After visiting relatives in Atlanta several times a year for six or seven years, Michael “Mike” Runyan, broker with Atlanta Real Estate Specialists, decided that Gwinnett was the place to be and moved to the Sugarloaf area in 2003.

“Being a commercial appraiser and being familiar with studying trends and market figures, I realized that Gwinnett had it all,” said Runyan. “Gwinnett has a sustained population growth, job opportunities, an exceptional economic environment, a superior school system, an advanced infrastructure and is poised for growth in all sectors of the economy.”

One of the first business moves that Runyan made upon relocating to Gwinnett was joining the Gwinnett Chamber. “I saw that this Chamber was different from the rest. It has an entrepreneurial spirit with experienced leadership that has a vision for success.”

After attending several Business After Hours, Runyan found out about the Chairman’s Club and took a chance on the investment in leadership and decided to join.

“Joining the Chairman’s Club was the single greatest business move I have made since moving to Georgia,” said Runyan.

Runyan commented that he has made many business contacts that have ‘leap frogged’ his company forward. “I am all about relationships whether in business or personal life and I have made friends that will last a lifetime through the Chairman’s Club and other Chamber activities.”

Runyan has found ways to serve the community through the Gwinnett Chamber by sponsoring Success Lives Here, hosting a recent Business After Hours and by serving on the Gwinnett Chamber Board of Directors.

“I believe that everyone who joins the Chamber will benefit from membership.  I am convinced that as we become more involved the benefits multiply,” said Runyan.
As a company that has received notoriety from being a member of the Chamber and an upstanding member of the Gwinnett business community, Atlanta Real Estate Specialists is a company that has seen success by dealing in all aspects of commercial real estate from commercial appraisals and brokerage to developing small to medium shopping centers.

“The market is so big in metro Atlanta that most of the real estate professionals specialize in one field,” said Runyan. “Coming from a small to medium size market, I have developed expertise in all phases of commercial real estate including overseeing a development project from infancy to completion, in other words managing the process from site selection to leasing and managing the finished project.”  Runyan has a commercial appraiser license, has leased, developed and sold all types of commercial buildings, has expert witness trial work and is experienced in general real estate analysis and consulting.

“None of us get there by ourselves.  Atlanta Real Estate Specialists is no different.  We have been very blessed and are enjoying success as a result of much hard work on the part of many people and by treating people honestly, fairly and the way we would want to be treated. Our involvement with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has taken us to a level professionally that we otherwise would not have attained.  I consider it a privilege to be involved with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and to live, work and serve in Gwinnett County.”