Griffin Co. acquires Weichert franchise in Fort Smith

Springdale-based Weichert, Realtors — The Griffin Co. has acquired a Weichert franchise in Fort Smith owned by Kevin and Elizabeth King.

Terms of the deal, which officially closed Jan. 1, weren’t disclosed, but the merger added 35 new agents to The Griffin Co., bringing its agent count to 215.

“Kevin and Elizabeth King built a great company over the past several years, and so when the opportunity arose to merge their Fort Smith office into our family, we just couldn’t pass it up,” said Brandon Long, broker/owner of The Griffin Co. “We are also very fortunate to have Kevin stay on as our designated executive broker of that office. We look forward to building solid business and professional relationships with the citizens of Fort Smith and the rest of the River Valley.”

It’s the second acquisition for The Griffin Co., in less than a year. The firm bought a Weichert franchise in Springdale owned by Bob and Sandy Downum last spring.

Long, Carter Clark, Philip Taldo and Gary Griffin are the owners of The Griffin Co. franchise, which has divisions for both residential and commercial properties. The firm has offices in Bentonville, Springdale and Fayetteville.

Long and Clark bought the Weichert franchise in 2007, and the current company was officially formed in December 2009 with the merger of two companies: Weichert, Realtors — Clark Long & Associates and Springdale-based The Griffin Co., owned by Griffin and Taldo.

King became a licensed Realtor in July 2002, and opened his own firm in 2005.

Last year, King’s Weichert franchise, King Realty Group, had a total sales volume of just more than $50 million, Long said. If combined with The Griffin Co.’s 2017 sales volume, Long said the company’s 2017 combined commercial and residential sales total would be boosted to about $510 million.