HISTORY
Frank Berry
Three generations ago, Berry Realty Company was founded by Frank C. Berry (fondly remembered as "Papa Berry" by most). He was born in Guntersville, Alabama in 1904.
Frank was driven into Atlanta (or shall we say, out of Alabama) after the competition to his laundry business burned down three of his four plants. Without the aid of insurance, Frank decided to start fresh in Atlanta’s Real Estate Business with D.L. Stokes & Co. in 1932. He opened the first Berry Realty Company office on Greenwood Avenue, better known as the dining room of his residence. Later that year, the official office was opened on N. Highland Avenue at Virginia (now Virginia-Highlands). Papa's greatest asset was that he loved people. He always said, "Honey, you're not in the Real Estate Business, you're in the Relationship Business. If you forget that... you'll be out of business!"
Robert Berry
The second Berry generation joined the company in 1949. Robert M. Berry (Bob) was born in Gadsden, Alabama in 1930. He began with the company in the Insurance Division, but after four long months, he found the Real Estate side of the business more interesting and took on the challenges of the Property Management Division. In just a few short years, he expanded the Rental Department, managing more than 730 single-family and multi-family residences, making it the largest in the city.
Bob also proved himself an innovator. Under his leadership, Berry Realty was one of the first to have multiple offices of service, agents’ names on yard signs, MAI appraisal designations, creation and use of directional signage,"bus" caravans of properties, TV advertising of listed properties, and initiation into the Million Dollar Club under the DeKalb Board of Realtors.
Honor Berry
Honor was a life-long resident of Atlanta and grew up in the Morningside/Virginia Highlands area. She joined the family sales force in 1973, after overspending $10,000 on her home kitchen renovation. She decided to sell a personal rental property to cover the expense but ended up retaining her rental property and selling 9 other homes in a miraculous 30 days instead. Thus, kicking off a long-standing and successful career in Atlanta Real Estate. She focused mainly in Northeast Atlanta, but still managed to cover everything between Decatur and Lake Lanier.
Her name was representative of her reputation, as she was known for fairness, honesty, and perseverance. She always got the job done, and she never let go, evidenced by the countless awards and most importantly, by her customer satisfaction and repeat business.
Holly Berry Cosentino
As the third generation of Berry Realty Company, Holly assumed responsibility as President and Owner in 1991. Holly, Bob's fourth of five children, began her Real Estate career in the Relocation Industry in 1979. Her background encompasses a thorough scope of all branches of the Real Estate Industry. From the core financial aspect of the Secondary Mortgage Market (trading and selling of Residential Mortgage Loans) to Marketing and Contract Negotiations of approximately 3,700 properties and over 125 Million Dollars in Residential Real Estate for both Merrill Lynch Relocation Management and Coldwell Banker Relocation. Her family background, coupled with an extensive scope of responsibilities in all branches of Real Estate from sales and marketing, mortgages, property management, secondary mortgage industry, corporately-owned inventory, to the relocation arena, prepared Holly to take over ownership and operations of Berry Realty Company.
Ralph Cosentino
In 1991, Holly's husband, Ralph was recruited to be Managing Partner and Business Anchor of the company, bringing with him decades of Executive Management responsibilities in Fortune 500 companies to join in pioneering the third leg of the Berry Realty Company journey. Ralph’s career and love for Real Estate began at Homequity, Inc., founder of the Relocation Industry. As a Regional Director for Homequity, Inc., Ralph was responsible for marketing Real Estate inventory throughout the Southeast. Ralph’s continued success in Relocation led him to serve as Executive Vice President for Merrill Lynch Relocation Management in White Plains, New York.
His experience in the Relocation Industry with major corporate clients, combined with his expert knowledge of the Appraisal Business, allow him to contribute significantly to the growth and management of Berry Real Estate & Design Build as a whole.
Honor Cosentino Vess
Since 2012, Honor, fourth generation at Berry, has assumed responsibility as Lead Project Manager, Design Director, and Licensed Contractor. Honor's background is in Project Coordination with a nationally known Architecture and Engineering Consulting Firm and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Clemson University, where she graduated top of her class in 2012. Between her experience in Architecture and her former jobs and internships, she was thoroughly prepared for her position on the Berry Design Build team. Her skills, determination, and constant positive attitude make her a huge asset to the team. In 2013, she furthered her career by gaining her Residential Contractors License.
Nicole Cosentino
Nicole joined the Berry team in 2011, representing the 4th generation of Berry Real Estate & Design Build. As Administrative Coordinator, Nicole wears many hats in aspects of both Property Management and Sales. Nicole is dedicated to making sure coordination of maintenance for all of our rental properties are met as well as process all work order request, maintenance items, and accounting details.
Her active experience in the property management + design build divisions aid her in her real estate career, creating a knowledgeable and proactive environment when it comes to all things real estate.