Our Community
Boasting diverse, design-driven backgrounds, these Compass agents embody the keen eye of our national agent population.
Words: Hannah McWilliams
Illustration: Evgeny Parfenov
Few vocations demand a more diverse intelligence than real estate. Integrating communications, project management, aesthetics, business acumen, architecture, and visual intuition, the agent’s role is multifaceted and rife with creative opportunity. It should come as no surprise, then, that the industry holds inherent appeal for design-minded individuals seeking to further extend their expertise.
Leveraging their unique set of skills, these agents are able to offer exponential value beyond transactional mechanics. From property staging by a Parsons alum to renovation assessments from an MIT-trained expert, the organic synergies across the disciplines are many. Here’s a glimpse at how the industry’s most creative cohort is transforming real estate into a more beautiful, seamless space.
The Orchestrator | Stacey Froelich
After determining that she wanted to work for an event planning firm as a student at the University of Florida, Froelich wasted no time. She traded the Sunshine State for New York City and took the first-ever staff position with then-nascent Empire Force Events. “My specialty was handling trips that companies gifted their top salespeople,” she explains. “I designed every detail, from airport limo pick-up to elaborate farewell galas.”
Any particularly unique events stand out? A 10-city tour for Mercedes-Benz, catered by Daniel Boulud. Off the clock, I threw an incredible birthday party for my husband at Katz’s Deli — such a classic New York institution.
What’s your ideal New York City venue? I organized a gala at the Temple of Dendur inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art that was absolutely magical. In terms of location, it would certainly be difficult to top that!
Any secrets to your success along the way? My friends! I enlisted every last one one to work an event with me at some point — from coat check attendants to ushers. That, and a masterful understanding of Excel!
Learn more about Stacey here.
Constantin Gorges | The Wunderkind
As a boy growing up in Germany, Gorges’ eye for interiors was apparent early in life: “My mother caught it first; we were in a Paris hotel and I started suggesting ways the room could be enhanced,” he recalls. As soon as he had completed high school, she sent him to study at Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. “She said I had better go to New York or else nothing would become of me!” he laughs. Following college, Gorges worked for Peter Marino Architect, Noel Jeffrey, and Parish-Hadley before starting his own firm and departing the northeast for Florida.
What buildings inspire you? The classic details of the French palace Vaux le Vicomte (located just outside Paris) and the famed Venetian palazzo Ca’ Rezzonico are fantastic. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Frank Gehry’s sculptural Louis Vuitton Foundation is stunning.
How has your design background impacted your real estate career?Miami Beach is predominantly a vacation destination, and many homeowners would rather go to the beach than meet with contractors during their brief time here. The fact that I’m able to accurately judge properties and determine how difficult it may be to turn a good home into a great one is a huge boon.
What’s the one tip you would give anyone? Use masking tape to plot your furniture and artwork to scale in any home you consider buying. This will allow you to study the proportions.
Learn more about Constantin here.
The Legacy | Marc Ross
The product of an engineering family, Ross naturally gravitated to design and development. “My grandfather founded a plastics factory that produced everything from PVC piping to garden hoses, and my father was a furniture designer who also started his own business,” he explains. Not surprisingly, this ingrained sense of form and function led him to study graphic and industrial design at the Corcoran School of Arts and Design in Washington DC. After graduating, he spent five years heading up product development at his father’s company, Spectrum Collection. Known for its contemporary acrylic furniture, the company was regularly featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, and Dwell.
What should buyers seek out in a home? Bathrooms and kitchens with good bones. Your checklist should include plumbing, structural and mechanical support, electrical, and roofing; you can always make cosmetic or functional improvements with new appliances, fixtures, and tiling.
Coolest architectural features you’ve seen? Accents salvaged from a saloon — tin ceilings and walls constructed with wood from the original bar — juxtaposed with minimalist subway tiles and Carrera marble.
What one building inspires you? Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. It seamlessly blends with nature, as opposing to competing with its environs.
Learn more about Marc here.
The Historian | Libby Ryan
As a member the New York Historic Preservation Commission under the Bloomberg administration, Ryan spent 10 years protecting the city’s most storied architecture. “I’ve always seen older homes as having more charm, craftsmanship, and solidity than newer construction,” she says. “And faced with a profit opportunity, developers would mow down the Taj Mahal.” It was through her involvement that she came to understand the importance of landmark status in upholding the character and design aesthetic of these time-honored communities.
What does the Commission allow? Contrary to what homeowners believe, we’re not opposed to change — within reason. A chain-link fence around a Jackson Heights garden? Always denied. But a design thesis for a midtown Manhattan tower by Norman Foster? Quite possibly approved!
Favorite vintage detail? Old windows, like the stunning bays in many Brooklyn brownstones. They are truly the eyes of a house.
Your most cherished landmark? No contest, Prospect Park, designed by the same firm who conceived Central Park, Olmstead and Vaux. In fact, they described it as more successful in creating the country within the city.
Learn more about Libby here.
The Artist | Alyssa Morris
A painter while attending Brown University, Morris was also drawn to mathematics. This duality ultimately led her to study graphic design, as it combined art with technological know-how, which led her straight to book publishing. “Working in the children’s division allowed me to collaborate with fine artists, so it fulfilled all sides of my personality,” says says. Morris went on to spend 12 years as a creative director at Little, Brown and Company, designing book covers and interiors for picture books and young adult novels — even overseeing the original Twilight cover.
How has your design background impacted your real estate career? I think having an eye for visual space is enormously helpful when dealing with real estate. It helps to have a vision that some buyers and sellers might not instinctively see and to help guide them to see what’s possible within a space that may not be perfect as is.
Most interesting design element you’ve seen? A fireplace set into a wall made entirely of glass windowing. I found striking this idea of a warm hearth directly juxtaposed against the natural elements of the outdoors.
Favorite architectural feature? I love staircases, how they draw your eye upward in a sweeping and graceful way. They create a rhythm and flow to a space like a beautiful sculptural element.
Learn more about Alyssa here.
The Curator | Shane Reeder
Reeder’s love of design and product arose from a fascination with cars as a child. “I developed a thirst for learning about my favorite auto manufacturers — Mercedes-Benz, Citroën, and Audi among them — and their design process,” he says. His passion persisted and led him to study product design at the Cleveland Institute of Art. While there, Reeder took a part-time job at culinary mogul Williams-Sonoma and stayed on for 20 years, overseeing the creation of their elaborate product merchandising and retail displays.
Favorite design era? The middle of the 20th century was such an innovative time, when Bauhaus influence reigned and pioneers of modern architecture like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, designer of the timeless Barcelona Chair, were making history. Architecturally, Richard Neutra’s Kauffman Desert House in Palm Springs is a wonderful example of this period — and my personal favorite.
Top architectural element? I love a turret on a row house! The two best usages I’ve seen have been a dining room featuring a perfectly centered round table with a fabulous chandelier and an innovative, circular bathroom devoid of 90-degree anything.
What should buyers look for? Look for features you love that will return on the investment — my husband and I chose our home for its terrace. Not only do we enjoy it, but properties with outdoor space will always command a premium!
Learn more about Shane here.
