William Raveis Taps Industry Leader to Strengthen Massachusetts Division

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SHELTON, Conn. – (June 23, 2008) – Chris Raveis, Executive Vice President and Managing Partner of William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance is pleased to announce the appointment of Cohasset, Mass. resident Alain Pinel to Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development.William Raveis Real EstateIn his position of Senior Vice President, Mr. Pinel will be responsible for growing the William Raveis network of offices through acquisitions and opening new offices in Massachusetts. In addition, he will act as a resource to the company’s local management team for the strengthening and building of existing offices.“Our commitment to Massachusetts is further strengthened with the hiring of such a talented and accomplished individual,” commented Mr. Raveis. “Alain is a vital addition to our company in supporting our future growth in the state. We are quite fortunate to have him in our family of companies.”“As a real estate entrepreneur,” Raveis continued, “Alain has founded a number of successful business ventures, including Alain Pinel Realtors of Silicon Valley, CA, which has since become one of the top 10 largest real estate firms nationally with an average sales price of $1.14 million. Most recently, he has founded Imminence, one of Europe’s first regional MLS systems which has changed the real estate industry in France and is now the model utilized by French Realtors.”Prior to his five years at Imminence, Mr. Pinel held the position of Senior Vice President of Coldwell Banker where he was in charge of the “San Francisco, Peninsula, and Silicon Valley” Region comprised, on average, of 24 offices and over 1000 sales associates. During his tenure as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fox and Carskadon, then the largest residential real estate organization in the California Bay area, the company tripled its volume of sales and emerged as one of the top residential real estate firms in the country.A real estate veteran for 31 years, Mr. Pinel is enthusiastic about his new position at William Raveis. “I’m very committed to working with such a forward-thinking management team as those presently in the William Raveis Company. Their focus is to provide tools and assistance to empower their associates to take their business to the next level. This environment of teamwork and success runs parallel with my vision to become the dominant force in Massachusetts through unequaled service to our clients and our agents.”Mr. Pinel is the former Vice President of FIABCI in Northern California; former Vice President of The French-American Chamber of Commerce in Northern California and is currently serving a 3 year term as member of the Cohasset Economic Development Committee. An advocate for community volunteer work, he is presently organizing the “Cohasset Day” event scheduled to be held this coming September.Prior to his career in real estate, he was Domestic and Foreign Politics Editor for some of the largest newspapers in France.Mr. Pinel has two children and lives in Cohasset with his wife.About William Raveis Real EstateSince first entering the Massachusetts marketplace in 2003, William Raveis has experienced phenomenal growth, becoming the 3rd largest real estate company in the state. In 2007, the company opened three new offices- in Marblehead, Orleans and Osterville, with statewide sales volume jumping 48% from the previous year. “We’ve significantly outpaced the market every year we’ve been in Massachusetts,” Raveis said, “and we’re right on track to continue our exponential growth in Massachusetts as well as the rest of New England.” Currently, the company has 15 offices and over 400 sales associates in Massachusetts. As 2008 progresses, plans are to launch four new offices.The William Raveis Family of Companies attributes its success to a consistent emphasis on integrity, service and experience. Offering one-stop shopping for its clients, William Raveis provides mortgage, insurance and closing/title services, all with the additional ability to earn points, services and cash back via the company’s own Visa®/Bank of America credit card, a part of the William Raveis Rewards program. The firm’s website, raveis.com, offers homebuyers local housing charts and statistics, property comparisons, price per square foot calculations, online appointment scheduling, online home value capabilities, interactive neighborhood mapping of all active and sold listings, relocation information and the ability to conveniently search more than 100,000 properties listed through various multiple listing services. With the recent launch of a new interactive widget and RSS technology, the site is now capable of delivering the latest customized listing and mortgage rate notifications directly to customers’ computer desktops and favorite RSS readers. Annually, raveis.com attracts more than 6 million visitors worldwide.William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance is New England’s largest privately held, family-owned real estate firm. With a 2007 sales volume of $5.5 billion, the innovative company is nationally recognized as an industry leader and is dedicated to providing an unparalleled real estate experience to its customers. Since 1974, the firm’s 2,000 highly trained sales professionals have been dedicated to strengthening their position as industry leaders in technology, marketing and REALTOR® education. The company has 60 offices, including two affiliates, in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Future plans entail expansion into New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.