All around the Bay Area, agents and executives in residential, commercial and development firms have been making moves this early spring.
One of Vanguard Properties’ top producers, San Francisco residential agent Colleen Cotter, recently left the independent firm and moved over to Sotheby’s International Realty. Cotter is now working out of Sotheby’s Marina office.
She has been a member of Vanguard’s Top 21 club since 2007, a top producer for 15 years and was ranked No. 1 in San Francisco in 2023, with over $100 million in sales in 2022 and 2023, according to her website.
“I enjoyed a fantastic career with Vanguard,” Cotter told The Real Deal, calling founder James Nunemacher and President Frank Nolan “great leaders and broker owners.” But Cotter said she was also “ready to move on to a new chapter and Sotheby’s International Realty was a natural fit.”
“I look forward to growing my business here and leveraging the global network opportunities,” she said.
Meanwhile, area luxury residential brokerages have seen plenty of other movement:
➤ In the South Bay, Brandon and Nick Gummow, known as the Gummow Brothers Team, departed Coldwell Banker for Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno. The Los Gatos-based residential agents bring in over $50 million in annual sales volume, according to a Sereno representative. Sereo recently became the Bay Area’s No. 1 independent brokerage, breaking away from @properties shortly before it was bought by Compass.
Ryan Iwanaga, co-founder and chief experience officer at Sereno, said in a statement that the Gummow brothers embody the values of the firm — “authenticity, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to making a meaningful impact.”
Brandon Gummow said Sereno represents a place where “excellence in real estate and heritage come together” and Nick added that the brothers’ “vision has always been clear.”
“We want to transform the real estate experience as we know it,” he said. “For us, that means embracing innovation, fostering creativity,and leveraging cutting-edge technology while staying rooted in the principles that define exceptional service and trusted relationships.”
➤ In the North Bay, former Napa County Supervisor Ryan Gregory has joined Sherwood Design Engineers as an associate principal in the international civil engineering firm’s Napa office, which opened in May last year. The Napa office’s current projects include Meadowood and White Sulphur Springs fire rebuilds, after those resorts were partially destroyed in the 2020 Glass Fire; the rebuild of the nearly 3,000-acre historic Aetna Springs; and the Oak Knoll resort, which is currently under construction.
A third-generation Napa native, Gregory was previously vice president of a local engineering firm, where he specialized for nearly 20 years in the planning, design and construction of numerous developments, including the Archer Hotel and Riverfront mixed-use projects in downtown Napa; the Hidden Hills subdivision in Napa and the Southgate subdivision in Petaluma, according to a press release from the firm.
“My experience bridging government and private sector work, as well as my passions for community impact, sustainable design, and engineering, all come together within this role at Sherwood,” Gregory said in a statement.
➤ San Francisco-based investor Drawbridge Realty, which focuses on R&D and life science offices in its largely Western U.S. portfolio, announced the first CEO change in the KKR/Global Atlantic-partnered company’s 26-year history. Former COO Charlie McEachron has been named CEO, while co-founder Mark Whiting, who has been the only CEO until now, moved to the newly created role of executive chairman.
Whiting said in a statement that McEachron “played a pivotal role in transforming Drawbridge into a large, nationally diversified investment manager of high-quality corporate real estate. He’s the perfect person to lead Drawbridge Realty forward in our next phase of growth.”
➤ Drawbridge also announced that vice president and controller Lily Chae has been promoted to CFO, succeeding Jim Overell, who held the CFO title since 2011 before recently retiring.
➤ Allan Shapiro is the new VP of construction and engineering for Transwestern’s Northern California region. Shapiro has more than 30 years of experience in CRE and construction, previously working for Swift Real Estate Partners, Carr America/Equity Office Properties and CBRE.
Shapiro is a relatively recent Transwestern hire, coming aboard the asset management team in 2022. Since then, he has successfully completed more than 100 construction projects for the firm’s clients, according to a press release from the firm. Shapiro provides project management services and engineering support for Transwestern’s 121-building portfolio of office and life sciences buildings in the greater Northern California region, which goes from Sacramento to San Francisco to Fresno.
Read more
Residential
San Francisco
“Sereno rides again”: Bay Area brokerage buys back independence
Residential
San Francisco
Red Oak denied request for injunction against Vanguard