S T A N I S L A U S G RE E N T E A M
Prime Shine Car Wash presents:
STANI SL AUS G RE E N TE A M
LAND OF OPPORTUNITY ...a series spotlighting entrepreneurial achievement
Ryan Swehla NAI BENCHMARK
GIANELLI & ASSOCIATES
1014 16th Street, Modesto, California 95354 (209) 521-6260 The Stanislaus Green Team and the Modesto Chamber of Commerce congratulate Gianelli & Associates for earning the 1st “Green Certification” in our area. To find out how your company can earn “Green Certification” please go to StanislausGreenTeam.com.
REACON Team Members
NAI Benchmark is a commercial real estate brokerage and property management company founded by Joe Muratore and Ryan Swehla in 2009. We help companies find places for their business to operate, we help investors find good commercial real estate investments and we help commercial real estate owners manage their property. RYAN SWEHLA What have you done in your professional career that has led you to where you are now? Joe and I both grew up in Modesto. We met on the playground in third grade and have been friends ever since. I moved away to New York for college, then lived in San Francisco before moving back to Modesto. When I moved back, I felt called to my finance background (I’d worked at a hedge fund in SF) so I started working with a small local real estate investment firm. I got exposed to the brokerage world and it hooked me. I got my broker’s license in 2006 and shortly thereafter decided to start my own firm. What challenges have you had to overcome in your professional life and how did you overcome them? Some would say 2009 was the worst time to start a commercial real estate business, but we knew what we were getting into as the market had already started to show signs of a major downturn. Our firm has grown in revenue every year and we’ve gotten used to growing in perhaps the worst commercial real estate market in the last three decades, so we think we’re pretty well positioned for growth in the coming upturn.
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Interested in REACON Team membership or Stanislaus Green Team sponsorship? Call (209) 577-5757 or e-mail RKeenan@ModChamber.org.
What are some of the accomplishments of which you are particularly proud? We’ve been fortunate enough to bring on some tremendous people. The culture of our firm involves collaboration, teamwork, friendly competition and shared successes and failures. Even though our agents are independent contractors, we’ve been successful in creating a very collaborative, high-energy team environment – and that makes it a rewarding place to work. We genuinely enjoy the people with whom we work and hold them in very high esteem.
excellent commercial real estate practitioners in the Modesto-Stockton area, but generally the market is underserved. We plan to build additional capacity and energy toward serving the needs of this market. What is the single biggest reason that you have achieved the level of success you have? Without a doubt it is the partnership Joe and I have formed. We’ve known each other since third grade and with that comes a tremendous level of trust and understanding. As an entrepreneur, it’s often a very lonely world. The ability to collaborate and share ideas and decision-making has been critical to our success – and it permeates the culture of our company. What do you like about your job? Our business is at the cutting edge of economic development. Our job is to help companies find places for their business to operate, whether they are purchasing or leasing. I love being on the front line of helping businesses grow. I also enjoy helping property owners sell their property by creating a bidding environment to achieve the highest price possible. Do you participate in any community outreach efforts or clubs? I’m a member of the Modesto Rotary Club. I also serve as board president of Great Valley Academy and chairman of the Board of Zoning Adjustment with the City of Modesto. I’m also active in St. James Orthodox Church. What advice do you have for business people when it comes to achieving their goals? It is so important to have people you can trust to have very open and honest dialogues with about your business. Trying to figure it out all by yourself can be very challenging and lonely. Being in an environment where you have people you can trust and rely upon is essential. What do you like about doing business in the Modesto community and why do you think this is the Land of Opportunity? Definitely the sense of community we have here. The commercial real estate business is a relational business. In our community, perhaps more than other communities, business connections are founded on relationships and trust from people we know. I value that. I worked for a year in SF and it is a very lonely, individual world. In Modesto, one has a hard time being successful without building strong relationships.
Another success is our recent expansion into the Stockton market. We’ve been fortunate to align with Kevin Dougherty, who is one of the most well regarded commercial real estate practitioners in that market. With our merger with his firm, we’ll have offices in both Modesto and Stockton. There are some Prime Shine Car Wash is proud to present The Land of Opportunity. Each month this series provides a forum in which to showcase the entrepreneurial achievements of a Stanislaus County business owner. Prime Shine Car Wash is proud to recognize the entrepreneurʼs ability to overcome obstacles and to honor their successes in their industry and in the community.
Celebrating Over 50 Years Of Quality Care * Registered Nurses 24/7 * Long Term and Short Term Quality Care * 175 Bed Skilled Nursing Facility * Pleasant Environment * Inviting and Stimulating Social Activities * Inpatient & Outpatient Physical Therapy * Inpatient & Outpatient Occupational Therapy * Speech Therapy * Respiratory Therapy
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Modesto Chamber of Commerce I PROGRESS
* Specialty Dining Menus * Pharmaceutical Services * Intravenous Therapy * Incontinence Service * Wound and Skin Care * Medicare Part A & B * Medi-Cal * Other Insurances Welcome * Family Owned & Operated for over 50 Years
Engaged in your Care & your Life 209.577.1055 2030 Evergreen Ave. Modesto, CA 95350 www.evergreencare.com Fax: 209. 550. 3615
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