Changing of the guard on the Sunshine Coast

Today marks a momentous day for Ray White Buderim, as owner of 25 years, Brett Graham, hands the baton to new leaders Dan Sowden and Jake Loiero.

Established in 1999, Ray White Buderim has grown to be a well respected brand within the Sunshine Coast real estate industry. Fast forward to today and the team stands at 30 people strong.

Since the business’ inception, the name Brett Graham has been synonymous with this dominant business. Mr Graham remains passionate about the future, and like all great leaders, his careful years of succession planning is now coming to fruition. In his eyes, this partnership represents the finest leaders to govern the next stage of Ray White Buderim.

“I am immensely proud of both Dan and Jake for reaching this point in their careers where they have ascended to the ownership of Ray White Buderim. I am also very confident that they are the most competent and best placed to continue the legacy on which the business has grown from strength to strength. That legacy has and always will be maintaining high family values for all staff,” Mr Graham said.

The Buderim office is one of five Ray White offices that sits amongst the Coastal Living Network on the Sunshine Coast; all which are people-first agencies focused on nurturing and retaining talented people.

Ray White Buderim’s succession plan for two members from within the Ray White family is all too familiar for the new Buderim co-owner, and current Ray White Maroochydore owner, Dan Sowden. An award-winning and accomplished real estate professional with over 20 years of experience selling property, auctioneering and leading a team, Mr Sowden is now the proud owner of two Ray White businesses on the Sunshine Coast and a strong believer in “family succession”.

“In 2007, Brett and I began a similar plan at the Maroochydore office where I entered a partnership with him, and a couple of years ago I took over the business as sole owner. This succession process took over 10 years to finalise, but within that time frame the business has continued to grow, attract and retain some of the best talent in the industry. The best thing about a tried and tested, long term plan is that it actually empowers a business to go further and provides confidence that the business will be there in 30, 40+ years time” Mr Sowden says.

With the foundations of the business well set, the new owners enter the next era of the business with a renewed sense of energy and an appetite for growth. A dynamic duo, their combination of youthful spirit and insightful experience will render this leadership team unstoppable.

“Jake is such a rare talent. He is more than the likeable, charismatic character that he is; he is one of the hardest workers in our group, and has already established himself internally as a leader well before this opportunity arose.” Mr Sowden says.

A go-getter off the bat, Jake Loiero started his career in real estate at Ray White Buderim, at age 18 years with a huge appetite for success. This young man is now nine years in the business as a seasoned sales agent and Buderim’s Chief Auctioneer. An impressive feat to enter business ownership at 27 years of age and as a born and bred Buderim local, Mr Loiero has been working towards this moment his whole career.

“This next step in business ownership is not only a natural progression, but it’s a goal that I’ve gradually worked towards from day one. I’m really looking forward to continuing my mentoring into a leadership position and helping the team in a similar way to how Brett has helped me over the past nine years,” Mr Loiero said.

Excited to look to the future and stamp his own mark on the business, Mr Loiero also appreciates the legacy that Mr Graham has built and is adamant that he and Mr Sowden will protect the same values.

“While Dan and I are excited to look to the future, we also want to move forward in a way that is preserving what Brett has built. Our family values, trust and integrity are the core pillars of the Ray White name. At Buderim, it is the reason why we have retained our passionate, high-performing team, and is why our community continues to work with us,” Mr Loiero said.

The co-owners are most excited to focus on the office’s status as auction leaders; something that has been a large part of the fabric of Ray White for more than 122 years.

Ray White Queensland CEO Jason Andrew said Dan Sowden and Jake Loiero both have stellar reputations.

“They both believe in going above and beyond to exceed their clients’ expectations,” he said.

“The pair are well known for their ability to listen attentively to their needs and deliver personalised solutions.”

“This has been a stylish transition and is a compliment to them all. We have always been in full support of Ray White Buderim. The new iteration of leadership will ensure our best days in one of the most important markets in the Sunshine Coast are ahead.”