TAMARAC, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--South Florida-based Gold Coast Schools, one of the country’s largest providers of traditional classroom and distance learning in the fields of real estate, appraisal, mortgage, insurance and construction education, has acquired Bert Rodgers Schools of Real Estate, a leading provider of distance education for real estate professionals headquartered in Sarasota. The merger joins two of Florida’s leading family-owned educational providers. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Gold Coast Schools, which has five Florida campuses and distance learning programs serving students throughout the state, acquires the Bert Rodgers Schools brand, all real estate and CAM courses, its real estate coaching program, trade names, trademarks and all operations of the school. All Bert Rodgers Schools staff will be retained.
“Both companies will continue to operate under their respective brands and leverage shared resources,” said John Greer, Ed.D., Director of Gold Coast Schools. “This is a great opportunity for the Bert Rodgers staff to join a larger organization. Combining with Bert Rodgers Schools allows us to pool resources and provide the best educational offerings in Florida to an expanded audience.”
Gold Coast Schools continues to innovate with new courses and products, offering classroom and online based education. Classrooms are located in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Tamarac, North Miami and South Dade. The merger allows Gold Coast to increase its online and continuing education components while students of Bert Rodgers will have access to a broader range of courses at Gold Coast Schools including Spanish real estate courses, insurance, contractors, mortgage and appraisal.
Bert Rodgers Schools of Real Estate, founded in 1958 by Bert Rodgers, a pioneer in Florida real estate education, was owned by Bert’s daughter Lori Rodgers.
“I have known the Greers for more than 25 years and have great respect for them personally and for their organization. They have a bold, powerful vision for growth. I couldn’t imagine better owners to take care of the brand my dad and I spent close to 60 years cultivating,” said Lori Rodgers, who will remain on as a consultant.
The Greer and Rodgers families have known each other for 25 years and share a mutual respect for each other and a passion for excellence and customer service. Both businesses have focused on providing a superior student experience and are dedicated to helping people start new careers and providing the continuing education needed to maintain their licenses.
“As we expand our offerings into different geographic areas, and new lines of business, this acquisition allows us to continue to work together and pool our resources to provide high quality courses and a superior student experience,” Greer adds. “This merger is the first step in a continual plan for expansion by Gold Coast Schools. We continue to grow and expand to serve students throughout Florida and beyond.”
Together the schools will serve nearly 100,000 students annually and have combined to serve more than two million students. For more information, visit goldcoastschools.com.
