After years of speculation, Compass went finally public on April 1 with an estimated market value of $7.3 billion after the company lowered its initial offering a day before going live on Nasdaq. Since then, the company’s stock has remained relatively steady at the $16 to $17 per share range, as investors, agents and competitors await what a post-IPO Compass will look like.
Although many Compass headlines focus on CEO Robert Reffkin, there’s a treasure trove of talent pushing the brokerage closer to its goal of dominating 20 markets with a 20 percent market share. Here are the agents and tech wizards behind Compass’ success:
Pamela D’Arc, agent
Pamela D’Arc
Pamela D’Arc has been a leader in the New York City real estate market for more than two decades and came to Compass through the brokerage’s 2019 acquisition of Stribling and Associates. D’Arc specializes in selling luxury properties throughout Manhattan, with one of her most notable deals being the sell-out of an East 57th Street residential highrise on Billionaire’s Row.
“We are incredibly grateful to have Pamela in the Compass family as she operates a very successful business that puts the experience of her clients first,” New York Regional Marketing Director Lena Johnson said of D’Arc’s contributions. “We are excited to continue to work alongside her to utilize the power of her talent along with Compass’ marketing technology.”
As New York City nears its July 1 reopening, D’Arc said she’s ready to serve buyers and sellers coming back to the city with Compass’ expansive tech platform enabling her to meet consumers’ needs.
“I have the creative freedom to think outside the box – paired with Compass’ push to elevate what is possible from a marketing perspective, I have sold homes sight unseen,” D’Arc said of her experience over the past year. “I have had great success marketing listings on Compass’ internal marketing platforms, leading to agent calls and closed deals.”
She added of Compass agents philanthropic work during the pandemic, “Compass celebrates agents who give back to their communities – executives and staff applaud our contributions.”
Nicole and Michael Wilhelm, team leaders
The Wilhelm Team
Like many other coastal hubs, San Francisco experienced an exodus of buyers moving to other, more affordable metros. For husband-wife duo Nicole and Michael Wilhelm, a topsy-turvy real estate market paired with heart-crushing racial and social injustices pushed them to the brink. “Nicole and I feel that many were overwhelmed by the pandemic and the disruption caused by social injustice across America over the last year,” Michael said.
Despite personal and professional headwinds, the duo was able to dig in and experience one of their best years yet, with 150 percent annual growth.
“We looked at it as an opportunity, and fortunately for our team, we’ve been able to aggressively push ourselves out of our comfort zone in 2020 to dramatically exceed our 2019 performance,” Nicole said. “To do this our team not only focused on our clients’ physical real estate needs but their emotional real estate needs as well.”
“2021 has become the year of results which means you must have a mindset that thrives on focusing on being uncomfortable and doing what others will not do,” she added.
Compass NorCal Regional President Libby Leffler said the team’s performance has impacted other agents in the region, as they “consistently uplift and inspire those around them to reach their full potential. Compass, along with Nicole and Michael’s clients, are lucky to have them.”
Looking forward, the Wilhelms said they’re looking to surpass their 2020 performance by upping their value proposition with consumers and fellow sales professionals. “One of our main goals of 2021 is to help, motivate and inspire other agent entrepreneurs to dive deeper versus wider with their existing connections to increase their number of referrals and strengthen the quality of their relationships,” they said.
Jonathan Rosen, agent
Jonathan Rosen
Jonathan Rosen has been with Compass since 2018 when the brokerage expanded its operations to Dallas-Ft. Worth. Rosen has become one of Compass’ top agents in the area, evidenced by a banner 2020 with more than $180 million in closed sales volume. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, Rosen has more than $97 million in closed and pending transaction volume.
“I’m grateful to have an opportunity to connect with people as they continue or begin to build their future in a thriving Texas economy,” he said. “Our team specializes in high-end transactions, specifically in neighborhoods like Preston Hollow, Highland Park and University Park which gives us the opportunity to connect with and serve the entrepreneurs, innovators and influencers making a difference in Dallas.”
“Being with Compass from the very beginning of their expansion into Texas has had an immeasurable impact on my business,” he added. “It’s evident at the start of every day just how lucky we are to be a part of a brokerage who sees the future of our industry, and whose sole focus is on equipping agents to grow their business faster and more effectively than they ever could elsewhere.”
Compass Central Regional President Danielle Wilkie said Rosen is an integral part of the brokerage’s success in Texas, which has become a hot spot for homebuyers during the pandemic. “He has a strong entrepreneurial mind and is both strategic and detail-oriented when helping his clients achieve their real estate goals,” she said.
Rahul Singh, vice president of engineering
Rahul Singh
Rahul Singh is one of the masterminds behind Compass’ growing tech platform, which was a key selling point for investors during the brokerage’s April 1 initial public offering. Currently, Singh is focusing on bolstering the company’s Marketing Center that enables agents to take care of all of their marketing needs on one platform.
“Today, thanks to software and technology built by his team, engineering teams at Compass are able to update Compass software over 200 times a day without any downtime which in turn delivers more value for customers faster and at a higher quality,” a Compass spokesperson said of Singh’s work. “Under his deep technical leadership, Marketing Center has added numerous new features and capabilities that now make it easier than ever before for real estate agents to drive end-to-end marketing for their listings as well as their brand and consequently drive growth in their business year over year.”
Using his technical know-how from previous stints at Distelli and Amazon, Singh said he plans to continue improving the functionality of Compass’ tech suite so agents can do more business, easier.
“Compass has a unique blend of collaborative culture, exciting technical challenges and a big business opportunity. As a former founder and entrepreneur myself, I’m excited and energized every day to build a platform that drives real-world value for entrepreneurs in real estate, the world’s largest asset class,” he said. “In 2021 I look forward to leveraging our continued investment in our technology platform to simplify the real estate experience for Compass agents and their clients.”
Tal Netanyahu, engineering manager
Tal Netanyahu
The coronavirus pandemic has upped the value of a stunning and streamlined listing page, as buyers more than ever are relying on photos and videos to make their purchasing decisions. Tal Netanyahu is the woman behind Compass’ clean interface that keeps sellers and buyers coming back to the growing real estate powerhouse.
“The people at Compass and what they create are magic,” she said of her work at Compass. “I look forward to making more strides with them as we continue to build a modern platform for real estate agents.”
Compass Chief Technology Officer Joseph Sirosh said Singh and Netanyahu are an integral part of Compass’ overall growth vision.
“Compass envisions a world where the experience of selling or buying a home is simple and pleasant for everyone through technology,” Sirosh said. “Tal and Rahul are committed to this vision by helping agents transform their work with the power of a platform to save time and delight their clients.”
“They embody the best of the Compass Entrepreneurship Principles—they are solutions-driven, they collaborate without ego and they obsess about opportunity to serve our customers,” he added.
