Pinsonneault, Nead take over management of Peifer Realty
By Bruce Corcoran
“Brian Peifer is not retiring.”
Amber Pinsonneault and Kristen Nead said those five words in unison recently when sitting down to discuss them taking over the management of Royal LePage Peifer Realty.
The two women, both under the age of 45, have learned under Peifer but wanted to take on added responsibility with the brokerage.
“We’re both young and always looking for new opportunities. We both wanted to pursue a bigger role in this company,” Pinsonneault said. “We love Royal LePage and we love working for Brian. But we just asked if he wanted to take a step back on the management side of things, but continue selling.”
Peifer, who started the company in 1968 with his father, acquiesced.
“So, we took over management roles here,” Pinsonneault, who is the president-elect for the Chatham-Kent Association of Realtors, said. “We created a new position for Kristen – broker manager – while I am the broker of record. We couldn’t do it without each other. This is very much a team aspect.”
Nead, who has worked at Peifer Realty for more than 14 years, said the name on the building will not change.
“Brian is a really highly respected individual in this community. He knows what he’s been doing for all these years. Just his name itself is highly respected,” she said.
In terms of the adjustment in the local real estate landscape with two younger women running the largest brokerage in the municipality, the two said they are proud and have heard only positive feedback, as the industry has been gender integrated for decades.
“I think the leadership roles are maybe often not filled by women,” Pinsonneault admitted. “But to have two women under (age) 45 running the helm of Royal LePage Peifer Realty, it still kind of shakes me. It’s something we are both very proud of. We never take for granted the trust Brian has in us. He doesn’t care that we are women. We worked really hard and he saw that. That’s why we are in this position.”
The change will see a shift in how the company brands itself, Nead added. She said there will be a bigger push into social media.
As well, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the real estate industry. More agents have worked from home due to social distancing, and Nead and Pinsonneault want to continue to ensure their reps have options.
“We are giving the realtors the tools so if they want to work from home, they have what they need to do so,” Nead said.
Remote work appeals to about half the office, Pinsonneault said.
“Some people really like the versatility of being able to work from home. There is the other half of the office that loves to come here. We love face to face,” she said.
As hectic as the local real estate market is these days, the company is looking to add new agents. Pinsonneault and Nead said the search is on to augment existing staff.
“Brian has set up a team that is quite successful. We don’t necessarily want to change how things are run, we just want to supplement it,” Nead said. “There are some times when our agents are very busy. We want to continue to be recognized as the brokerage that sells the most in Chatham-Kent. We want to be the most trusted, well-respected and experienced team. We just want to add to that.”
