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Long Realty Company HistoryLong Realty Company began as a family business, established in 1926 by pioneering real estate broker Roy H. Long. A native Minnesotan and World War I veteran, Roy started the business with two other agents out of his modest Tucson home near the University of Arizona. He soon became an influential community leader with a strong guiding philosophy for his real estate firm: "Take care of people first and the business will take care of you."
When Roy and his wife, Meta, stepped off of the eastbound train from Los Angeles in the fall of 1920, Tucson was a small town with 20,000 residents. They found the Papago and Yaqui tribes living within Tucson's dusty periphery, along with cowboys and ranches and a handful of eastern city slickers seeking adventure. It was the Wild West. But the area had one thing necessary for Meta's failing health: a dry, warm climate. Roy was astute in his assessment that the town had the right components for a prosperous real estate practice. The healing climate attracted many tourists who ultimately decided to make Tucson their home. His commercial sense was balanced by a humanitarian insight, knowing that serving the community went beyond selling homes. He secured land for Himmel Park, led the fund drive to build the first YMCA and, in 1925 helped start the first Fiesta De Los Vaqueros Rodeo. Meta's health improved and Roy grew his business slowly and deeply, creating a positive force within the Tucson business community. When he retired in 1952, Tucson had grown to 120,000 people and Roy H. Long Real Estate had grown into a thriving firm. From 1952 to 1980, Barrington "Barry" Long, Roy's son, took the helm as president of the company and expanded the business into a multi-service organization with eight branches. Barry retired in 1980 and sold the company to his sons - Russell, Steve and Roy II - and to Robert Piersol, who served as company president for 12 years. At the same time, Stephen Quinlan, then branch manager of Long Realty's Central Branch office, held a fresh vision for the company. He soon became General Manager/Designated Broker, began acquiring interests in the company, and became the sole owner in 1998. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1994 to 2004 and currently is Chairman of the Board. Stephen's groundbreaking vision encompassed expansion into home-related businesses to provide customers with a one-stop shopping experience, saving them time and money. But pathways into the title, mortgage banking, and insurance fields needed capital for their extensive technology and infrastructure needs. In 1999, under Stephen's leadership, Long Realty merged with HomeServices of America, the second largest residential real estate brokerage firm in the nation, comprising a consortium of companies dedicated to delivering an unparalleled experience to each customer. Thus, Long Realty added Long Title Agency, Long Mortgage Company, and Long Insurance Group to become the Long Companies, a significant Arizona organization with substantial resources, providing the company with the depth of a well-rooted local business and the breadth of a well-known national corporation. Rosey Koberlein, formerly the General Manager, accepted the position of President and CEO in 2004. Her leadership has been responsible for Long Companies pushing the growth index with top market share in Southern Arizona. She also has ignited a vision to enhance and maintain a company environment where agents, staff and managers can be their best professionally and as caring individuals through commitment to the company core values of compassion, excellence, integrity, leadership and teamwork. Long Companies has become one of the largest real estate services companies in Arizona, and one of the state's largest employers, with 20 branch offices in Tucson, 10 in southern Arizona, and another 12 throughout Central and northern Arizona and into Mexico, as well as management offices for commercial and rental properties. The business also plays an active role in philanthropy, serving community humanitarian needs through the Long Realty Cares Foundation and the Tucson Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With Long Realty's unparalleled growth in sales volume, as well as continued success with the affiliated services of mortgage, title and insurance, Rosey Koberlein brought Wissy Wendt, President of Long Title, into the brokerage arm to serve as President of Long Realty Company in 2005. This gave Rosey the ability to focus on Long Realty's larger picture and devoted Wissy's time to assuring the continued success of our sales associates. Their complimentary styles helped Long Realty achieve new landmarks, including $5 billion in sales volume in 2005. Wissy retired as President at the beginning of 2007, and in her place, Rosey appointed George "Kip" Longan to the position of President of Long Realty Company. An associate broker and Certified Residential Broker Manager, Kip brings a wealth of insight and experience to the position. Kip joined Long Realty Company in 1994, and just recently served as Branch Manager of the Foothills office, Long Realty Company's top producing branch. In keeping with Roy H. Long's original vision to take care of customers first, Long Companies continues to grow its founder's dream with a mission simply stated: To create an exceptional real estate services experience that builds long-lasting relationships. |
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