For Greg Bell, the path to becoming one of Australia’s leading real estate identities began in the eastern suburbs of Sydney in 1977.

Well over 30 years after his first step into the industry as a residential property manager, Greg has, along with his brother Andrew, been the driving force in the creation of one of the nation’s largest and most active agencies – the Ray White Surfers Paradise Group.

In an unrivalled partnership, Greg and Andrew opened up their own real estate business in eastern Sydney’s Kensington in 1980. By 1982, the Bell brothers had joined the ERA worldwide network of real estate franchises, which was subsequently bought out by the Ray White Group in 1985.

Taking advantage of the Ray White Group’s ongoing rapid expansion, Greg and Andrew went on to open Ray White offices in Elizabeth Bay and Maroubra, which were among the best performing offices in New South Wales. They later sold their interests in Ray White’s Sydney operations and made the strategic decision to move north to Queensland, after acquiring Ray White Surfers Paradise.

Over the last 22 years, the Gold Coast-based Ray White Surfers Paradise Group has grown from a staff of just 30, to more than 270 people across 14 offices. Today, following two decades under the incomparable stewardship of Greg and Andrew, the Group has grown to become one of the most prominent real estate agencies in Australia, and the largest and most successful operation on the Gold Coast.

The Ray White Surfers Paradise Group has remained the number one sales office in the Ray White Group’s entire franchise network for the past 18 years, with an annual turnover of around $1 billion.

Greg leads a team of over 40 as the director of Ray White Commercial and Industrial Gold Coast, the key commercial arm of the Ray White Surfers Paradise Group. He continues his hands-on approach and consistent involvement in both residential and commercial operations, alongside project marketing, property investment, hotel sales, marine and property management.

Through the downturn The Ray White Surfers Paradise Group underwent a series of business expansion activities throughout 2009, 2010 and 2011, which secured their position at the forefront of the real estate industry. In a strategic counter-cyclical move the group has set up Ray White Hotels Australia, Ray White Marine, purchased various rent rolls to give the group over 2,300 properties under management, set up residential offices at Coomera, Yatala, Sanctuary Cove, Hope Island, Monterey Keys, Paradise Waters and an international office in Shanghai, China. The group also set up Ray White Industrial Gold Coast as a separate selling and leasing vehicle. The group now stands in the leadership role of agencies in South East Queensland and focuses heavily on staff recruitment and training.