CEO and President of Coldwell Banker Real Estate PARSIPPANY, N.J. (July 20, 2012) – Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC today announced that effective Jan. 1, 2013, Budge Huskey (Mercer '81),
the company’s president and chief operating officer will be promoted to
CEO and president, upon long-time CEO Jim Gillespie stepping down from
his CEO role and assuming the responsibilities of chairman emeritus. The
announcement was made during the Coldwell Banker Chairman’s Circle
gathering of the brand’s top brokers earlier today.
Richard A. Smith, chairman, CEO and president of Realogy Corporation,
said, “This clearly marks significant milestones for two remarkable
careers. Budge Huskey’s proven record underscores his ability to lead
and execute, and Jim Gillespie’s leadership of the Coldwell Banker
franchise has been exemplary.”
“This transition speaks volumes about the leadership talent at Coldwell
Banker," said Alex Perriello, president and CEO of the Realogy Franchise
Group. “Budge is well prepared for this role with an extraordinary
background in brokerage operations and brand stewardship, and Jim is a
universally respected business leader who I have been privileged to have
as a colleague for more than 25 years.”
Huskey was named president and chief operating officer of Coldwell
Banker Real Estate LLC in June 2010, after spending the previous 12
years in executive positions within the Coldwell Banker operations of
NRT LLC, a subsidiary of Realogy and the nation's largest residential
real estate brokerage company. While with NRT, he served as president
and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate
in Florida and was later promoted to executive vice president of NRT’s
Southern Region in 2007, overseeing the company’s Coldwell Banker
operations in Florida, Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta markets. Huskey
began his real estate career in 1984 as an agent with family-owned
Huskey Realty in the Orlando, Fla., area.
“It is an honor to be named CEO of this outstanding company, which I am
proud and deeply humbled to lead,” said Huskey. “After 36 years of
dedication to Coldwell Banker, Jim’s appointment as chairman emeritus is
well earned, and I look forward to his continued advice and counsel.”
Gillespie’s career has included roles in almost every facet of the real
estate industry. He began as a sales associate in 1975 before moving
into management the next year within a brokerage company that was
acquired by Coldwell Banker Real Estate. He then embarked on a series
of positions of increasing responsibility within the Coldwell Banker
system where he headed several local brokerage offices, companies as
well as regional franchise operations. He also served as vice president
of relocation services before moving to the Coldwell Banker Real Estate
corporate office in 1997 with responsibility for broker services.
Gillespie was named chief operating officer in 2001 before rising to the
CEO role in 2004. The University of Illinois graduate has played a
critical role in the growth of the Coldwell Banker Real Estate franchise
network for the past three decades.
“Not many people get the opportunity to spend almost their entire adult
life working for one organization, and Coldwell Banker has been a great
place to call home and build my career,” Gillespie said. “Budge Huskey
is the right person to move into this job, and I am confident that he
will lead our brand to amazing new heights.”
