Ralph W. Burnet
Senior Vice President--Midwest Region, Title Resource Group
Chairman, Coldwell Banker Burnet
After attending St. Lawrence University and the University of Minnesota, Ralph Burnet began his real estate career in 1968. He founded Burnet Realty in 1973. His company experienced rapid growth and expanded throughout Minneapolis-St. Paul, becoming the number one company in residential real estate sales in just seven years.
In 1982, Burnet Realty was sold to Merrill Lynch Realty Associates (MLRA), and Ralph was named eastern region president for MLRA and moved to Stamford, Conn. In 1990, MLRA was sold to The Prudential. Ralph then re-purchased his former company and resumed operations as Burnet Realty.
As an independent operation, Burnet Realty expanded substantially. In 1991 the firm was recognized by Real Trends newsletter as the third largest independent real estate broker in America. Burnet Realty then created its own mortgage operation, Great Lakes Mortgage and now PHH Home Loans, and saw tremendous growth in its title insurance company, Burnet Title.
In 1994, Burnet Realty received the upper Midwest region Entrepreneur of the Year Award in recognition of the company's successful growth since repurchase in 1990. In 1995, the United Hospital Foundation honored Ralph with the Service to Humanity Award for his commitment to the community and the substantial charitable contributions generated by the Burnet Senior Classic, a company-sponsored Senior PGA Tour event (now the 3M Championship). Tournament proceeds totaling more than $10 million have been contributed to a variety of worthy causes.
In 1995, Burnet Realty acquired The Prudential Preferred Properties of Chicago and operated as The Prudential Burnet Realty until February of 1998. With this acquisition, the company's realty business expanded to more than $6 billion in annual sales.
In 1998, Burnet Financial Group was sold to NRT, a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (now, Realogy Corporation). Ralph was named senior vice president of NRT, with responsibility for NRT's real estate operations from the Great Lakes to Texas. In 1999, Ralph was named senior vice president-midwest region for Cendant Settlement Services (now, Title Resource Group), focusing on introducing and enhancing the delivery of title insurance and settlement services within NRT nationally. Ralph also continues to hold the position of chairman of Coldwell Banker Burnet.
Ralph formerly served as president of the Walker Art Center Board of Directors and was chairman of the Walker's Capital Campaign, raising $94 million for the 2005 facilities expansion. Ralph also has served on the boards of Piper Jaffray (a Minneapolis-based securities and investment firm), the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, Breck School, and Fannie Mae.
Ralph and his wife, Peggy, live in Wayzata, Minn. They have three children and five grandchildren.
Joe Reis
Chief Executive Officer
Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Services
Since 2000, Joe Reis has served as CEO of Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Services following two years as the company's president.
Joe also serves as senior vice president of NRT, Coldwell Banker Burnet's parent company. Based in Edina, Minn., he oversees NRT's Central Region operating companies in Minnesota/western Wisconsin, Chicago/Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Columbus, and St. Louis, as well as offices in Indiana and Michigan. In addition, he focuses on growth opportunities for NRT in other Midwestern markets.
From 1990 to 1997, Joe was executive vice president of Burnet Financial Group, where he also served as a member of the executive committee. He focused on company growth, both through real estate acquisitions (most notably the 1996 acquisition of Prudential Preferred Properties of Chicago) and through expansion of real estate services (creating Burnet Home Loans, now PHH Home Loans in 1990 and Burnet Insurance in 1996).
Joe also has held various financial and operational positions with Merrill Lynch Realty from 1982 to 1990.
Joe is a board member of the Minnesota Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors, where he also serves as a large broker representative. He also serves as vice chair of the board of Children's Home Society & Family Services. In addition, he volunteers with Hammer Residences, Inc. and is an active member of Holy Name Church in Medina.
Joe graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn.
He lives in Medina, Minn. with his wife, Kathy, and their three daughters.
Robin Peterson
President
Coldwell Banker Burnet
Robin Peterson is the president of Coldwell Banker Burnet. She was first licensed to sell real estate in 1977 when she joined Burnet Realty as a sales associate. Since then, she has also held the positions of assistant branch manager, branch manager, training director, regional vice president, and executive vice president.
Robin is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the firm's 27 sales offices in Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Cloud, and Rochester, Minn. and in western Wisconsin. For several consecutive years, Coldwell Banker Burnet has received the Partnership Performance Award at the Coldwell Banker International Business Conference. This reward is earned by the company with the best combined record in realty, title and mortgage operations out of all offices in the NRT family of companies. NRT is made up of real estate companies in 35 of the nation's largest metropolitan markets, with more than 1,000 offices and 61,000 sales associates.
