Middleberg Helped Achieve $1 Billion in Annual Volume with Prior Manhattan Firm; Longtime Manager Gigi Melillo to Retire After Successful 25-Year Real Estate Career
Darien, Conn. – August 3, 2015 – William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty announced today that Lynley Middleberg will now serve as the co-brokerage manager for the firm’s Darien brokerage alongside Gigi Melillo, and will assume full managerial responsibilities in January 2016. Melillo, who has managed the office since 2008 and has led a storied and successful 25-year career in real estate, has decided to retire at the end of 2015, the firm announced. Melillo and Middleberg will work closely together during a transitional period through the rest of the year.
In her prior role with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.’s Upper East Side Manhattan Brokerage, Middleberg helped to facilitate $1 billion in annual sales volume. In that position, which she held for seven years, Middleberg managed office staff members as well as over 140 sales associates, including several who annually rank among the top agents by dollar volume in the nation according to an annual ranking of the country’s top real estate professionals by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends.
Middleberg also brings significant experience in the recruitment of new sales associates and in training agents on essential business skills, ranging from market analysis to negotiation tactics to developing listing presentations. She was heavily involved with managing incoming and outgoing brokerage referrals between the Manhattan office and other firms within the Sotheby’s International Realty® network, consisting of approximately 800 offices throughout 61 countries and territories. In addition, she worked with Sotheby’s Auction house to gain her agents exposure before potential high net worth clients through participation in numerous auction events.
“The skill set and level of experience Lynley brings to our firm is beyond impressive,” said Paul Breunich, President and CEO of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. “She not only played an instrumental part of the management of one of the most productive real estate brokerages in the country, but she already possesses a deep understanding of the Sotheby’s International Realty brand, its close relationship with the legendary auction house, and all of the unique and exclusive benefits to which our agents have access. I believe she will prove an invaluable resource to our sales force in Darien, and I look forward to working with her.”
Gigi Melillo made the decision to retire earlier this year, and has agreed to stay on through the remainder of 2015 to assist in the leadership transition. Melillo’s career highlights include winning the Rising Star Award in 1995, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty’s Manager of the Year award for four years, and the Presidents Council Award for five consecutive years, a recognition she accomplished at a time when she served as a brokerage manager with Coldwell Banker. Prior to becoming a manager, Melillo was consistently a top producing agent in Stamford and Greenwich, Conn.
“Gigi’s legacy is one of outstanding leadership, significant expertise and great success in servicing buyers and sellers in her market area,” said Breunich. “I am so proud of all of her achievements and the tremendous dedication she has always brought to her work throughout her career. I wish her all the best as she begins the next phase of her life.”
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About William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty
Founded in 1949, William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty manages a $3.3-billion-plus portfolio with more than 1,000 sales associates in 26 brokerages spanning Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Westchester County, New York. William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty is the largest Sotheby’s International Realty(R) affiliate globally and the 28th-largest real estate company by sales volume in the United States. A full-service real estate firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty provides ancillary services including commercial services through its affiliation with Building and Land Technology, a second-generation development company based in Stamford, Connecticut; William Pitt Insurance Services; and an award-winning global relocation division. For more information, visit the website at williampitt.com.
Sotheby’s International Realty’s worldwide network includes approximately 17,000 sales associates located in approximately 800 offices throughout 61 countries and territories.
William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty Contact:
Andrew Wood
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