SHELTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bill Raveis, Chairman and CEO of William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance, the largest family-owned real estate brokerage company in the Northeast, recently named his two sons, Chris Raveis and Ryan Raveis, Co-Presidents, William Raveis, Inc. The company has firmly secured its future and ambitious growth plan with this transition. William Raveis, Inc. is comprised of real estate, mortgage and insurance and commercial assets. Within this structure, their primary roles include Chris serving as President of Residential Sales and Ryan as President of Mortgage, LLC.
“This phase represents a dream I’ve always had in passing a family business along to my sons, said Bill Raveis. More importantly, it is a strategic move to propel the company forward and secure its prosperity in the future.”
Prior to joining the family business, Chris Raveis worked at Jones Lang LaSalle, where he was named as one of the top five commercial brokers in the Metro-Atlanta area by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. Chris subsequently worked to launch HomeLink Services, Inc, a venture capital backed tech startup where he was responsible for U.S. sales.
In 2003, Chris spearheaded the initiative to expand William Raveis Real Estate outside its home state of Connecticut. Since then, he established 74 additional offices in 7 states throughout the Northeast, which in 2015 yielded $4.4 billion in closed sales.
“Building our real estate business in many markets in different states has been a fortunate experience,” said Chris Raveis. “Every region is truly unique. Being able to adjust and evolve our approach in specific regions, employing the absolute best management talent and focusing on our sales agents’ needs will continue to be key factors as we look forward to advancing our position in the Northeast.”
Ryan held positions with a top strategic management consulting and research services firm, as well as a venture-capital backed internet services firm, where he, in coordination with Freddie Mac and Lending Tree, led the implementation of the nation's first broker-direct online mortgage platform.
Since rejoining the family business in 2005, Ryan Raveis has helped grow production at William Raveis Mortgage from $195 Million, to $1.1 Billion by focusing on long term, sustainable development for employees and originators. In 2014 & 2015, Ryan was recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Mortgage Executives in America by Mortgage Executive Magazine.
“As co-president, I’m looking forward to securing the future of what my father started over 40 years ago,” said Ryan Raveis. “We’re taking the business to a whole new level through technology and building on the solid foundation of the company.”
Though this marks a new chapter for the Raveis brothers, this does not conclude Bill Raveis’ role as Chairman and CEO of the company. He will continue to support the company’s position as the largest independent brokerage in the Northeast and will be closely involved with the company’s expansion plan into Florida, recently announcing the launch of a new 3,000 square foot location in Naples.
Over the past 42 years, William Raveis Real Estate has grown from a single office over a grocery store in Connecticut to a family enterprise with 120 offices, $9 billion in real estate sales annually, $10 billion in mortgages and more than 6,000 insurance customers.
“If I had to pick the two most talented real estate and finance individuals in the United States, they would be Chris and Ryan,” said Bill Raveis. “It’s great that they happen to be my sons.”
About William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance
William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance is the No. 1 family-owned real estate company in the Northeast and the No. 8 real estate company in the country, according to REAL Trends. With $9 billion in real estate sales annually, $10 billion in mortgages and more than 6,000 insurance customers, William Raveis’ Real Estate, Mortgage and Insurance divisions have been awarded the Gold Medal distinction by the Commercial Record and by Banker & Tradesman. The firm was named the Most Innovative Brokerage by Inman News, and has consistently been ranked the best place to work by Fox CT, Hearst Connecticut and the Boston Business Journal. William Raveis has 3,800 highly trained sales professionals in 120 offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont and Florida. For more information, visit the best website in real estate, raveis.com, or blog.raveis.com.
