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By Debra Solomon
Baker
DAN BITZA
Prudential Select
“I’m a long way from North Texas,” Dan Bitza remarks, referring
to his alma mater. This music major could hardly have predicted
that, one day, he would be president and chief executive of one
of the largest residential real estate firms in St. Louis.
Bitza first dabbled in real estate 25 years ago while simultaneously
teaching music. Though he still appreciates “any music played well,”
he abandoned teaching to become a full-time Gundaker agent, then
a branch manager, and a regional vice-president.
However, Bitza did not want to work for a corporate institution.
So, when Coldwell Banker acquired Gundaker Realtors, he and five
other brokers formed Prudential Select and now pride themselves
on delivering service that is personalized and efficient. Many of
the 475 agents currently working for Prudential were formerly with
Gundaker.
“We felt we would be able to deliver grassroots real estate to a
community better than an operation working out of New Jersey,” says
Bitza, a Wildwood resident. “This is one case where bigger is not
always better.”
Bitza and his core leadership team chose to affiliate with Prudential
real estate because of the network’s broker-centric reputation and
its commitment to the support of local real estate entrepreneurs.
It has, to date, been a highly successful venture. Prudential Select
quickly moved into the number two position for listings in the metro
area within the first two months of existence.
From January 2003 through August 2003, the company’s sales volume
reached over 420 million. Bitza expects that by year’s end, more
than 600 agents will have been recruited to work for Prudential
Select and 700 by its second anniversary in March. Prudential Select
now boasts seven offices (the most recent one opened in Jefferson
County) and Bitza predicts that within five years, there will be
between 15 and 20 offices serving metro St. Louis.
Prudential Select partnered with U.S. Bank in forming Select Mortgage
Lending, a limited liability corporation, and has arranged for Investors
Title to provide in-office title service and closings. This enables
Prudential’s customers to get “one-stop shopping” when completing
real estate transactions.
“What works in New York, or California, or Washington, does not
necessarily work in St. Louis,” Bitza says. “We provide customized,
as opposed to institutionalized, service.”
Debra Solomon Baker is a St. Louis-based free-lance writer.
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE INSIGHTS 
How familiar is your spouse/family with your co-workers and day-to-day
happenings at work? How involved are they in your work life?
“I have been married for 43 years and for 42 of those years, I have
been an employee of what is now Ameren Corporation and what was
then St. Louis-Union Electric Company. Through social functions
and daily discussions, my wife and children, and now my eight grandchildren,
have come to know a great deal about our company. My wife has become
close to many of my co-workers and their spouses. My three sons
all became engineers and have worked for utilities, so clearly those
daily discussions had an impact!”
CHARLES W. MUELLER
CHAIRMAN AND CEO,
AMEREN CORPORATION
“My husband is very involved and very familiar. My role with SBC
requires a strong personal commitment, and I’m very fortunate my
husband, Alan Liebert, shares that commitment to my work and to
the St. Louis community.”
CINDY BRINKLEY
PRESIDENT-MISSOURI,
SBC
For more information on Leadership Circle, please contact John
Diefenbach, associate vice president-membership, 314/444-1184
or jdief@stlrcga.org.
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