Here is a listing of the personnel that have served with us over the years. The amount of staff varies with the workload. In 2005-2007 it was high and in 2008-2009 it was down as the real estate market declined substantially.

D. Richard Dance, CPA

President
Richard has 30 total years of business experience, 10 in public accounting and 1031 tax-deferred exchange work and 20 years as a corporate officer with various companies. He appears regularly at national seminars, tradeshows, and radio to discuss 1031 tax strategies and writes for business magazines, real estate and tax publications. Currently he is vice chair of the FEA Continuing Education Committee, and chair of the TICA Due Diligence subcommittee on Form 8824 communications. Previous employment includes being the President of UPchannels LLC, a knowledge management company; President of SoftResources LLC, an unbiased software selection company; CFO of Generra Sportswear and JV Associates, both sportswear companies; and Senior Manager at KPMG in audit, tax, and consulting where he became the most often quoted CPA by the news media in Washington. He is a local native that graduated from Queen Anne High School and enjoys the Northwest. In a typical year he usually gives 50 major speeches without the use of PowerPoint. He can be reached at rdance@1031eci.com. Click here to view Richard's CPA license.

Aggie Santillie

Processing Director
Aggie has over 30 years experience in Consumer, Commercial, and Real Estate lending and processing. While living in the South, Aggie spent 10 years with a Community Bank as a Bank Officer and head of their mortgage department. She has been a board member for Newton County Building Codes Board of Appeals, Standard Housing Codes Board of Appeals, and Rockdale County Women's Council of Realtors; she also served as Affiliate President for the Newton County Homebuilders Association. Aggie served as a Key Ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce for Newton & Rockdale Counties, she was active on the Community Council for the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Association. Aggie and her husband moved to the Northwest six years ago. Aggie can be reached at aggie@1031eci.com.

Amy Gustin

Qualified Intermediary
Amy was originally recruited by our founder, Gary Gilbertson, and has been with 1031 Exchange Coordinators through our growth and has passed the exam and experience requirements to become a Certified Exchange Specialist.  She appears regularly at national seminars, tradeshows, and in local real estate circles to discuss 1031 tax and investment strategies.  She writes for business magazines and real estate publications. Amy is very involved in the real estate community with the Washington Association of REALTORS; Commericial Brokers Association (CBA) and Northwest Multiple Listing.  She currently  serves as a Committee Chair for the Snohomish County Association of REALTORS.  She teaches contintuing education classes and hosts Build your Wealth seminars.  Previous employment includes Commercial REALTOR; Business Coach; Director of Sales and Marketing for an interenational firm; Branch Manager for US Bank; Accouanting Assistant for the Acquisition Team at Washington Mutual.    She is a local native who graduated from the University of Washington and enjoys outdoor activitites in the Northwest. In a typical year she facilitates 30 or more skill building workshops and is involved in the coordination of hundreds of the most difficult type of exchanges. She can be reached at amy@1031ECI.com.

Eric H. Brown

Qualified Intermediary
Eric joined the 1031 Exchange Coordinators team in March of 2006. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the financial services industry acquired over his 12 years as a licensed stockbroker. Eric was part of the Trade Support and Trade Dispute Resolution Groups, and was one of the top Trading Specialists while at Fidelity Brokerage Services. He has also worked with the High Net Worth Active Trader group at Charles Schwab & Co. and as an Investment Advisor at Schwab’s Redmond, WA office and has held similar positions at Banc of America Investment Services. Most recently Eric was the Client Service Manager at WMS Financial Planners, a Seattle firm specializing in Tenant-in-Common real estate investments that qualify as §1031 Exchange properties. Eric is married and has two sons and two daughters. When not working as a Qualified Intermediary, he enjoys sports, music, the outdoors, and spending time with his family. He can be reached at eric@1031eci.com.

