SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Union International CEO Mark A. McLaughlin has been recognized as one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the residential real estate brokerage industry according to the 2018 Swanepoel Power 200 (SP200) rankings.

McLaughlin has been named to the SP200 every year since its inception five years ago. In an announcement this week, Swanepoel recognized McLaughlin as the No. 9 most powerful Power Broker in the United States and Canada. On the overall list, his rank has steadily climbed for the last four years, from No. 86 in 2015 to No. 34 in 2018 www.sp200.com. This year, more than 3,000 executives were considered, and only 274 earned acknowledgements.

San Francisco-based Pacific Union International has recently been on the expansion trail, uniting important Southern California firms including John Aaroe Group, Partners Trust, and Gibson International, as well as Northern California's Empire Realty Associates. On Jan. 3, all brokerages rebranded as Pacific Union, linking more than 1,700 real estate professionals across 51 offices in California. Projecting 2018 sales volume of $18 billion, Pacific Union International is the No. 1 independent real estate brokerage in California.

"As we pursue this unprecedented growth, we are not building corporate infrastructure to manage that growth, rather we are empowering our elite real estate professionals," McLaughlin says. "Being Independent means making decisions as close to our clients as possible, and at Pacific Union, our clients are our real estate professionals."

Two examples of this empowerment are the brokerage's unique Innovation Lab and Pacific Union University. Pacific Union's Innovation Lab is essentially a "skunk works" operation run by the firm's real estate professionals to develop a technology vision and produce industry-leading tools, with Silicon Valley-edge. Pacific Union University is formed and fueled by elite real estate professionals to shape education and share best practices through collaborative learning, giving the brokerage's professionals a clear advantage over its competitors.

About Pacific Union International

Founded in San Francisco in 1975, Pacific Union International, Inc. is the West Coast's premier luxury real estate brand with 2017 sales volume of $14.1 billion. In 2016, real estate industry leaders RISMedia and REAL Trends ranked Pacific Union as the eighth-largest brokerage in the U.S.

Through its 2015 acquisition of The Mark Company, the nation's leading sales and marketing firm for new urban luxury developments, Pacific Union expanded its brand to development projects from San Diego to Seattle.

In 2016 Pacific Union merged with Los Angeles-based brokerage John Aaroe Group, followed in 2017 with mergers with Partners Trust and Gibson International also based in Los Angeles, and Empire Realty Associates, extending the Pacific Union brand to become the preeminent leader and ultimate California real estate company. The strategic alliance of these five powerhouses supports 1,700 elite real estate professionals in more than 50 offices throughout the West Coast. Northern California markets include San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, and Sonoma counties, Silicon Valley, and the Lake Tahoe region. Greater Los Angeles markets include Beverly Hills, Malibu, Downtown, Northeast LA, the Westside, and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.

To extend Pacific Union's international reach, in 2013 the brokerage established an award-winning, Beijing-based China Concierge program that fully supports its Chinese investors on the mainland. Additionally, Pacific Union offers a full range of personal and commercial real estate services, including buying, selling, and relocation in addition to operating joint-venture businesses that provide rental and commercial property management and insurance services. Locally owned, Pacific Union executes with a vision for the future, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and expertise. For more information, visit: www.pacificunion.com.

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SOURCE Pacific Union International