Compass has announced that it will be adding an international sports and entertainment division.
According to the press release, the Compass Global Sports & Entertainment Division will “focus on the specialized needs of professional athletes and entertainers in an increasingly connected global market through a custom high-tech and high-touch approach.”
Select Compass agents in key national markets will comprise the new division.
“The proprietary Compass Global network offers celebrities, professional athletes and their agents instantaneous and discreet access to thousands of ultra high net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), developers and top real estate professionals across six continents.”
Aside from regular real estate services, the division will cater to the “ever-changing schedules of pro-athletes and entertainers and can assist them in finding interior designers, architects and moving companies, as well as more detailed programs such as personal chefs and private car services.”
The division was partially inspired by Compass co-founder and executive chairman Ori Allon, who owns Israel’s Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team with NBA star Amare Stoudemire.
“Owning a professional basketball team and working closely with the players gave me unique insights into their career-driven lifestyles. They may wake up one day in one city, only to learn they need to quickly move to another city with their entire family,” Allon said in the press release. “A well-informed agent who really understands their situation can be a huge time and energy saver for them — so they can focus on being their best.”
Kofi Nartey will play an integral role in the division, and coming from The Agency, where Nartey managed a similar division with clients including Kevin Durant, Candace Parker, Iggy Azalea, Derek Fisher and Michael Jordan — he seems like a natural, well-equipped choice.
He also has an upcoming book, “Sellebrity: Breaking into and servicing the Sports & Entertainment Niche.” Nartey is a former football player at the University of California at Berkeley. You might also recognize him from several films or his regular appearances on HGTV’s “Selling LA.”
“Compass Global Sports & Entertainment Division will serve a very important niche market that is equal parts real estate and concierge services. Sports stars and entertainers often find themselves having to shift life and career plans in a moment’s notice, and with Kofi’s [Nartey] expertise, Compass is prepared to seamlessly guide them through any stage in their journeys whether in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Washington, D.C., or beyond,” Compass co-founder and CEO, Robert Reffkin, said in the press release.
In creating this sports and entertainment division, Compass joins the ranks of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, The Agency and Antigen Realty — to name a few.