Coldwell Banker Real Estate announced late last week that its longtime CEO Jim Gillespie will step down next year and the company’s current president and chief operating officer will take his place. 

Budge Huskey will become the new CEO of Coldwell Banker on Jan. 1, 2013. Meanwhile, Gillespie, following a 36-year career working for the real estate franchise giant, will become the company’s chairman emeritus. 

“This clearly marks significant milestones for two remarkable careers,” says Richard A. Smith, CEO and president of Realogy Corp., of which Coldwell Banker is a subsidiary. “Budge Huskey’s proven record underscores his ability to lead and execute, and Jim Gillespie’s leadership of Coldwell Banker franchise has been exemplary.” 

Huskey became COO and president of Coldwell Banker in 2010. He has had a long career of executive positions within the company, after first getting his start in real estate in 1984 as a sales associate for Huskey Realty in Orlando, Fla., a family-owned brokerage. 

Gillespie began his career as a sales associate in 1975 and moved into a career in management with a brokerage company that was acquired the next year by Coldwell. He has held numerous positions in the franchise since that time, and was named CEO in 2004. 

“Not many people get the opportunity to spend almost their entire adult life working for one organization, and Coldwell Banker has been a great place to call home and build my career,” Gillespie says. “Budge Huskey is the right person to move into this job, and I am confident that he will lead our brand to amazing new heights.” 

Source: “Coldwell Banker Real Estate Announces Budge Huskey to be Appointed CEO Effective Jan. 1,” RISMedia (July 22, 2012)