Hathaway Group Raises Coldwell Banker Flag

Jeff Hathaway, the firm's president, says the Parsippany, NJ-based Coldwell Banker approached Hathaway Group in previous years to discuss a potential affiliation, but he wasn't interested at the time. Hathaway's father founded the Hathaway Group and was affiliated with TCN Worldwide Real Estate of Plano, TX for several years.

Then when representatives from Coldwell Banker Commercial approached him in July 2007, Hathaway was interested. "What I noticed right away was that they'd changed. They'd beefed up what they had to offer a firm like ours," Hathaway says. "I wasn't looking to make any changes, but when I saw what Coldwell Banker had to offer, we started getting serious about joining them."

Hathaway tells GlobeSt.com that Hathaway Group's relationship with TCN Worldwide was expiring around the same time as the launch of the Coldwell Banker franchise. "TCN is a great outfit. I loved the people there. It gave us a good national connection with other markets and allowed us to benchmark our operations with other companies," he says.

Hathaway says it was the company's broader market reach, training programs and staff development that convinced him that a move would be beneficial. "What intrigued me and sold me on the whole arrangement were the resources, manpower, expertise and money Coldwell Banker is putting behind its platform," Hathaway says. "We can tap into a lot in terms of website, training, property data and other arrangements." The brand name was also a selling point, he adds.

In short, Hathaway sees the alliance as the next step for his company, which will continue to be located at 2100 Riverdale Dr. He points out that Hathaway is a successful brokerage company with what he believes is the best team of brokers in the market.

Hathaway says he's also worked hard to establish a reputation for honesty and integrity in the region. "But there are some things I can't do," he acknowledges. "When it comes to finding the time and manpower to improve technology and training to our associates, it unfortunately doesn't happen. That'll be the real benefit to us with this alliance, and it will translate into more effective marketing of our clients' properties and more effective servicing of our tenant reps."