MEET OUR ASSOCIATES

RITA BOTTEMS (OWNER & FOUNDER)

Rita has 13 years of experience in property investment and development. As head of the Property Development and Investment Division, she oversees all of the company’s development projects and financial obligations. Rita has completed over 20 projects ranging from small to large scale commercial buildings and residential housing.

NATALIE YARBROUGH (TRANSACTION MANAGER & COORDINATOR)

Natalie has been a licensed Realtor since 2004. Her primary focus is on transaction management as she loves the energy that comes with getting to the closing table. Thus far, Natalie has followed over 300 closings and still counting! Her benefit to our office is huge as she manages and handles the transaction to ensure a smooth and efficient closing.

TOM BUBB

Tom's desire to join Seacrest Beach Realty in September 2008 was to re-energize himself and to expand his job centered opportunities. Tom states, "Seacrest Beach Realty sees their market as Northwest Florida and I was recruited because of my specialization in West Bay County." With over $30 million in sales and hundreds of real estate transactions, Tom became a top 15% salesman for all of Prudential Realtors nationwide and was published in the Wall Street Journal. He became a member of the Prudential Chairman's Circle Club and developed many satisfying relationships with property owners on the West end of Bay County . As a result of Tom's knowledge, dedication and successful real estate career he is known as Bay Counties' "West End Specialist." According to Tom, "Seacrest Beach Realty offers a more sophisticated approach to marketing and in targeting Buyers and Sellers. I now have the experience and higher levels of resources for all of Northwest Florida available to me." His new goal, becoming the new and improved "Northwest Florida Specialist."

SUE GALLAGHER

Sue moved from Upstate New York to beautiful Santa Rosa Beach in January of 2004 with her husband, Scott. For 27 years she was the director of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Funded Housing Programs for the county in which she lived. Thus, Sue has an extensive knowledge of housing and related issues. She has been a Realtor for four years generally focusing on residential listings and sales.

MAURICE GILBERT (THE BROKER OF RECORD)

As a 20 year resident of South Walton and a licensed Realtor for 14 years, Maurice is active in community affairs, serving for eight years on the Walton County Tourist Development Council and for 11 years as an elected South Walton Fire District Fire Commissioner. He resides with his wife, Kathy, in Seagrove Beach.

DIANA HOLMES

Diana Holmes first discovered the coastal regions of Northwest Florida in the late 60’s when her military family relocated to Tyndall Air Force Base. Since that time she has become an enthusiast of the region. Diana’s diverse interests have touched many people in a plethora of endeavors…from art, events, fashion direction, media, promotions, public relations, sailing, travel and real estate. As one might imagine, she has seen the evolution of this coast; despite intervals of time away traveling. She is always on the go! Diana’s interest in art, design and nature… naturally point her to the peaceful part of living along the coast – the Beach! Diana’s goal with Seacrest Beach Realty is to help other families and (military) retirees discover the peaceful pleasures of being near the coast. Diana is a consummate networker and is an independent travel agent (www.FuntasticJourneys.com). Diana and her husband, Tom, a sales executive for Cox Pools and an active member of the UDT Seal Association reside in Panama City Beach with their four Shih-Tzus.

JOYCE IOVINO

Joyce has been an active Realtor for over 25 years. She started in the Boca Raton/Ft. Lauderdale Florida area selling waterfront homes and oceanfront condos. She has worked in general real estate sales and for several developers selling new construction, including luxury condos for Donald Trump at Trump Plaza of Palm Beach. Joyce relocated to South Walton in 1999 with her husband Jeff, a commercial real estate appraiser. She has considerable experience selling all price ranges along Scenic Highway 30A including in the exclusive communities of Seaside and WaterSound Beach. Joyce specializes in sales at the West End of Panama City Beach and along Scenic Highway 30A.

BRUCE KING

After visiting The Beach of South Walton for more than 2 decades, it was in 1999 that Bruce decided to make a major career & lifestyle change and move to the beach. So he quit his job as the director of a Fortune 500 company, sold his house in Atlanta and moved to the beach on Dec 31, 1999 figuring that if anything was really going to happen with Y2K, he’d rather be in the dark on the beach than in Atlanta.

Bruce’s plan was to move to the beach and spend a year or two figuring out what to do with the rest of his life. Shortly after arriving, he became a part of a group of avid beach go’ers that call themselves the POETS, an acronym for ‘Put Off Everything at Time of Sunset”. Rain or shine, this group gathered every day on Grayton Beach for sunset cocktails. Now for those of you that have never visited the beach in January, what you may not realize is that it gets dark really early in the winter. Which means that sunset cocktails gets started even earlier!! After several months as an ardent member of the POETS, Bruce woke up one afternoon and realized that if he didn’t find something else to occupy his time, it would quickly evolve to spending four months at the beach, four months in Atlanta and four months at Betty Ford!

Having always been intrigued with sales and marketing and loving this particular section of real estate, Bruce decided to combine these two interest, go to “Real Estate College” and become a Realtor. After graduating a week later, he approached Abbott Realty, the largest Real Estate Brokerage in the area, confident that his degrees in computer science, his background in corporate America, his sparkling personality and his new designation as a Realtor would immediately secure him a position in sales. Several interviews and a couple of weeks later, the Abbott sale manager agrees to bring Bruce on board at the slowest office on 30A if he promises not to call her more than once a week with questions. And that’s how Bruce got his start in real estate sales.

Fast forward 10 years.

