COLUMBIANA Howard Hanna buys Blasdell Properties

The company expects to announce development of a new golf course community in a month or two.
THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
COLUMBIANA -- Calling Columbiana County a prime growth area for real estate development, Pittsburgh-based Howard Hanna Real Estate announced its acquisition of Blasdell Properties Inc., a 14-year-old company based in East Palestine.
Tish Blasdell, who founded Blasdell Properties in her hometown in 1988, said she will shelve her broker's license to work as a sales associate for Howard Hanna.
Her three former offices in East Palestine, East Liverpool and Chester, W.Va., will continue operating, but under the Howard Hanna name, she said. Her seven real estate agents also plan to stay on under the new owner.
Properties that had been listed with Blasdell will become Howard Hanna listings with the acquisition.
Howard W. "Hoby" Hanna IV, vice president and manager of the company's Ohio operations, said the company plans no layoffs and will likely be looking for more new agents for the region.
He said the owners chose Blasdell Properties because it was a family-owned business, like Howard Hanna, with a similar philosophy of putting its focus on customer service and customer satisfaction.
Growing area
"We're a growth business, and Columbiana County is a big growth area," he said, noting that plenty of land is available in the region and property is more affordable. "We're definitely starting to see population flow this way," he said.
Hanna said the company's next project, likely to be announced within the next month or two, will be a residential housing development centered on the newly constructed Links at Firestone Farms, a golf course on state Route 14.
Blasdell will be the lead sales person on that development, he said.
The Links community will be built on 850 acres and will feature a variety of housing choices and builders. Howard Hanna is already marketing properties at two other golf communities in Pennsylvania, he said.
Howard "Hoddy" Hanna, president and chief executive, said the Blasdell acquisition will bring Howard Hanna's office totals to three in Columbiana County and seven in Northeast Ohio.
The company has 67 offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York and is the 12th-largest full-service real estate company in the United States, officials said.
vinarsky@vindy.com