By JANET METZNER

Staff Writer

Paull Associates insurance/Real Estate of Wheeling has expanded its business over the river and through the woods to develop its new, third office in St. Clairsville.

“That river is no longer a barrier,” Lee Paull IV, executive vice president, said of the Ohio River that separates West Virginia and Ohio. “We’re very excited to be out there for a lot of our clients and friends in Belmont County,” he said.

Since January, the new office, called Paull Associates Real Estate, has been growing and operating at 118 W. Main Street. That’s just across from WesBanco Bank and the Belmont County Courthouse.

It’s the third office for Paull Associates, whose main office is at 1311 Chapline St. in Wheeling. Its Marshall County office is at 903 Wheeling Ave. in Glen Dale.

“We know this is something that is very positive, especially with what’s going on in Belmont County,” Paull said. “Hopefully with the new cracker plant, we will be able to offer services to even more people in the Ohio Valley,” he said, referring to the multi-billion dollar ethane cracker plant that’s proposed for Dilles Bottom, and expected to bring more jobs, as well.

Paull Associates Real Estate has been in high demand for years in Belmont County, Paull said. “We’ve had a lot of calls, and have been asked many, many times to help our friends and clients over there. This makes it official.” Paull, who has been in real estate since 1989, said his team works ethically and professionally as buyer or seller for a variety of properties: from residential and commercial, to industrial, vacant land, farms, businesses and rental properties.

The St. Clairsville area offers more properties with newer construction than are available east of the river in West Virginia, he said. And the St. Clairsville office is still close: only 9 minutes from downtown Wheeling.

Paull said he works with other local brokers, as well as brokers in Columbus, Pittsburgh and Morgantown to get a property sold.

As soon as he lists a property, he’s able to share that information with his extensive network. Because of these close connections throughout the tri-state area, Paull said his clients are assured their properties will be sold quickly. And buyers can be assured that the company will provide them professional, ethical and personalized service.

The team holds a confidential meeting with each client, in order to discover their needs and find the perfect property fit, he said.