|
F.C. Tucker Company expands to Florida market First Florida affiliate to open April 1 INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time in its 89-year history, Indianapolis based F.C. Tucker Company is making a concerted effort to grow its residential real estate business outside of Indiana’s borders. Through Tucker Florida, LLC, the F.C. Tucker Company is now offering franchise opportunities throughout Florida, and former Tucker sales associate and Indianapolis attorney Larry Lunn is leading the franchising effort from his offices in Treasure Island, Florida. "The F.C. Tucker name is well known in Florida thanks to the number of Hoosiers living in and purchasing second homes in the state," said Fred C. Tucker, III, president, F.C. Tucker Company, Inc. "While our core focus remains the continued growth and support of F.C. Tucker affiliates in cities across Indiana, the Florida initiative illustrates the positive strength and market potential of the F.C. Tucker brand in other parts of the United States." Lunn, who worked as an F.C. Tucker sales associate and broker before working a number of years as an Indianapolis real estate attorney, said, "I came to know Florida’s Pinellas County years ago during family vacations and knew this was where I wanted to restart my real estate career. I share Tucker’s values and its emphasis on providing one-stop real estate services for its clients. It was a natural fit for me to work again with the Tucker Company and its excellent leadership team. And, with the training and marketing support of the Tucker Company I know that the Florida Tucker team will have the best real estate sales associates in the state." In late 2006, Lunn arranged to purchase Realty Nation USA, a Pinellas County real estate agency, and began taking steps to convert it to a Tucker affiliate. Beginning April 1, F.C. Tucker/Gulf Beaches in Pinellas County will be the first affiliate outside of Indiana to offer F.C. Tucker Company brokerage and mortgage services. Indiana native Harry Carter, who relocated to Florida 30 years ago to open and manage Pinellas County-based Realty Nation USA, will co-manage the F.C. Tucker/Gulf Beaches office, allowing Lunn to concentrate on expanding the Tucker brand across the state. F.C. Tucker/Gulf Beaches, located at 172 107th Avenue, Treasure Island, initially expects to grow to a team of 12 sales associates and two brokers. To ensure high-caliber training and sales associates’ excellence in Florida, F.C. Tucker sales associates in Florida will participate in Tucker’s extensive, in-depth training programs virtually via videoconferencing. Specialized sales associates’ training required for licensing in Florida will occur off-line simultaneously while Indiana sales associates are trained on Indiana specific rules and regulations. H. James Litten, president of F.C. Tucker Company’s Residential Real Estate Services Division, said, "A key ingredient of F.C. Tucker’s success in Indiana is our ongoing and extensive training, and marketing support programs. We knew to be successful in other markets, we would have to develop effective and efficient methods of transferring those programs remotely. Our virtual training system will give our Florida sales associates the foundation they need to provide exceptional F.C. Tucker real estate services – wherever their offices may be." "The Florida initiative will build on an impressive base of Hoosiers already familiar with our name and our full-service real estate services," Litten continued. "Starting in Pinellas County made sense given Lunn’s office preference and the number of former Tucker sales associates now living in the area. This area offers a ready pool of qualified, experienced sales associates who may want to return to work for F.C. Tucker." F.C. Tucker first began offering limited real estate services in Florida, including brokerage and mortgage services, in January 2005. Tucker said, "The early success of that limited effort proved that we could offer Florida franchises successfully." The Web site for the new F.C. Tucker/Gulf Beaches office will be www.fctuckergulfbeaches.com. Customers also will be able to link to the new Florida office through www.tuckerflorida.com. For information concerning franchise opportunities, contact Mr. Larry Lunn: Tucker Florida, LLC ### F.C. Tucker Company is the largest real estate firm in Indiana and is ranked among the largest independent real estate firms in the nation. Its family of businesses includes a full range of real estate services – mortgages, title insurance, relocation services, a full line of insurance products, auctioning, homeowner services vendors and warranty products. Started in Indianapolis 89 years ago, Tucker has 47 statewide offices: 30 affiliate offices throughout Indiana and 17 Indianapolis-area offices |