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Rish Real Estate Group celebrates merger

When Rish Real Estate Group and Coastal Real Estate Group merged earlier this month, their combined total sales reached $1.053 billion — a feat now co-owner Jay Rish believes is unparalleled in Gulf County.

“With this merger, we’re proud to announce that we’re over a  billion dollars in combined sales with our two companies, which is a first for the area as far as I can tell per Multiple Listing Service statistics,” he said. “That’s about 5,300 transactions over the life of our two firms.”

The two companies are owned by family members, Jay and Jessica Rish of Rish Real Estate Group and Jay Rish’s cousin once removed Grant Rish of Coastal Real Estate Group.



The decision to merge the two companies, Jay Rish said, had been a long time coming.

“Rish Real Estate Group handled a lot of the development, Gulf Coast Real Estate Group handled a lot of third party brokerage operations — and we just were on a collision course to merge,” he said. “It was always meant to be this way.”

Both companies’ owners celebrated the merger at an event hosted at the Haughty Heron on September 8, which welcomed many county and city officials and figures.

“We think we have a tremendous amount of synergy when we bring the two companies together, and that really starts with our people,” Jay Rish said. “We have hard working, talented agents… Grant has done a tremendous job on the development end, and I’m enjoying being a broker over a lot of good people and a lot of hard working people.”

Grant Rish said that Coastal Real Estate Group had been enjoying success with Truland Homes, which has budgeted to build about 50 homes in the area this year, when initial estimates were around 18.

He continued to express his gratitude to be able to work with family.

“It’s the biggest blessing being able to work every day with your family, so it’s something like a dream come true,” Grant said. “Thanks to Jay for the opportunity, and thanks to Truland Homes for trusting us and coming over here and starting a build that wasn’t exactly their usual market.”



Meet the Editor

David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.

Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.

Wendy Weitzel The Star Digital Editor

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