With over $200,000,000 in real estate sales, Bruce still loves selling real estate. And he’d made quite a name for himself too. Bruce chose to leave Abbott and made a transition to a “smaller” real estate company. Along with 2 partners, he started and built a team of real estate professionals that generated over 35% of the gross sales for the “smaller” company he left Abbot to join. During this time, the “smaller” company had grown to be to be one of the top five brokerages in terms of sales along the Emerald Coast. Along the way, Bruce had successfully marketed and sold a number of area developments, developed a substantial client base of individuals and developers and consistently ranked in the top 2% of area Realtors in terms of sales, and ranking as high as #4 out of over 3,000 Realtors in the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors. Bruce & his partners had also moved the team out on its own and started their own full fledge, full service brokerage firm. The new company was immediately a success. As the broker of this new, very successful company, many thought Bruce had reached the pinnacle of his real estate career.

But something was missing. Bruce realized that while he enjoyed the process of building a new company and organization, he was not really doing the thing he’d grown to really love…selling real estate. So, he struck a deal with his business partners, left the company he’d help create and he and his assistant moved to Seacrest Beach Realty. “I love working at Seacrest Beach Realty”, Bruce says. “Not only does the brokerage provide me the structure I need to service my clients, but the location is ideal, the office is spacious and very ‘beach chic’, the technology is second to none and the attitude is one of ‘how can I help you and your clients today’. It couldn’t be a more perfect match.” says Bruce.

Whether you’re a developer looking for the ideal spot to build a new complex, an investor looking to expand your real estate portfolio, an individual looking for a great place at the beach, or a family looking to relocate to one of the most beautiful sections of the country, not only can Bruce help you find that perfect place here in paradise, he can help you negotiate the best deal.

DOUG KOCOUR

Integrity, honesty, and seasoned professionalism are Doug's values when it comes to real estate and his clients. He is knowledgeable in gulf-front and gulf-view investment properties and residential lots all along 30-A and Destin. Doug is a multi-million dollar producer and contributes his success to listening and delivering exactly what his clients ask for.

GERRY LEE

After visiting the Emerald Coast 20 years ago, and many times since then, Gerry and his wife enthusiastically relocated here a couple of years ago. They were inspired by the natural beauty, burgeoning cultural and culinary options and the opportunity to invest in an up and coming community. Gerry's choice was made based on extensive experience in real estate and business. He spent a number of years in sales, marketing and General Management in the field of healthcare, including stints in Canada and international locations. Seeking a change of pace, Gerry developed a private golf course in Canada recognized by Golf Digest magazine. Gerry states "I then decided to put the cold weather behind me and made the move to the Emerald Coast . It was a great decision for me. I changed career direction a bit by moving into real estate sales. I've found that my unique combination of corporate, management and multicultural experience allows me to relate to customers in a personalized and professional manner. In most cases, we share very similar life experiences, which form a strong foundation for a real estate relationship, not just a transaction." Gerry recently joined Seacrest Beach Realty, a fresh, new dynamic firm with a strong presence in the Emerald Coast market. Highlighting this belief, Gerry continues "I always search for companies with strong business morals, ethics and a focus on serving their customers with a clear vision of their future. Seacrest Beach Realty met those criteria and more. I am ready to help you find that perfect place on the Emerald Coast! Most any housing you prefer is available in one of our beach communities and I would appreciate the honor and opportunity to work with you.

CAROL LENCH

As a Realtor on the Emerald Coast for the past ten years, Carol has served on the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors Board (ECAR) of Directors for 4 years. In 2005, she was awarded ECAR Realtor of the Year for Bay County. For the past two years she served as President of Cultural Arts Association for Walton County. Carol's main expertise is the 30-A corridor, East end of Destin, and the West end of Panama City Beach.

JAMES RODE

James is President and Chief Executive Officer of Core Minerals Holdings, LLC, has been active in the oil and gas industry since 1980. Mr. Rode served as Vice President and General Counsel of the Hercules Petroleum Company, an Illinois Basin exploration and production company, and then served as General Counsel for Entrade Corporation, a natural gas marketing company affiliated with Indiana Gas Company and Michigan Consolidated Gas Company. In 1987, Mr. Rode founded Interenergy Corporation, a Denver based natural gas gathering, processing, and marketing company which was sold to K N Energy (now Kinder Morgan) in 1997. He also was the founder of nGenX Corporation, a technology Network and Application Service Provider, serving over 1,000 users in the United States and in several international markets. The company was acquired by Cinergy Communications, now Norlight, in 2004. Mr. Rode has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky, a Juris Doctor Degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Oil and Gas Association.

ALISON SCHULTZ

Alison has been a licensed Realtor for five years. She started with Rosemary Beach Realty specializing in luxury vacation homes and sold the Private Residence Club, a fractional ownership program in Rosemary Beach. Alison's desire and knowledge of real estate not only stems from her tenure with Rosemary Beach Realty, but with 12 years of living on the Emerald Coast, she has learned first hand about the local communities and current market conditions.

JIM SULLIVAN

After first setting foot on the Beaches of South Walton in 1980, Jim vowed to one day make this area his home. After a successful career as an executive for a large software vender in Atlanta, Georgia Jim relocated to South Walton in 2004. It was the lure of the emerald green water and his love for the beach that prompted Jim to make this his permanent home. Jim's 22 years experience in the corporate business has provided him with a diverse background in technology, marketing, contract negotiations, sales, and customer service. Jim states "as a REALTOR® it is my job to listen, hear, and understand your needs and respond to them promptly, professionally and with integrity. It is not only my business philosophy, but also a commitment to provide you with exceptional personalized service."

JOHN WITHERSPOON

John moved from Oahu, Hawaii in 2004 and has been involved in development projects in the Panhandle of Florida and Gulf Coast of Mississippi. He brings years of international investment experience and has previously lived in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. John’s primary focus is on single family, condominium, and development projects since relocating to the Beaches of South Walton. John received his Undergraduate degree from George Mason University and his Masters from St. Andrews University Scotland.