GALLAHER & BIRCH, INC. formerly known as Hedg-peth & Gallaher, Inc., was established as The Hedg-peth Company, Inc., in 1967 by George Hedg-peth, MAI and has been meeting the need for competent, responsive and accurate appraisals in South Florida since its inception. Mr. Hedg-peth is now retired, but the current owners and staff of the company are dedicated to providing the same prompt, personal service and high quality work product while, at the same time, maintaining the highest ethical standards of the profession. By generally limiting our area of practice to South Florida, but addressing the analysis of all types of property from vacant land to complex, multi-purpose commercial developments, we aim to assure a continued high level of service to our clients.

BIOGRAPHIES:

ROBERT E. GALLAHER is President of the firm and the majority owner. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida and graduated from the University of Florida in 1972 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, his major having been real estate. He began his appraisal career as a staff appraiser with George Hedg-peth in 1972, achieving his SRPA designation (Senior Real Property Appraiser) in 1983, his MAI designation (Member of the Appraisal Institute) in 1984 and becoming a partner in the company in 1985. He was recently awarded the distinguished CRE designation by The Counselors of Real Estate, an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors. He holds both a real estate broker's and a real estate instructor's license from the State of Florida as well as being a state certified general real estate appraiser. Through his more than 30 years of practice, he has developed an expertise in the valuation of income properties, as well as extensive experience in the analysis of land, residential real estate and special purpose properties.

For many years the firm has been involved in eminent domain and other court related appraisal work and Bob has extensive experience (for both plaintiffs and defendants) in litigation support, trial preparation and deposition and trial testimony.

Bob has also been involved in the local Realtors' organizations having served on the Board of Directors and as President of both the Coral Gables and the Miami Boards of Realtors. He has also chaired the Education Committee of both of these organizations and has been director of the Florida Association of Realtors. He is past Chairman of the Realtor Association of Miami (now the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches) and is a past chairman of the Association's Education Foundation, has been a Trustee of the Florida Association of Realtors Education Foundation and has served as a member of a Realtor's state-wide task force on affordable housing. Bob has been qualified and has testified as an expert witness in the District Court of both Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties and in Federal Court.

Bob has been or is, an officer, director and shareholder for several closely held corporations involved in real estate including Sanctuary Farms, Inc., a farming venture in Collier County; Marina Bay, Inc., a shopping center development in North Miami-Dade County; Burlingame Group, Inc., an office space owner in Miami; Miller Ludlam, LLC, an owner of retail stores; and, First Reserve, Inc., a corporate holding company that owned Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell, Inc., a general real estate brokerage firm and which developed both the Gables Waterway Executive Center and the University Inn Condominium Apartments.

Bob served for nine years (four years as Chairman) on the Dade County Documentary Surtax Advisory Board, which oversaw the lending of approximately 12 million dollars per year in tax dollars to low and moderate income families for purchase of their own home. He has authored a book on real estate applications of the Hewlett-Packard 12C calculator and served on a statewide task force of MAI's that had significant impact on the current Florida real estate license law. He also served on the Board of Directors of Consumers Savings Bank until its sale to BankUnited and now serves as a director of Florida Savings Bank. He currently chairs an advisory committee of local professionals advising the Jerome Bain Real Estate Institute at Florida International University. He is also on the Board of Directors of Chamber South.

He has taught a variety of seminars and courses for local real estate brokerage and appraisal associations, the Florida Association of Realtors, Miami Dade Community College and the American Bar Association.