Member Profile: Chad Roffers, Chairman, Concierge Auctions

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Biography

Chad Roffers is the Chairman of global luxury real estate company Concierge Auctions, a member of the National Auctioneers Association, and has been quoted in the media on his insight into the luxury real estate market in top-tier publications, including Barron’s and The New York Times . Partnered with luxury marketing expert Laura Brady in June of 2008,together, they’ve led the company’s growth to over $2 billion in real estate auction sales, broken world records for highest priced homes ever achieved at auction, and garnered activity across 40 U.S. states and 27 countries. The firm owns arguably the most comprehensive and intelligent database of high-net-worth real estate buyers and sellers in the world and is a five-time honoree to the annual Inc. Magazine list of America’s fastest-growing companies, joining the Inc5000 Hall of Fame. Additional accolades include being named No. 38 on the 2018 Entrepreneur 360™ List recognizing 360 small businesses every year that are mastering the art of and science of growing a business in the areas of impact, innovation, growth, leadership, and business valuation; one of Inman News’ Most Influential Leaders in Real Estate; 20 marketing awards, including “Best Website” and “Best in Show” for print and film from USA TODAY and the National Auctioneer’s Association; “Best Overall Marketing” from Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate; and 23 film production awards from The Telly Awards. Concierge Auctions has contributed more than 200 homes to-date as part of its Key for Key® giving program in partnership with Giveback Homes, which guarantees that for every property the company sells, a new home will be built for a family in need.

Chad Roffers’ initial passion for technology was what ultimately lead to his real estate career. While pursuing an MBA at the University of Denver, in January of 1994, Chad Roffers served as the director of business development at US WEST. After graduate school, Chad moved to Silicon Valley and worked for an auction startup, AdAuction.com, as their Vice President of Business Development. Chad’s experience at AdAuction.com put him in the center of tech innovation at a very important time. He was fortunate to work with the founding team of eBay in the time before the company went public, and it was his experience there which ultimately sparked a lightbulb moment for Chad. He became fascinated by the auction model and wondered why it hadn’t been used in real estate. During this time, Chad saw that real estate, at that point, really hadn’t adapted to new technology and there was a real opportunity there. Chad knew that in order to really make an impact in real estate market, he’d first have to understand the business from every facet. From there, Chad trained as a real estate agent from the ground up. In 2001, he joined Michael Saunders & Company, a Florida-based luxury real estate brokerage. With his sales experience and extensive business training, Chad found himself to be quite successful in the real estate industry. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2002 and later became ranked among the top 10 percent of realtors nationwide. Once Chad had cultivated enough experience in closing high-value transactions, he went on to co-found SKY Sotheby’s International Realty in 2004, which he later grew into a large operation with over $500 million in sales. Following SKY Sotheby’s International Realty, Chad went on to cofound a real-estate-centric CRM company, Pulse Realty Software. Pulse Realty Software was later sold to Lone Wolf Technologies, one of the larger software companies in the real estate space. Concierge Auctions was an evolution of Chad’s practical experience in the brokerage business, coupled with his time in the technology world. During his time at SKY Sotheby’s International Realty, Chad was able to start actualizing his dream of bringing the simplicity and transparency of the auction model to real estate. He found that there was an opportunity to use auctions as a choice for high-net-worth sellers who needed liquidity on their own timeline. His next challenge was to then merge his love of technology with the real estate auction world, which inevitably lead to the founding of Concierge Auctions.

Q&A

What defines a successful leader?

Someone who has the determination and stamina to execute against a long-term vision while making sure to listen to his or her team and incorporate the adaptations and pivots identified from within that do not compromise the end goal but rather speed up the process.

Culture and talent are important to any company’s success. How do you engage and inspire your workforce?

Our business is high paced and demanding which certainly helps to attract top tier talent. However, when you are routinely facilitating multimillion-dollar transactions for some of the wealthiest people in the world there is a risk the team could become complacent.  With that in mind we created Key for Key.  The program funds 100% of the cost of a home for a family in need and every time we sell a property a new home is paid for.  This initiative provides first hand opportunities for our team to participate in the construction of homes and also meet in person the families benefiting from the program and motivates at the deepest possible level.

Innovation and disruption are reshaping industries every day. What do you see as the number one game-changer facing businesses today?

The single biggest game-changer is the pace at which customers want answers and most importantly results.  Our business was founded in anticipation of that very shift impacting finally coming to the world of luxury real estate (which it has).  What’s has been most interesting to see is the switch in mindset is like a constant wave versus a one-time shift and there appear to be no end in sight for change.

Challenges abound in today’s fast-changing business environment. What keeps you up at night?

Continuing to make sure our organization maintains wiliness to evolve and adapt at the same pace and with the same risk tolerance when we were new and had little to lose.

Why did you join Bloomberg Breakaway?

The opportunity to engage with other leaders who are navigating the constant challenges of running scaling companies.

Even CEOs need downtime. How do you recharge?

I love an early morning run especially when traveling especially when doing business in the amazing places our clientele reside.  A few favorites are the Golden Gate Bridge, the Roaring Fork River in Aspen or The Regents Park in London.

If weather does not permit the all access plan from Orange Theory ensures I can get a vigorous 1-hour workout in virtually anywhere.

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