HONOLULU, HI - Elite Pacific Properties, Hawaii’s largest luxury brokerage and vacation rental firm, is expanding yet again. Elite’s sixth office will be located in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is the third office on that island, situated over an hour’s drive from Elite’s existing Kona office and an hour and a half drive from Elite’s Waikoloa office. The new Hilo office will launch a Vacation Rental Management division for the east side of the island.
Hilo is the largest city on the Big Island and in the top three largest cities in the state. The office is co-located in the existing Guild Mortgage space on Kilauea Avenue. Guild Mortgage will continue its operations there, in tandem with Elite Pacific Properties’ five Hilo-based agents.
A major part of Hilo’s expansion is attributed to the addition of one of Hilo’s top producing real estate teams, The Duryea Group. Led by Donna Duryea, R(S) with Partner Jessica Hall, R(B), The Duryea Group was formerly with Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers’ Hilo office.
Donna has consistently ranked as a top producing agent and has been recognized in Hawaii Business Magazine’s “Top 100 Realtors With The Most Transactions.” Last year alone, she was responsible for 56 transactions – or more than one per week. She currently chairs the Hawaii Island Board of Realtors Professional Standards Committee, a position she has held for the last five years. She also served on the Hawaii Island Board of Realtors Planning and Education Committees and is a graduate of the Hawaii Association of Realtors’ Leadership Academy.
“It is a privilege to welcome The Duryea Team to our ranks,” says Paul Mayer, Managing Partner, for Elite Pacific Properties. “Donna’s leadership in the industry and among her peers is evidenced by her various leadership roles on the Hawaii Island Realtors Board. She and Jessica both have outstanding track records which speak for themselves. They have earned the respect of the Hilo community, and we are pleased to have them join our growing team.”
Born and raised in Honolulu, Donna has deep family roots in Hawaii. Her father and grandfather worked in the circulation department of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Her father then moved on to become a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines. The family tradition continues with one of her brothers and her son currently flying for Hawaiian Airlines.
Donna studied theater at New York’s Stella Adler Conservatory before finalizing her college education at the University of Colorado. In 2001, she and her husband, a photographer, returned to Hawaii to raise their two children.
“I was attracted to Elite Pacific Properties because of their business philosophy,” Donna says. “They provide agents with a fertile and solid support system which is unmatched in the industry. Elite's business structure allows me to do what I love the most -- spend the maximum amount of time with my clients, so I can provide them with exceptional service. Elite frees me from the administrative work and puts me back into the community where I belong.”
Donna’s partner at The Duryea Group, Jessica Hall, focuses on real estate contracts and organizes the many moving parts of the team. Since 2005, Jessica has been a full time real estate broker focusing on Hilo and the Hamakua Coast area. Born and raised in a real estate family in Atlanta, Jessica's father is a retired property manager. Both of Jessica’s parents are real estate investors.
"I am thrilled to join Elite Pacific Properties with their team of trusted professionals," Jessica says. "In addition, I am particularly excited to add the Vacation Rental Management Division to the portfolio of services offered by our team. It is a pleasure to be part of such a fast-growing team of real estate experts."
About Elite Pacific Properties
Locally owned and operated, Elite Pacific Properties was founded in 2005 by Stephen Cipres and Paul Mayer. The company has staffed offices on Oahu, Maui, and Kauai, along with three staffed offices on the Big Island. Elite Pacific Properties is a full service real estate firm focused on luxury residential property sales, multi-unit projects/developer sales, and luxury vacation rentals. Elite is a member of Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate, an exclusive organization of the top luxury brokers in the world; has been named to Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 5000” list for three years in a row (2013-2015); was a Pacific Business News “Fastest 50” company for both 2014 and 2015, and is Hawaii’s 5th highest volume producer of 2015 through June, according to MLS data. For more information, visit ElitePacific.com.