Ann H. Venn

Office Manager
Ann joined the 1031 Exchange Coordinators team in May 2005. Having worked previously with Richard she instantly became an asset to the team. She brings to the team years of professional experience in administrative assistance, office management, human resource, bookkeeping and customer service. She has been schooled in real estate and has experience as an assistant to John L. Scott brokers. Ann has recently re-married; she has two sons, two daughters and eleven grandchildren; with her new marriage also has the addition of another son. When not working at 1031 Exchange Coordinators, Ann enjoys making memories with family and friends, music, reading, and the outdoors.

Alan R. Dance

Vice President
Alan has been working with individual, partnership and corporate tax issues for 27 years as a sole practitioner and then as a partner in a local CPA firm. During the last 15 years he has been an officer/owner in two aerospace companies in the Seattle area while still involved in tax strategy and compliance. Having assisted clients with 1031 exchanges before they became popular he is a welcome addition to 1031 Exchange Coordinators as Vice President. He is a native of the Seattle area where in 1963, he and his brother Richard became the youngest on record to ever receive a business license from the City of Seattle. He can be reached at adance@1031eci.com.

Al Murch

Arizona Qualified Intermediary
Al has over 30 years of business experience as corporate officer, marketing and sales manager, owner and operator of his own insurance agency/brokerage, and as a business consultant. Al has also been involved with sports: refereeing basketball at all levels, coaching, high school athletic director and president of an international semi-pro baseball organization. His strongest assets are his ability to listen and assist others in establishing and achieving their goals. He has an outstanding record as a public speaker, and is experienced in many areas of investments and insurance. Al has an ability to work with people, and with his experience in a variety of interesting endeavors, he relates to everyone he encounters. Al grew up in the Pacific Northwest and served as a representative in the Bellevue office of 1031 Exchange Coordinators. In late 2006 with his wife Terri he took on the challenge of developing the Arizona Region for 1031 Exchange Coordinators. He can be reached at al@1031eci.com.

Chad Hallberg

Qualified Intermediary
Chad joined the 1031 Exchange Coordinators team in August of 2005. He quickly became a valuable asset to the team. With his legal, tax, and software skills, Chad has been advancing the software tools for high volume multiple exchange clients that need to track their properties and basis in a reliable manner that ties out to their Form 8824 and 1040. He is especially good at helping clients track TIC (Tenant-in-Common) sales and purchases. Currently he heads up the Spokane, WA division while also studying at Gonzaga University in the School of Law and Business Administration. Chad is fluent in Russian and also has a working knowledge of Ukranian. Chad is married and has one son. Away from the office and studies, he enjoys being with his family, reading, and sports.

Bea Wright

Independent Accountant
Bea Wright started working for 1031 Exchange Coordinators as an independent accountant in the 3rd qtr of 2006. As an independent contractor she performs the valuable role of researching discrepancies, assisting with the preparation of summary statements, and examing incoming/outgoing wires along with trust fund disbursements. She gives 1031 Exchange Coordinators an extra pair of eyes to ensure that the trust fund accounting system is maintained on a timely and accurate basis. She has no hesitation in delving into a file and analyzing it to resolve complex matters. Previously she had over 10 years of experience working with accounting firms, specializing in small business/individual accounting and tax compliance. Bea has a degree in Taxation and Economics from Pinneberg College in Hamburg, Germany. She is the mother of four children, an active tri-athlete, and manages several soccer teams.

Gary S. Gilbertson

Founder
Gary was the founder and past president of 1031 Exchange Coordinators from 1990 through 2004. Gary was one of the founding members of the Federation of Exchange Accommodators (FEA) and has taught Clock Hour courses extensively throughout the Northwest. He has been and currently is an active exchanger of real properties and can show by example the tremendous impact section 1031 has on the accumulation of equity. In late 2004 he selected Richard Dance as his successor and sold the company in March of 2005. He comes into the office when requested, continues to teach for us, and provides the valuable role of overseer of client interests by checking up on the company’s books, financial reports and future plans.

Judy Gilbertson

Processor
Judy has been the backbone of 1031 Exchange Coordinators’ back office from inception through 2004. She handled all the processing paperwork, and phone work so that Gary could go out and meet with clients and REALTORS ®. She continues to serve when other’s schedules and vacations pull her out of necessity back into the office.