SAN FRANCISCO, CA - As the Bay Area prepares to celebrate the launch of 2017, the coming year will have deeper significance for the leading luxury real estate brokerage. On January 1, Pacific Union International, Inc. marks twenty-five years of continuous support for the vibrant organizations that tackle Northern California’s most pressing social challenges. Delivering both volunteers and resources to Bay Area community nonprofits, Pacific Union’s support ranges from significant donations to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Leukemia Cup Regatta, to San Francisco shelters for homeless families.
Pacific Union’s legacy of giving dramatically expanded under the brokerage’s leadership of CEO Mark A. McLaughlin. Since 2009, Pacific Union has funded more than 145 Bay Area nonprofits with donations topping $1 million.
“We believe it is an undeniable duty for us to sustain and improve the neighborhoods in which we raise our families and make our living,” says McLaughlin. ”We are committed to not only supporting them as a business but using our voices and actions to positively affect our communities and improve the lives of the people who live in them.”
Long before corporate social responsibility became a buzzword in the U.S., Pacific Union quietly established a strong commitment to the community by building a philanthropic partnership between its real estate professionals and the brokerage. Founded in 1993 in San Francisco, Pacific Union’s Community Fund was established to deliver a powerful statement through funding and volunteerism in support of shelters and related services for many at-risk populations including families, abused women and children, and youth.
Pacific Union real estate professional, Susan D. Peterson, is one of the founding members of the Community Fund, and has served as chair since 2002. “We recognized very early that supporting shelter in San Francisco would be crucial to health of our city,” says Peterson. “As we make our living selling and finding homes for our clients, we fittingly donate a portion of our fees to life-changing organizations such as Raphael House for homeless families, women’s shelters and child abuse prevention programs. These organizations and others have come to count on our annual giving, and their survival depends on programs like ours.”
As Pacific Union has grown to more than 25 offices and nearly 700 real estate professionals throughout nine Bay Area regions, its Community Fund also has expanded. Now established in every region, real estate professionals continue to meet and choose the recipient nonprofits for funding in their neighborhoods.
For more information about the Community Fund and the top 25 Bay Area charities supported by Pacific Union, please go to Community Fund.
About Pacific Union
Founded in 1975, Pacific Union is the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier luxury real estate brand operating in nine regions. With more than 25 offices and nearly 700 of the region's top-performing real estate professionals, Pacific Union is the ninth largest residential real estate brokerage in the U.S. based on 2015 sales volume of $8.22 billion and merged with Los Angeles-based brokerage John Aaroe Group in December 2016. This strategic business collaboration links two of the strongest residential real estate firms on the West Coast, supporting combined 2015 production of $10.5 billion by 1,100 real estate professionals in 38 offices throughout California. The company offers a full range of personal and commercial real estate services, including buying, selling, and relocation, and it founded a unique concierge program for Chinese homebuyers. In addition, the company operates joint-venture businesses that provide rental and commercial property management, urban residential marketing and sales, and insurance services. Locally owned, Pacific Union operates with an entrepreneurial mindset and unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and expertise. For more information, please visit us at www.pacificunion.com.