Robin was honored by CityBusiness magazine as one of the most influential women in business in the Twin Cities. Recently she was also featured in Women's Business Minnesota and was named as one of Residential Real Estate's Leading Ladies' in the national magazine LORE (Lives of Real Estate).
Robin has her GRI, is a member of REPAC, and has served on the Board of Governors of the Twin Cities Regional Multiple Listing Service and the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Association of Realtors. She is also a past director of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors and the Dakota County Board of Realtors. Robin has taught many real estate classes both locally and nationally. She is on the board of directors of the Minnesota Home Ownership Center, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable home ownership for low- and moderate-income Minnesotans. She also is in the President's Club at the University of Minnesota and has been active in their Courtside Club, an athletic booster organization.
A native of Westfield, N.J., Robin attended the University of Vermont where she earned a bachelor's degree in history and education. She also earned a master's degree in history and spent four years teaching junior high school in Vermont and New York.
Robin and her husband, Fran, live in Apple Valley, Minn. They have two children and three grandchildren.
Mary Baymler
President, Minnesota and Illinois
PHH Home Loans
Mary Baymler has served as the president of Burnet Home Loans, now PHH Home Loans since 1990. She has developed PHH Home Loans from a company of 10 employees to its current 150 employees, and is responsible for leading the company to closing in excess of $1 billion in residential home mortgages annually.
PHH Home Loans has become a leader in the marketplace in purchase loan transactions because of Mary's dedication to the One Stop Shopping philosophy. In addition, PHH Home Loans has been a leader nationally among all NRT companies by achieving awards in market share and closed loan units each of the past six years.
Mary's previous positions included branch manager of Knutson Mortgage, loan officer with Merrill Lynch Mortgage and loan officer with Old Stone Mortgage. In 1986 while at Merrill Lynch Mortgage, Mary received the national Top Originator Award.
Mary received a bachelor's degree in economics from the College of St. Benedict.
She lives in North Oaks with her husband, Jeff, and three children.
Ronnie Semlak
President
Burnet Title
Since 2002, Ronnie Semlak has served as president of Burnet Title. She oversees 22 Burnet Title offices on a day-to-day basis, including 150 full- and part-time employees in the Twin Cities, Rochester, St. Cloud, and Hudson, Wis. areas.
Ronnie has been instrumental in growing Burnet Title, including creating a marketing department, training department, new construction department, and most recently TRG Commercial, the commercial arm of Burnet Title. She was responsible for the expansion of Burnet Title into Rochester, St. Cloud, and western Wisconsin. Under Ronnie's leadership, Burnet Title was ranked among the top three settlement services companies for its success rate in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 at the Cendant Settlement Services Conference and International Business Conference.
Ronnie first joined Burnet Title in 1991 and rose through the ranks from closing account executive to senior vice president. Before that, she owned an independent closing service in St. Paul.
She is a member of the Minnesota Real Estate Services Association, Multi Housing Association, St. Paul Association of Realtors, and Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors.
She and her husband, Michael, have two daughters and live in Stillwater.
Judy Haydon
Director of Relocation
Burnet Relocation
Since Judy Haydon was named to lead Burnet Relocation in 2002, she has helped build the company's framework of services and resources for families transferring to the Twin Cities and to other locations across the country.
Judy is responsible for overseeing all Burnet Relocation operations, including corporate services, nationwide moving services, van line programs, and rental and property management resources. She also oversees the Home Resource Center and its Concierge service, which is being used as a nationwide model to develop similar service centers in other parts of the country. The Home Resource Center has seen excellent growth in consumer usage, serving nearly 55,000 consumers every year.
Judy initially joined Burnet Relocation as a relocation counselor, working directly with transferring executives and their families. Before that, Judy sold residential real estate and managed inventory for appliance and auto dealers at General Electric Credit Corporation.
Judy and her husband, Gibbs, live in Apple Valley and have two grown children.
Matt Baker
Vice President, Minneapolis Lakes Office
Coldwell Banker Burnet
Since 1990, Matt Baker has served as branch vice president of Coldwell Banker Burnet's Minneapolis Lakes office and as a member of the company's senior leadership team.
Matt is responsible for managing 350 sales associates in a 37,000 square-foot sales office. Since its inception, the office has consistently achieved excellent annual growth and has been the number one office nationwide in closed sales. Currently, the office annually exceeds more than $1 billion in sales, and is focused on resale properties and new urban housing developments and conversions, as well as commercial properties and investments.
Matt has been with the company for approximately 25 years. Previous positions included co-manager and assistant branch manager with the Minneapolis Lakes office. He also worked as a sales associate, specializing in Lakes area condominiums and town homes. Before joining Coldwell Banker Burnet, he worked in commercial real estate, property management, and leasing.
