says . They are involved in their careers or live in other parts of the world . “ I can ’ t speak for the shareholders ,” Shea says , “ but this is my understanding of what their mindset is .”
To that end , little has changed , and Shea says if there was no announcement of a change of ownership , nobody would know the difference . Lyon let its agents know a month before the deal was official that conversations were well underway so they didn ’ t find out from other sources . The acquisition introduced more tools , resources and support . The plan is for Shea to continue running the company and leverage the value of the brand , employees and agents .
Lyon did have discussions with other companies , Shea says , but Windermere is family owned with a large philanthropy component , and these factors were key in choosing it . “ This is common in business , especially in real estate ,” Shea says . “ The industry has evolved where you have to get bigger or be part of something bigger . Without having that next generation , it was smarter for Lyon to merge into a like-minded company .”
New horizons
In Mering ’ s case , TSY had ambitions to expand , and Mering ’ s troubled year made the timing right . The companies are taking a methodical approach to integration , trying to avoid any disruptions , and the agency is still called Mering , but that may change in the future . As for Mering , he will be the vice chairman in the new organization and a shareholder . The transition has been a big change for him — he has had his own company since he was 28 . He ’ s now 64 .
“ Last time I worked for somebody was in the early ’ 80s ,” he says . “ You were the guy who makes every decision . Now you talk to people , work it up the system . It will be different .”
But the move gives him time to plan for his next phase . He has been thinking about retirement for 10 years but had no plan prior to this deal . He also agreed to stay with the company for a few years . Some employees have been with him for 20 years , and he couldn ’ t abandon them .
“ I didn ’ t want to put them in a difficult situation ,” Mering says . “ Now , they ’ re part of something bigger . Hopefully , it ’ ll be something better .”
Russell Nichols is a freelance writer who focuses on technology , culture and mental health . His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal , The Boston Globe , Governing magazine and Government Technology . On Twitter @ russellnichols .
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