Tradition
The Coldwell Banker success story has been a matter of record dating back to 1906, when Colbert Coldwell and Benjamin Banker founded a real estate company with the commitment to professionalism and customer service. It was to become the first national real estate company, and today, the nation's oldest real estate organization.
In Columbus, King Thompson Realtors was well known as the company that created Upper Arlington. In 1914, King Thompson, along with his brother Ben, purchased the land now known as Upper Arlington as well as other areas in Columbus.
Two years earlier, Henry Wollam rented a horse and buggy to show clients homes in the new areas of the city near 5th and High Streets. Later his real estate company would become known as Holzer Wollam, adding the names White and Strait along the way. In 1988, the company merged with King Thompson, Realtors.
NRT LLC, the nation's largest real estate brokerage company, acquired and combined King Thompson, Realtors and Coldwell Banker Grand Traditions in 2001 to form Coldwell Banker King Thompson. In subsequent years, our company has continued to acquire real estate companies, merging them into our company's existing operations and growing its tradition of growth.
West Shell Jr. was an extremely community-minded individual who started our real estate company in 1958 with a single residential office in Mariemont. Over the years, he merged our company with several others and expanded into the commercial/industrial and property management markets and entered the Kentucky and Indiana markets.
By 1983 our company had grown to 18 offices with $325 Million in sales. Mr. Shell sold the company in 1986 and the new owners acquired other real estate companies, further growing our company.
In 1997, two locally prominent Cincinnati real estate firms, West Shell and Parchman & Oyler, were joined together with Coldwell Banker after they were acquired by NRT LLC, the nation's largest real estate brokerage company, to become Coldwell Banker West Shell.
The traditions of innovation and service that were imbedded in the professionals back then continue today as we serve the real estate needs of the Tristate area that includes Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana.
Since the beginnings of our company, it has been our sales associates who have helped create the leading real estate company we are today. From their involvement on local, state, and national professional organizations that professionalized the real estate industry to building our reputation of being “The Quality Choice,” from the high level of service our associates provided to their customers.
Another tradition is that every senior leadership and management team member began their career as a successful agent. It's with this experienced team, focused on helping each sales associate reach their goal of a successful career in real estate, that makes each office a family of well-trained, caring professionals. Our people's involvement in the communities where they live and work, where they make positive differences, where they help provide a place where others can call home is yet another tradition that sets our company apart. We believe it makes us who we are.
We're proud of being a company with traditions. Together, our traditions and our people have helped make the dream of homeownership a reality for millions of families.
Coldwell Banker King Thompson and Coldwell Banker West Shell... people with global connections and local traditions.