Matt is a member of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR), the Minnesota Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors. He's served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of MAAR and served as MAAR's treasurer in 2004.
Matt graduated from Breck School, received a bachelor's degree in business administration and romance language from Colorado College, and participated in the M.B.A. program at the University of St. Thomas. Matt and his wife, Mimi, are life-long residents of the Twin Cities. They have one son and live in Minneapolis.
David J. Carter
Senior Vice President
Coldwell Banker Burnet
David is a senior vice president for Coldwell Banker Burnet, and oversees 10 sales offices.
Dave has enjoyed a successful real estate career in the Twin Cities for more than 30 years. He began his real estate career as a sales associate in 1977. In his second year of selling, he earned a place in the top 10 out of more than 400 sales associates. During his career selling and managing residential real estate, he has earned local and national recognition.
Dave also has held positions in support services, technology, recruiting, and many special projects. He works closely with all of Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Services' ancillary companies, including mortgage, title, and relocation.
Dave continues to be involved in many local and state real estate organizations. He has held a number of committee positions, including serving as secretary and treasurer of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors Board of Directors. He is currently a member of the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota where he serves as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors.
Dave and his wife, Lin, live in Independence and have four children and one grandchild. He enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid sports enthusiast.
Al Iverson
Senior Vice President
Coldwell Banker Burnet
Al Iverson serves as senior vice president in charge of 10 field offices. He also has worked as a trainer at Coldwell Banker Burnet for 23 years and has received his Master Certified Coach designation.
He joined Coldwell Banker Burnet in 1980. Previous positions with the company have included branch vice president with the Minneapolis South office, sales manager at the Dakota County/Eagan office, and sales associate specializing in residential real estate and commercial investment properties. Before joining Coldwell Banker Burnet, Al managed his own residential remodeling company in Edina for seven years.
Al is a member of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR), Minnesota Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors and has served as secretary/treasurer of the MAAR Board of Directors. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis YMCA.
Al lives on a ranch in Hampton, Minn. with his wife, Patti. He has two sons. Al is an avid outdoor enthusiast, including running, mountain biking, and participating in triathlons.
Leonard D. MacKinnon
Director of Marketing
Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Services
Leonard D. MacKinnon is senior vice president of marketing and communications for Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Services. He has been associated with the firm since 1974. During that time he has held positions in the marketing, communications, facilities management, purchasing, relocation management and residential sales areas. Prior to joining the company, he was employed by First National Bank of Minneapolis (now US Bank).
Leonard is responsible for institutional advertising, electronic marketing, internal communications, special events, media relations, cause-related marketing, sales associate personal marketing, and sales incentive and recognition programs. He directs the marketing efforts of Coldwell Banker Burnet at the corporate level and provides marketing support for individual sales associates, branch offices, and marketing divisions including Previews-Distinctive Homes and Urban Lifestyles & New Homes. Additionally, he provides marketing support to sister companies, including PHH Home Loans, Burnet Title, Burnet Relocation, Coldwell Banker Insurance, and the Coldwell Banker Home Protection Plan.
Leonard attended Florida Atlantic University and the University of Minnesota where he earned his bachelor's degree and the Certificate of Real Estate. He has been a real estate instructor for Minneapolis Community College. Leonard is a member of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors, and is a licensed Minnesota real estate broker.
Leonard is the City of Minnetonka Beach representative to the lake Minnetonka Communications Commission (LMCC). The LMCC regulates the cable TV franchise for 17 cities in the Lake Minnetonka area. He serves on the Broadband Committee for the LMCC. Leonard is also the chairman of the Minnetonka Beach Utilities Committee, a group charged with researching city utilities projects and making recommendations to the City Council. Leonard also gives back to the community through his work with Trees for Toys.
A Minnesota native, Leonard was born in Minneapolis, raised in suburban Orono, and now makes his home in Minnetonka Beach. He has two adult children. His interests include politics, housing, power and sail boating, rock & roll music, bicycling, and downhill skiing.
Peter Rizzo
Senior Vice President
Coldwell Banker Burnet
Peter Rizzo serves as senior vice president, responsible for six realty field offices in the northern suburbs. Before joining Coldwell Banker Burnet, he sold residential real estate in the Twin Cities area. Before that, he worked as a national accounts representative for Ashland Oil.
Pete is a member of the North Metro Realtors Association, Minnesota Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors. He volunteers with a number of youth sports organizations in the Twin Cities and with the annual 3M Championship, which raises money for local charities.
Pete holds advanced degrees in psychology and behavioral science.
Pete and his wife, Maureen, live in Coon Rapids and have five children. He is an avid golfer and is a director of the West Valley First Tee Association of America.