Reneé Gonzales

CEO – Long Realty Company

By Tara Kirkpatrick

Running the region’s leading real estate company, Reneé Gonzales’ favorite part of the job is still the simple but life-changing act of an agent handing the keys to a new homeowner.

“That’s why we do this,” said the CEO of Long Companies. “Our ultimate goal is to positively impact people’s lives. Buying a home can be one of the most stressful and largest investments you make…our goal is to help the consumer through the process so they feel like it was a great experience and they get the home they wanted.”

Gonzales took over as CEO of the family-founded company in January 2021. Since joining Long in 2002, she has served as the executive VP of Core Services, president of Long Title Agency and managing director of Long Mortgage Co, which she helped launch and lead to fruition. She now oversees leadership and strategic planning for all of Long Companies, which comprise Long Realty Company, Prosperity Home Mortgage, Agave Title Agency and Long Insurance Group.

“She’s a superstar,” said Steve Quinlan, chairman emeritus of Long Companies. “She really is one of the best hires I ever made. She listens, she takes the time to query the subject matter to make sure she is on the same page, she is very responsive. When she says something, she does it.”

In leading a company of entrepreneurial real estate agents, Gonzales is essentially a CEO of CEOs. “They are the CEO of their own company,” she said. “We provide the training, the marketing, the offices and the culture for them to run their own businesses. We want them to be as successful as they want to be.” 

A Nebraska native and mom, Gonzales has become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on multiple real estate topics. She works often with HomeServices of America, the Realty Alliance–a network of the country’s top real estate companies. In addition to timely real estate issues, she likes to speak about building the individual business and the steps to success.

“To me, the most important thing is helping people around me be successful,” Gonzales said. “Being a leader is being a supporter. I believe I’ve had a successful day when someone I’ve had a conversation with was able to move toward their goal.”

As Long nears a century in business in Southern Arizona, she’s proud to lead that legacy. “It’s a family and we still run it as a family. We care about each individual that walks in the door.”