Larry Knapp, who served as president and chief operating officer of San Francisco Bay Area-based luxury brokerage Alain Pinel Realtors, has left the company. CEO Paul L. Hulme, the real estate brokerage’s founder, has taken over the presidency. Knapp held the position from July 2003 until earlier this month.
"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, in a statement. The San Jose Mercury News reported that Knapp had resigned.
Other changes at the company include the promotions of Chief Financial Officer David Bellamy, who will become chief administrative officer, and Rainy Hake who will become vice president of marketing and corporate affairs in charge of technology, training and strategy. Mike Hulme who will advance from his position of facilities manager to director of corporate operations.
The company will also form an advisory board to the CEO and president, comprised of branch managers who will take on the additional role of managing directors.
Knapp has 40 years of experience in the real estate industry. In November 2008, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) appointed him to two key and influential committees for 2009: the Executive Committee and the Real Estate Services Advisory Board.
During Knapp’s presidency, Alain Pinel added five new offices located in Burlingame, San Jose, Oakland’s Montclair district, Livermore and San Francisco. He also strengthened the company’s focus on the technology tools it provides to its clients (see related article).
In its yearly report on the nation’s top brokerages, Real Trends ranked the company eighth in sales volume and 68th in closed transaction sides based on 2008 statistics. Alain Pinel has 32 offices and 1,400 sales associates in the San Francisco Bay Area region.
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