Former Coldwell Banker chief opens office in Los Gatos

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - July 14, 2006

Chris Trapani, the former president of Coldwell Banker Silicon Valley who quit his high-profile job in April, says he has hired 30 agents for his new company and intends to open his first office in Los Gatos within days.

The new firm, called the Sereno Group, will locate its founding office in the same 5,500 square feet that also served as an original office for Alain Pinel Realtors, Mr. Trapani says. The address is 214 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road.

Alain Pinel, founded by entrepreneur Paul Hulme about 15 years ago, is now a dominant regional brokerage with strong name and brand recognition.

The Sereno Group's business model centers on attracting only the top-producing agents in the market place. It has stipulated that its agents must have aggregate annual sales of at least $10 million and must maintain that level to stay, Mr. Trapani says.

For seasoned real estate agent Ducky Grabill, beating that benchmark should not be a problem. Ms. Grabill specializes in Los Gatos homes and last year sold properties valued in excess of $65 million.

Sereno also has attracted at least four other top-producing Coldwell agents: Lucy Wedemeyer, Carol Jeans and Steve and Christine Perry. In addition, Raylene Khan, the former manager for the Coldwell Banker San Jose office for the Almaden area, resigned that post July 7, also to join Sereno as an agent, Mr. Trapani says.