Coldwell Banker Chicora becomes part of the largest Coldwell Banker in the Southeast
September 18, 2017
Long considered one of Myrtle Beach’s most highly regarded business organizations, Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate has merged with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage of Greater Wilmington, N.C. and Coldwell Banker Advantage of Raleigh, Fayetteville and Southern Pines, N.C., to become Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage. The merger has created the largest Coldwell Banker affiliate in the Southeast and the third largest in the country.
From its humble beginnings in 1972 in a small office on Oak Street in Myrtle Beach, Chicora has grown over the past 45 years into one of the region’s most well known and respected businesses. More than just a strong force in the real estate industry, the company has demonstrated longstanding leadership in community service. It has played a major role in such organizations as the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, American Red Cross, YMCA, United Way, Waccamaw Community Foundation and more.
Founded by Paul Malone and Tim Jemison, Chicora passed the CEO reins to Don Smith in 1999 who will remain in his current role in the new Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage. Because their deep local knowledge drives their success, each Coldwell Banker in the Advantage network will continue to have local leaders and different branch names. New business partners for Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage include Tim Milam, president of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage; Gary Rabon, president of the Raleigh office of Coldwell Banker Advantage; and Ralph Huff, president of the Fayetteville office of Coldwell Banker Advantage.
“The cultural and geographic similarities made the merging of all these companies an outstanding opportunity for all of us,” said Don Smith, chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage. “Our larger footprint will give all of our agents more bandwidth for serving our clients in both Carolinas. Some of those benefits include access to referrals in North Carolina, new technologies in home buying and selling, enhanced marketing campaigns, and a technology help desk for all agents.”
“Don Smith and I have worked in similar markets for many years and have exchanged and discussed best practices along the way,” said Tim Milam, president of Coldwell Banker Seacoast Advantage. “Bringing our companies together makes us stronger than ever.”
The Coldwell Banker Advantage network serves the area from Wilmington, N.C. to Georgetown, S.C. and inland along the border belt to Raleigh, N.C. 2016 figures totaled $3 billion in sales and 14,450 in transactions.
ABOUT COLDWELL BANKER CHICORA ADVANTAGE
Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage was created in 1972 by Tim Jemison and Paul Malone and quickly grew in both size and services. In 1999, Jemison and Malone retired and Don Smith became the new CEO and President – a position he still holds today. Under Smith’s direction, Chicora merged with the Coldwell Banker Roberts Agency to form Coldwell Banker Chicora, one of the largest real estate brokerage firms on the South Carolina coast and among the top performers in the Coldwell Banker franchise system nationally. Today, Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage has 165 agents in six offices from North Myrtle Beach to Georgetown. In 2016, Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage had $286 million in closed sales volume and 1,758 in closed sales transactions.
In addition to its leadership status in sales, Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage has also earned a reputation for the strength of its commitment to the Grand Strand community. Six Chicora Advantage agents have served as President of the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors and Don Smith is the Incoming President for 2017/2018. Company personnel have also filled leadership positions in a wide variety of business and charitable organizations, such as the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, American Red Cross, YMCA, Coastal Carolina University, United Way, Waccamaw Community Foundation and many more.
