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Greenville Business Magazine

RealOp Investments Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

RealOp Investments opened its doors during one of the worst economic downturns of the last half-century with a sole office and sole purpose: to create a unique investment platform for investors looking to expand their real estate portfolios.

A decade later, RealOp is one of the fastest-growing companies in South Carolina with 31 employees in four states and a long list of accolades including recently being named the Greenville Chamber’s Small Business of the Year.

“We set out first and foremost to build a successful and durable investment company built on a value-focused strategy. With a lot of hard work, a little luck, and a dream team of real estate professionals, we feel like we’re well on our way to reaching that goal,” said Reggie Bell, the firm’s chief executive officer.

RealOp currently holds in excess of $400 million in assets throughout the Southeast, supporting more than 340 tenants. It has generated more than 400 jobs through repositioning underutilized properties and companies. Two of its most recognizable redevelopment projects in Greenville are Markley Station and 504 Rhett Street.

At Markley Station, RealOp took underutilized warehouse space in the West End and converted it into a modern commercial plaza that includes office, retail, and restaurant space. At 504 Rhett Street, the company converted a two-story mill into office space that includes their headquarters as well as other tenants, said Kyle Putnam, RealOp’s chief investment officer.

“The fact that these two projects turned out so great makes what we do exciting,” Putnam said. “We loved the idea of taking two iconic Greenville buildings and turning them into a place the Greenville community can enjoy as well as utilize as office space.”

However, RealOp is more than just a South Carolina firm. It has offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville, and Tampa with assets in four states, expanding to five states within the coming weeks, said Paul Sparks, the firm’s executive chairman. Some of its other assets include Focal Pointe in Nashville, 101 North Main Street in Greenville, Horizon Office Park in Raleigh, the Tower at Gervais in Columbia, Bay West in Tampa, and ArrowPoint in Charlotte, Sparks said.

“Our goal is to continue expanding throughout the Southeast region,” Sparks said. “Our company has developed and learned a lot throughout these ten years of business and our hope is to continue to grow and reach new heights for the next ten.”