The sales team at the newly named Foremost Realty in Logandale which was formerly Coldwell Banker-Robison Realty. The company changes its name this week. Pictured l to r Lori Waters, Tracey Thornton, owner Janet Marshall, owner Doug Barlow, Kathy Leavitt, Donna Serneck and Launa Leavitt.

By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

A local real estate group that has operating for over 15 years under the name of Coldwell Banker/Robison Realty is changing its name this week. The Coldwell Banker office which has become a local business fixture at 2885 N. Moapa Valley Blvd in Logandale is being renamed Foremost Realty.

But owners Doug Barlow and Janet Marshall are quick to point out that nothing at the business is changing except the name.

“We aren’t going anywhere; everything is going to stay essentially the same,” said Barlow. “We have just decided to go independent instead of being part of the large Coldwell Banker franchise.”

The business will still operate with the same real estate team including Tracey Thornton, Jared Marshall, Kathy Leavitt, Launa Leavitt, Lori Waters and Donna Serneck. Agent Wendy Rudder will continue to operate in Alamo, Nevada for the office. And Barlow and Marshall will continue as the agency’s owners.

“With our group of agents, we will continue to offer many years of experience and expertise,” said Barlow. “Among the group of us we have to have more than a century and a half of cumulative experience,” he said with a smile.

Barlow himself has been in the real estate business for nearly forty years now. He got his Nevada brokers license back in 1972.

Co-owner Janet Marshall has been in the real estate field for almost 20 years, receiving her license in 1992.

The local office has been frequently recognized for excellence over the years by the nation-wide Coldwell Banker organization. It has been distinguished every year as a Coldwell Banker Premier office for its outstanding sales performance. And in 2009, the Logandale office was recognized for ranking 16th in sales in North America out of 979 offices in its class.

The Logandale location has been the home to a real estate sales office since the late 1960s when Bryant Robison opened what was then the community’s only real estate brokerage. Robison operated it for more than thirty years as an independent business called Robison Real Estate.

In 1997, Bryant and his brother Ace Robison applied for and received a franchise under the Coldwell Banker name. They assembled a small team of experienced and talented local agents to work in the office including the late Connie Olsen who had worked with Bryant for many years.

About a year later, Bryant and Ace sold the business to a partnership consisting of Olsen, Barlow and Marshall. Barlow and Marshall had been commuting into Las Vegas or Mesquite at the time and welcomed the opportunity to work closer to home.

“When we started back in 1997 there were only two other real estate offices in town,” said Marshall. “Since that time the real estate market increased to the point that we had as many as five offices and a lot more agents working here in the valley. Now we are back down to just two or three again.”

The Foremost Realty group looks forward to operating as an independent agency again. They plan to run things the same as they have been running. But being independent they expect to be able to devote more resources to building the local business and economy, Barlow said.

“We’ll offer the same level of service as we always have; maybe even higher!” Barlow said.