Our president Lucas Piatt is featured in Real Producers Magazine!
Read the whole article here as a PDF or below.
Lucas grew up understanding the value of hard work. In high school, he took on jobs as a steel grinder, drill press operator, and also worked in the gearbox room at Millcraft Mining in Arden, PA. It was these experiences, amongst others, that shaped Lucas into a more well-rounded leader.
“Understanding that every job is important, and every person’s role is vital is not only something I deeply understand but I relay to my team. Through these experiences, and my dad’s leadership, our companies are guided by six principles: sustainability, creativity, ideas, integrity, community partnership, and philanthropy. We have made these principles the cornerstone of our culture at Millcraft at Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty.”
In just over one year, Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty has opened four new offices with plans to open four more in the upcoming year. “Millcraft Real Estate Services was our residential brokerage for many years, with a small but strong team. When we decided it was time to grow and expand the brokerage there was no question who we wanted to align with. In September of 2016, we met with Vice Presidents from Sotheby’s International Realty® to talk about bringing the world-class brand to this great city.
“Their first impressions of Pittsburgh were similar to many other first-time visitors – shock and awe. They were shocked we were no longer this smoky, steel town and in awe of the beauty of the city with its robust infrastructure of “eds and meds” and fascinating technology. We were affiliated two months later – the fastest in Sotheby’s International Realty® history.
“The most rewarding part of being President of Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty is witnessing the individual aspirations and career goals of our agents. Our pulse on the global market and access to exceptional branding and unparalleled marketing, aligned with our in-house team of development experts, has set them up for success. I have truly reveled in seeing them thrive. We have industry leaders across various markets who are easily accessible to our real estate professionals. From our Millcraft Development team to Millcraft hospitality locations, our agents work hand in hand with our extended companies, offering an even more robust set of tools for each agent to work with. We have created a culture of teamwork and collaboration across all of our entities and we are preparing our professionals with the best of the best, so they can extend the best of the best to their clients.”
Piatt’s biggest challenge in real estate has been overcoming the stigma that the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand has become synonymous with, the misconception that they only sell auction and multi-million-dollar homes. “While this certainly is a large part of the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand, this is not the entirety or reality across our 850 global offices. Luxury is an experience not a price point. It’s a quality of service and a company standard that we are going to offer the best of the best, whether that be marketing, agent tools or experienced professionals. We will consistently deliver the Sotheby’s International Realty® standard of service with each and every property regardless of price.”
Outside of work, Lucas enjoys playing guitar, sampling the diverse food options around the city, and traveling with his wife Renee and their two children, River and Marlea. “Renee is an incredible mother, partner, and accomplished entrepreneur and jewelry designer. She created the Renee Piatt Collection almost five years ago and has successfully developed a well-recognized brand across the city. She is also the exclusive jewelry designer for Doncaster Clothing.
“We have two awesome children, River, 8 and Marlea, 6. River is a math and science wiz and technology genius. He is very compassionate and shows a true concern and interest in others. He likes to make up his own jokes and I have to say his punchlines are great. Marlea loves to dance and sing and has such an incredible imagination. Her spirit is contagious and spunky attitude hilarious.”
Together with his team, Piatt supports the New Story organization and several other charitable organizations around Pittsburgh, including the Alzheimer’s Association. “Success is creating a vision, working hard, bringing that vision to life and giving back to the communities in which we serve.”
