A lot has changed in corporate relocation since 1985. In the mid-eighties, the industry focused on helping employees buy and sell homes so they could quickly embark on new professional opportunities. However, a challenge was at the center of this process. Too often, inflated home sale valuations left companies absorbing steep losses.
Herbert Seeger knew that inaccurate valuations weren’t just a line-item issue, but a flaw in the relocation processes that drained resources for the entire corporate relocation budget. With Theodore Bell, he set out to build a company that would deliver precise, unbiased home sale valuations and real estate services rooted in market reality. Together, they would create a company that would challenge industry norms, solve employers’ problems, and bring a personal connection to every relocation.
That vision became National Residential Valuation Services, Inc., the company that was the foundation of NRI Relocation. Forty years later, the company has evolved to become a diversified, independent corporate relocation management company with a global reach and a legacy that’s as much about people as it is about process.
To mark NRI Relocation’s 40th anniversary, we sat down with two of Herbert Seeger’s sons, Philip and Roy Seeger, to revisit the company’s beginnings and the values that have carried it forward.
The Origins of NRI Relocation
Before founding his own relocation company, Herbert Seeger had experienced employee relocation from every angle. As a sales executive, he underwent multiple relocations from the transferee slide. Later in his career, as a Vice President of Personnel, he became a buyer of relocation services and eventually went on to sales for a relocation services company.
In these roles, he spotted a challenge in the corporate relocation process.
“The way relocation companies valued properties was flawed,” Herbert’s son, Philip, recalls. “Companies would buy out homes at inflated values, then sell them for much less. It wasn’t fair to the company, and it wasn’t a truly accurate process.”
Mr. Seeger’s younger son, Roy, remembers his father and Theodore Bell deciding to start their own company, National Residential Valuation Services, Inc., to provide unbiased, professional property valuations. “They were both very successful…they wanted to control their own destiny.”
It was a bold move. Large players dominated the relocation industry in the mid-1980s, but the founders had two advantages: industry knowledge and complementary skills.
Ted Bell was an operations expert credited by Worldwide ERC® with creating the Guaranteed Buyout Offer (GBO) home sale program. The concept would save companies billions over the years. Seeger was a natural salesperson with a track record of landing major accounts.
Setting the Foundation For Employee Real Estate Services
To grasp NRI’s early impact, it helps to understand the relocation industry of the 1980s.
Employee moves were overwhelmingly domestic, and corporate relocation hinged on the cost and speed of the employee’s home sale. Buyer Value Option (BVO) programs were just emerging, driven by high interest rates that made buyouts costly. Relocation policies focused almost entirely on real estate and household goods, with less emphasis on family assistance and the employee experience.
In that environment, National Residential Valuation Services, Inc. stood out for its focus on employee home valuation, marketing services, pre-purchase services, and solutions for slow-to-sell homes.
“Dad was passionate about real estate and making sure homes were valued and marketed properly,” Roy says. “Vacant homes don’t sell as well as occupied ones, and carrying costs — utilities, maintenance, taxes — add up fast. The goal was to get homes sold quickly and fairly.”
The company established corporate relocation real estate practices that set today’s industry standards. From their valuation processes and home sale programs to early broker performance tracking and niche vendor management, National Residential Valuation Services, Inc. was forward-thinking in an era when most relocation policies were one-size-fits-all.
Expanding Relocation Services in an Evolving Industry
While valuations remained the company’s core, client demand for NRI’s high-quality approach to other relocation services soon pushed the company to expand.
“Customers saw the value in what we were doing with valuations,” Philip explains. “They started asking, ‘Can you do the same thing on the destination side, so our employees don’t overspend on their new home?’ Then it was, ‘Can you help with household goods? We’ve had bad experiences.”
The founders realized they could leverage their volume of business to negotiate better terms and higher service standards from vendors. This approach — using scale to drive quality — became another NRI hallmark that informs the independent model they maintain today.
As the relocation industry shifted towards international moves in the late nineties, NRI Relocation expanded. New services focused on global mobility and increased care for transferees’ families during transitions abroad.
Today, NRI Relocation is a comprehensive relocation management company that moves employees and their families worldwide. The company’s service offerings now include household goods management, group moves, home finding, mortgage assistance, rental assistance, temporary living, expense and tax management, and more global mobility solutions.
A Family Legacy
Roy remembers his father giving each of his four children a small amount of company stock one Christmas, telling them he hoped it would be worth something someday.
Four decades later, that hope has been realized many times over.
Many Seeger family members have worked at NRI Relocation or within the mobility industry. Roy’s wife, Stacy, is the company’s longest-tenured employee, and Philip’s son-in-law, John, now serves as NRI Relocation’s President. Roy Seeger is the President and CEO of AECC. Philip Seeger co-founded the employee healthcare company Medcor and served as NRI Relocation chairman after his father’s passing in 1992.
“I know my dad would be very happy and proud that his hard work provided opportunities for so many of his own family members,” says Roy.
“His granddaughter, Jenna, was an infant when he founded the company,” recalls Philip. “He gave her a hundred shares in the company as a baptism present. So, I think it’s full circle that her husband is now the president. That would really touch my dad’s heart.”
How to Create a Corporate Relocation Company That Lasts 40 Years
Herbert Seeger passed away only seven years after founding NRI Relocation. Still, the company continued to grow and evolve thanks to the family’s continued investment of energy into the business and strong leadership.
“We’ve had good leadership over the years,” says Roy. “After we lost my dad, industry veteran Phil Kosanovich took over. Following him, Susan Bender was there for many years, and now John. There have only been a few leaders over those 40 years, so I think that consistency has been very important.”
Roy especially credits the NRI Relocation team, past and present, for the company’s endurance. “Everyone from the admins, to the accounting team, and consultants. They are the ones on the front lines assisting clients and their employees, delivering outstanding service. They make an impact every day and ensure excellence is the standard.”
Stacy Seeger, who has worked with NRI Relocation since 1988, says the company maintains values from its founding. “Ted and Herb’s vision of providing quality service and personal connection hasn’t wavered.”
Today, NRI Relocation stands as a testament to the vision of its founders and the dedication of those who have led it since. From the early days of National Residential Valuation Services to its current status as a full-service RMC, the company has navigated industry shifts, economic cycles, and the day-to-day challenge of employee relocation. It has done so by doing what’s right for the client, building lasting relationships, and treating every person, from clients to transferees to partners and employees, with respect and care.
Herbert Seeger’s legacy also continues through his sons, both presidents of their respective companies, who credit their father with instilling values that have shaped their own careers.
For Philip, the biggest lesson was about humility and teamwork.
“Give credit to your team. It’s not about you,” he says. “Building a company is about surrounding yourself with great people. Be humble and kind to them, and they’ll be loyal and dedicated — especially in a stressful industry like relocation.”
For Roy, his dad taught him about work ethic. “You can’t beat hard work,” he says. “It’s a labor of love. You’re responsible for a lot of people and their families. You can’t just check out.”