WALTHAM BROKER NAMED GREATER BOSTON REALTOR® OF THE YEAR

(Boston, Ma) – While some may have trouble pronouncing his name correctly, it’s always brought up when discussing successful and dedicated members of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors® (GBAR). And luckily Amleto “Mel” Martocchia’s name was pronounced perfectly June 24 as he was named the 2008 Greater Boston Realtor® of the Year.

“I’ve always been one to give back to the organization in any way that I can,” said Martocchia. “The Realtor® organization is unique in the sense that members are competitors, yet they all have one thing in common and that is the Realtor® emblem. It enables us to come together as one voice on items of importance. I am proud to be a Realtor.”

The Realtor® of the Year is selected annually from among nominations received by more than 5,500 members of GBAR and is based on participation in the Realtor® organization on the local, state and national levels as well as business accomplishments, and involvement and support of civic and charitable organizations during the prior 18 months.

A Realtor® since 1990, Martocchia is the current GBAR vice president and is serving his fourth consecutive year on the GBAR Board of Directors. Martocchia has been a member of GBAR’s Forms Task Force for the past two years and previously sat on GBAR’s Business Development and Nominating Committees in 2007.

“I respect and have enjoyed working with Mel in the marketplace as a competitor as well as on the Greater Boston Association of Realtors Leadership Team,” said GBAR President David Friedberg. “Mel has been an asset to GBAR as well as the real estate industry as a whole. I look forward to working together in the future.”

At the state level, Martocchia is the regional vice president for GBAR to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors® (MAR). He is also a member of the MAR Executive and Government Affairs Committees and has actively served on MAR’s Business Development Committee since 2004, previously serving as chairman of the committee in 2006. In previous years, Martocchia was a member of MAR’s Electronic Forms, Professional Standards and Technology Committees and the MAR Agency Task Force.

A former director of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB), Martocchia has served on the Watertown Historic District Commission since 2004. He currently serves as the Commission’s vice chairman and was chairman in 2006. He was a participant in the Watertown Pleasant Street Corridor re-zoning study working group in 2007 and a member of Sons of Italy, Watertown Chapter.

Even with his many commitments, Martocchia has earned four professional Realtor® designations: Certified Real Estate Broker (CRB), Certified Real Estate Specialist (CRS), Certified Buyer Representative (CBR) and Graduate Realtor® Institute (GRI).

Martocchia is president and part owner of Martocchia & Company, Inc., Realtors® in Waltham and is also manager and part owner of Martocchia Development co., LLC and A&M Joint Ventures LLC.

“It has been said many times by others that our work [as Realtors®] involves helping people with one of the most important decisions of a lifetime – the dream of owning a home. As long as I am able to help someone achieve that dream, that is what continues to drive me,” said Martocchia.

Organized in 1889, the Greater Boston Real Estate Board was chartered by the National Association of Realtors® in 1915. A voluntary trade organization with more than 7,500 members, the Greater Boston Association of Realtors® is the largest GBREB division, with over 5,500 members. The term Realtor® is registered as the exclusive trademark of members of the National Association of Realtors® who subscribe to a strict code of ethics.