Meet the Corporate Leadership Team

Mark Stark, CEO & Owner-Broker 
As Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Americana Group REALTORS®, Mark Stark is responsible for the overall strategic vision of the Company, including the development of:  REALTORS® recruiting and retention programs, corporate marketing initiatives, and market expansion and acquisition initiatives.   Mark began selling real estate while he was a student at UNLV IN 1985. Five years later Mark entered the management ranks of Prudential as an assistant manager and after running his own office for several years became a partner and CEO in 1997.   In October of 2004, Mr. Stark completed the acquisition of 100% of the ownership in the company and now looks forward to shaping its growth for the future.  Mark maintains a blog about Life, Business and Real Estate Success

Gordon Miles, Chief Operations Officer
Over the past 14 years, Gordon Miles has earned a stellar reputation as a top producing agent and broker, specializing in both the high-end and mid-level marketplace.  He served as General Manager for Coldwell Banker Premier in Las Vegas prior to joining the Americana Team.  Gordon was also Vice President, Broker and co owner of Coldwell Banker Village/Incline Village Realty in Northern Nevada.  He managed nine offices in the Reno-Tahoe area and was responsible for the incredible company growth in the area.  Gordon is a licensed real estate broker in Nevada, California and Arizona and holds the CRB, GRI and ABR designations.  Gordon is proud to be a born and bred Nevadan.  He earned his degree at the University of Nevada, Reno and currently lives in the Green Valley area of Las Vegas.  He is listed in the Who’s Who in Real Estate, and has been recognized as a national leading expert on the Luxury Home Market as featured in:  Unique Homes, Rob Report, Wall Street Journal and numerous other local and national publications.

Forrest Barbee, Corporate Broker & Pebble Branch Manager
Forrest Barbee currently holds the positions of Director of Education and Brokerage Information and Corporate Broker for Prudential Americana Group, REALTORS^®.  Forrest has been with Americana Group REALTORS® since April 2003 and brings a diversified background in corporate management, information technology, and education. He co-developed significant management and agent training programs and courses for classroom and online delivery this past year.  Forrest is originally from Iowa but settled in Las Vegas permanently in 2000. Prior to coming to Americana Forrest was a information technology manager for UNLV in Las Vegas and Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  While in Pennsylvania, Forrest obtained grant funding and was successful in setting up two separate Associate Degree programs as well as a technology academy.  Forrest also found the opportunity to co-found three separate businesses during the 1980s and 90s; this was an outgrowth of his own personal management and technology consulting “hobby”.  He even led a successful turnaround for the owner of a privately held company that was heading for insolvency.  Forrest holds a BS degree in Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Masters in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.  Forrest spent seven years with the Bell System as a Communications Engineering Project Manager for both domestic and international accounts. He was also a Communications Electronics Engineering Officer for six years in the Marine Corps.  Visit Forrest’s Blog at www.NineDots.net/wordpress

Darren Welsh, Esq.,  Corporate Counsel
Darren Welsh joined Americana in December 1994.  As Corporate Counsel, Darren’s duties include executing corporate legal strategies, business development, implementing protective corporate measures, overseeing Americana’s protected assets, and general corporate law.  Darren served as a Public Defender in Medford, Oregon where he attended daily arraignments and conducted extensive legal research.  At the Western Natural Resources Law Clinic based out of Eugene, Oregon, he served as a member of the team which argued the 1991 Supreme Court case, Portland Audubon Society v. Hodel.  Here, he also drafted appellate briefs, motions to compel discovery, and trial briefs. Since 1993, Darren has worked as the Nevada Attorney for Injured Workers in Reno, Nevada.  He was a deputy who represented injured workers in administrative hearings before Appellate Officer’s, through the District and Supreme Court levels.  His emphasis was on litigation and civil procedure. Darren attended the University of Pau in France where he studied French and southwestern civilizations.  He received a Bachelor of Arts with dual majors in Political Science and French from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1988.  He earned his Law degree from J.D. University of Oregon 1992.  Darren blogs on legal issues affecting Nevada Real Estate agents and the industry: http://ameglegal.wordpress.com/

Thomas “TJ ” Araujo, Director of Information Technology
TJ Araujo joined Americana as an agent in 1988. Over the next four years, his performance earned him a promotion to a management position, where he was the Sales Manager for the Paradise office. In 1994, TJ started Americana’s information technology department.  A job he still holds to this day. Before coming to Americana, TJ was a licensed real estate agent for three years with Weyerhaeuser Property Management.  He has earned a wide array of technological certifications from various institutions. His technology expertise and certificates include the following: Microsoft Certified Professional (Windows N/T 4.0/Windows 2003), Microsoft Certified System Administrator, Microsoft Certified System Engineer, Novell System Administrator 3.1/4.1, A+ Certification, PC/Networking, and Lucent/Ascend Rounding.