Who is Compass?

The story behind the tech-centric real estate brokerage that’s sweeping the nation (and now Jackson Hole).

Robert Reffkin grew up the child of a hardworking single mother. A tireless entrepreneur, she spent most of her career as a real estate agent. She tried to instill an entrepreneurial spirit in Reffkin, too.

“When she would put me to bed at night she would rub my head and say, ‘Robert know that you can be anything you want in this world. So go to bed and have big dreams.’” Reffkin told Compass employees during a speech.

In 2012, Reffkin founded Compass with tech mogul Ori Allon, who had previously sold two companies to Google and Twitter respectively. The idea for the company was deceptively simple: create better technological tools for real estate agents so that they can spend less time pouring over market reports and more time with their clients. It was an idea based on the tribulations that Reffkin had seen his mother undergo as a real estate agent.

“We’re building the operating system for real estate,” Reffkin said. “We’re working across every part of the Compass team to elevate the most personal parts of the real estate process and build technology to streamline everything else.”

Almost a decade later, Compass is now the largest independent real estate brokerage in the country. Its innovative blend of proprietary technologies has attracted the best real estate agents from Manhattan to Denver to San Francisco. As of 2021, the agents of Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates (now Compass Real Estate) have joined the ranks.

But, we are more than a fast-growing brokerage. We are a company that is dedicated to a singular mission. A mission that inspired Jackson Hole Real Estate Associate’s founders to pass the reins on to new leadership.