RiverRock Launches New Business Model
David Pogue joins the firm as chief strategy officer to lead the firm’s new business objectives.
“As the commercial real estate market has experienced a consistently positive arc over the past decade, the practice of property management has become more standardized and services have become more commoditized,” David Pogue, chief strategy officer at RiverRock Real Estate Group, tells GlobeSt.com. “There has been less innovation and a limited necessity to elevate the practice. However, at RiverRock we believe that now more than ever it is critical to provide a more personal, individually curated management experience to clients. For this reason, we have developed a staff of seasoned, long-term employees who are ready for more challenges.”
The maturity of the cycle is also playing a role in the firm’s decision to launch this new strategy. “After an impressively long record period of positive real estate news, we are preparing for that inevitable point when markets become less stable and management more challenging,” says Pogue. “We are using this opportunity to refine and define our practices, become even more connected to our clients, and make certain that we remain the best employer in the commercial real estate field.”
The strategy was born from RiverRock’s current staff during a company retreat. “At last year’s company’s executive retreat, we retained a professional facilitator to lead extensive conversations about where the leadership wanted to go in 2020 and beyond. It was unanimous to “double down” and go to the next level for the firm and our employees,” says John Combs, founder of RiverRock, tells GlobeSt.com. “There was so much to achieve that we decided we needed a world class leader who had accomplished new initiatives on a much bigger scale. We went to our trusted advisor, friend and former leader David Pogue to convince him to accept this role and really push us forward.”
Pogue was an ideal fit for the job, but he was also intrigued by the opportunity. “I have worked with John before and have both an appreciation and understanding of his unique style and approach,” says Pogue. “Smaller, principal-owned firms, by structure and purpose, can provide a more nuanced and specialized level of service than the larger institutional firms. I have been impressed by RiverRock’s commitment to consistently make a difference at every step of the property management process.”