SHELBY TOWNSHIP BROKERS BRING MAJOR BRAND TO MARKET AS NEWLY-NAMED WEICHERT, REALTORS® - EXCEL
Shelby Township, Mich., January 14, 2008-Dave Elya and Hank Mendez have announced that their Shelby Township agency is now an independently owned and operated franchise with Weichert Real Estate Affiliates. Newly named WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Excel, the office located at 47699 Van Dyke Avenue is home to 28 agents. Weichert Real Estate Affiliates launched its first franchised office in January 2002 and currently serves some 330 markets in 35 states. 
Elya, who is the agency's Broker, and co-owner Mendez were joined in the conversion announcement by Weichert Affiliates President Martin J. Rueter. "Dave and Hank are the kind of people who exemplify the Weichert way of thinking, and we are pleased that they have brought their impressive company and its reputation to the Weichert family," Rueter said.
"This is a perfect fit for us," Elya said, noting that the Weichert® organization's "customer-centric" philosophy matches their own. The partners elaborated on a number of attractions for choosing Weichert, including the company's training, relocation outreach and other "proven systems," Mendez said. "It was time for a change; the market demands it, and we're ready."
The full-service Weichert® organization offers an ongoing agent and management training program that incorporates "live" and online instruction, in addition to mortgage and insurance services, a commercial and investments division, an award-winning Internet lead-generation platform and a multinational relocation company. Support services are highlighted by in-house marketing and advertising, dedicated public relations and REALTOR® recruitment.
Both Elya and Mendez are natives of the area, and both are 17-year veterans of real estate service to Macomb County, one of the three counties that comprise the Detroit Metropolitan area. Elya worked his way up the ranks several companies throughout his career and met Mendez in 2001 when he recruited him at another franchise company. A past president of the Metropolitan Consolidated Association of REALTORS®, the largest in the state of Michigan, Elya holds the designations of GRI (Graduate, REALTORS® - Institute) and ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative), and is e-PRO certified, the official technology certification program of the National Association of REALTORS®. Mendez likewise claims both the GRI and ABR designations.
Expansion of the sales team is planned for first quarter 2008, and an official Career Night seminar series will be announced soon. Meanwhile, Elya, Mendez and the staff of WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Excel can be reached at (586) 323-7000.
Weichert has nearly 18,300 sales associates in over 520 company-owned and franchised sales offices in key markets throughout the U.S. A family of full-service real estate and financial
services companies, Weichert helps customers buy and sell both residential and commercial real estate, and streamlines the delivery of mortgages and home and title insurance. For more information, Weichert's customer service center can be reached at 1-800-USA-SOLD or at Weichert's Web site, http://www.weichert.com/. Each Weichert franchised office is independently owned and operated.
WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Excel
47699 Van Dyke Avenue
Shelby Township, Michigan 48317
###
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Marty Morgan (818) 997-6612; prplus@earthlink.net
