Bellingham, WA; May 24th, 2021 — PLACE, an end-to-end real estate technology platform that exclusively partners with top real estate teams and brokerages, announced today that Chris Stuart is joining its executive leadership team as the company’s first president.
Stuart joins PLACE from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS), where he served as President and CEO of the 50,000 agent global real estate franchise network.
Stuart brings to PLACE an impressive track record of rapidly scaling real estate brokerages and franchises while driving our consumer brand and experience.
During his time in the role, BHHS grew from 32,000 to over 50,000 real estate professionals including the expansion of the brand globally into markets throughout Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico.
“Chris is a visionary leader with a deep understanding of scaling large real estate businesses and connecting them to consumer services,” said Ben Kinney, PLACE Co-founder. “Stuart joins our organization at the perfect time as we prepare to scale. His track record of rapid growth is in direct alignment with our immediate goal of continued expansion across North America.”
PLACE currently employs over 150 individuals in their corporate offices located in Portland, Bellingham, Salt Lake City, Orlando, and Edmonton, Alberta. Stuart will assist in their plans to hire more than 120 additional full time positions in the next six to nine months across their corporate offices.
“I am incredibly excited to join this impressive group of industry leaders and visionaries. PLACE and its network of operators combine a wealth of experience, diversity, and expertise with a culture of entrepreneurialism, hard work, and results.” Stuart said. “This organization is fueled by collaborative partnerships and I look forward to accelerating the significant momentum that has already been created.”
PLACE ended 2020 with over $85 million in revenue and $19 million in profit, up 93% from the previous year. The platform is on pace to double again in 2021.
“Our growth has been built through our focus on finding and retaining the best talent for all of our organizations,” PLACE Co-founder Chris Suarez added. “Stuart is another great example of our continued ability to attract the best that our industry has to offer. We have watched what he has built from afar, and are energized to welcome him into our organization for our next phase of growth.”
Stuart believes the real estate industry is at an inflection point.
“Given the foreseeable trends and evolutionary models that are sure to reshape the industry’s future, I’m confident that PLACE will empower top agents to flourish by leveraging best-in-class technology, marketing, and systems.”
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PLACE is a proprietary end-to-end technology platform that delivers a complete suite of business services exclusively to top agents, teams, and brokerages across the US and Canada. PLACE currently operates in over 70 locations across North America. For more information, visit www.place.com