ABOUT SPACE
About Space: Saturday, May 17, 2008

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Published: May 17, 2008

Firm auctions 565 properties in 72 hours

TULSA — Williams & Williams, Tulsa-based auction firm, simultaneously auctioned 565 properties across the country in 72 hours this week in an unusual combination online and bid-in-person blitz.

"Just as foreclosures have sharply increased, the number of auctions is on the rise,” said Dean Williams, chairman and chief executive. "Both those hoping to avoid foreclosure and those wanting to dispose of vacant and non-earning real estate are looking to a system that is more time-definite, transparent and efficient than the traditional means.”

Williams & Williams auctioneers in 26 states took bids from Tuesday through Thursday.

Live auctions were held online and in person in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Properties in Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas were sold exclusively online at www.williamsauction.com.

HotelBrokerOne opens office in Los Angeles

Oklahoma City-based HotelBrokerOne has opened a West Coast office in Los Angeles, with Leigh-Anne Ashton as managing broker and senior vice president and Harry Hashim as senior analyst and financing consultant.

Ashton most recently helped found Aries Hospitality Investments Inc., a boutique brokerage-investment firm where she was vice president and broker associate; Hashim also came to HotelBrokerOne from Aries, said Peter Holmes, chief operating officer for HotelBrokerOne.

In addition to its headquarters in Oklahoma City, HotelBrokerOne, founded in 1986, has offices in Tulsa, Dallas, Kansas City, Mo., Denver, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.

O.A. Garr purchases real estate franchise

YUKON — O.A. Garr, a real estate broker-owner and Realtor, has bought the United Country Real Estate franchise at 10952 Northwest Expressway in Yukon.

United Country-Sooner Realty specializes in rural property, homes, historic estates, recreational land and investment properties.

Garr kicked off his affiliation with United Country by attending its weeklong advanced training course.

Fidelity Bank appoints new vice president

Mark Harry has joined Oklahoma Fidelity Bank's mortgage banking division as vice president-residential lending.

Most recently, Harry worked with Oklahoma City's Harry Mortgage Co., started by his father and grandfather.

He has more than 30 years of mortgage banking experience in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Fidelity Bank is a division of Fidelity Bank in Wichita, Kan., founded in 1905, which employs 450 people in 25 retail locations, including 2225 W Hefner Road, 6901 W Hefner Road, 4035 Northwest Expressway, 1020 NW 150 and in Edmond at 1127 E Second St.

BuildBlock expands into Minnesota

Oklahoma City-based BuildBlock Building Systems has expanded into Minnesota with its 12th manufacturing plant in Becker, 50 miles northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

BuildBlock said it now has more manufacturing locations than any maker of insulating concrete forms in the country. The company also has plants in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Utah and Wisconsin.