Rochester real estate vets are joining forces with RGI to create one of the region's largest commercial teams

Jeff Kiger, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·3 min read

Dec. 16—ROCHESTER — Realty Growth Inc.

is growing its team by adding three professionals from Titan360 to become one of Southeast Minnesota's largest commercial real estate firms.

Veteran real estate professionals

Mark Steege,

Leigh Ann Peltoma and

Barb Phelps

have closed the doors at their Titan360 office to join RGI's principals Nick Pompeian, Bucky Beeman and Dylan Carty. Combining the teams brings RGI's commercial real estate staff to 10.

"This is going to be a big shake up," stated Carty about the change. "These three have been performers in the commercial real estate market for years. This puts us in the realm of being a powerhouse in commercial real estate in Rochester. I believe we are one of the most well-rounded, experienced brokerage firms in Southern Minnesota."

The move became official on Dec. 14, 2023.

Steege, who has almost 30 years of experience in commercial development, financing, and commercial management in Rochester, launched Titan360 as a broker in 2020. It was his followup venture after a long career working with the

Chafoulias family

and its Titan Development and Investments firm.

"It seemed like the right time to do this and RGI was the right fit for us," said Steege, who had initiated the talk about joining forces. "Over the years, I have liked their approach to commercial real estate. ... They have a great team, including their support staff and marketing. They also have an outstanding social media presence that reaches a large audience."

Peltoma echoed that sentiment.

"RGI has already set themselves apart from the masses. What we bring to the table is a bit of experience and a lot of insight," she said.

While RGI's owners in their 30s are considered young by most in the industry, their firm is one with a lot of history in Rochester. The late Ed Pompeian, Nick's father, co-founded RGI in 1978 with the late Bill Kolb. RGI grew to be a very well-known name in the business community.

Pompeian and Kolb (working with Dick Landwher) were late in their careers, when Nick Pompeian joined the firm around 2010, soon followed by Beeman. In 2014, Pompeian and Beeman purchased the brokerage from its founders.

In a little more than a decade, an office where older men operated mostly independently with paper and handshakes evolved to a team led by a youthful trio who spend a lot of time in front of cameras and podcast mics for their busy YouTube, Instagram and Facebook channels.

Phelps, who has 20 years of experience in commercial real estate, described the change as one that will benefit clients.

"In our preliminary meetings with RGI, their teamwork philosophy stood out. They've got it figured out and we've never felt competition with this group. We feel we all have the same mindset as to how we approach real estate," she said. "How would that not benefit clients? We no longer have three people servicing the product, but a much larger team."