 813-251-5737 (www.maryloujanson.com).

About Mary Lou Janson, Tampa-based publicist representing the Tampa Bay area real estate property shops affiliated with Engel & Voelkers, a global real estate network that specializes in upscale residential properties. For more information go to maryloujanson.com.

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