By Clyde Noel

Intero Real Estate Services, a full-service real estate company, has opened its Los Altos office at 496 First St. The building, previously occupied by the Packard Foundation, has 11,000 square feet and a capacity for 80 real estate agents.

Intero Los Altos will be the sixth Intero office to open in the Silicon Valley region within six months. As vice president and managing partner, longtime Los Altos resident John Thompson will manage the office.

Intero President and CEO Gino Blefari is also a Los Altos resident. He launched the real estate company in October of last year with three offices in the South County. He attributes his company’s expansion to unparalleled dedication to client services and technology.

“Technology plays a vital part in our success,” Blefari said. “We have created two Web sites, one for clients and the other an intranet site for Intero agents and staff.”

Thompson boasts impressive real estate credentials. He joined Blefari at Contempo Realty Inc. in 1987 and was instrumental in the Cupertino office becoming No. 1 in sales for all Contempo branch offices during the 1990s.

“I am committed to doing more than just selling homes as manager of Intero Los Altos,” Thompson said. “We plan to create within the company a culture with the highest professional and ethical standards in the industry.”

Thompson has always been committed to giving back to the community; it is in his blood. His grandfather Alden Thompson, a physician, made house calls in the Los Altos area; and his father, Jim Thompson, practiced dentistry in Los Altos for more than 30 years.

“I strive to surround myself with positive influences on a day-to-day basis,” Thompson said. “I look for people interested in professional and personal growth who think and dream big and are excited about challenging their personal limits.”

Blefari began selling real estate in 1984 and for the next 14 years was a top-producing agent selling more than 50 homes a year. He climbed the company ladder at Contempo, first as an agent, then as a manager and finally as chief operations officer and partner.

Contempo was purchased by NRT, a division of Cendant Corp., a nationwide real estate brokerage company. In 2001 Blefari was promoted to senior vice president of NRT. During all these moves, Blefari continued to live in Los Altos with his wife, Joanie, and their two children.

According to Blefari and Thompson, Intero’s values of integrity, honesty and compassion have created a company culture focused on the individual and the agent. Both Thompson and Blefari believe in creating an environment that attracts the finest people in the industry.

Intero Real Estate Services is an independently owned and operated real estate company. It has offices in Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister, San Jose, Cupertino and Los Altos.

Until the phone communications are developed, for more information, fax Thompson at (408) 236-7441 or e-mail him at: