Although Tingus has engineered the expansion of the Lee &Associates-LA North/Ventura operations, he says that a nationalexpansion requires someone who is dedicated to that task alone. Hesays Royster, who will be based at the Sherman Oaks office of LeeLA North/Ventura, fits that bill because of his 35 years in theindustry and his experience in leading expansions.

[IMGCAP(2)]Lee, which is headquartered in Corona, CA, nowoperates 33 offices with more than 500 agents located inCalifornia, Arizona, Nevada, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Texas,Wisconsin and Idaho. Its expansion will include new offices inCalifornia as well as in the East, the Southeast, the Southwest andthe Midwest, according to Tingus. He says that although the companyalready brands itself as a national firm, it is looking for astronger presence in markets where it is not as well known as it isin California, where Bill Lee established the firm in 1979.

Tingus tells GlobeSt.com that Lee typically attracts brokerswith 10 to 15 years of experience because of the appeal of thecompany's business model. "We're a broker-owned company, whichmeans that in your particular market you do what you need to do toexecute your business plan," Tingus tells GlobeSt.com. "If youdon't need appraisal, you don't have appraisal, if you don't need afinance group, you don't have one, if you don't need corporateservices, you don't have it."