Away From Far

COB alum George Massad is the owner of Massad Real Estate and storage facilities.

Two adjectives that come to mind when describing Massad’s personality are observational and extremely hard-working, both of which were evident in his post-secondary academic journey that began at age 18 in 2007.

Just like the other students, he was acclimating to college life, a journey that would lead him through a business administration degree in the College of Business. But he was doing it with the added challenge of learning English.

“I spoke a little bit of English, but I wasn’t as proficient in it. During college I kind of caught onto it,” Massad said. “TV helped tremendously, as well as talking to other students and trying to figure out their accents.”

Massad had grown up in Lebanon and came to Mankato to attend college. He earned his associate’s degree from Bethany Lutheran College before transferring to Minnesota State Mankato.

Massad wasn’t sure what he would do with his business degree. He wanted to open a bar or night club for a while, but in the meantime, he worked at his family’s restaurants, Olives and Massad’s. (John

Paul J. Vetter Sr. and his four sons had a simple philosophy when founding the company in 1954: to provide customers with a quality product and to ensure superior customer service. Today, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are helping to carry on his legacy. Kaus is, too.

Ron Vetter said it was very important that the person leading the company carry on and Najwa Massad were the owners, and Najwa and George’s dad are first cousins.)

Massad was Olives’ manager in 2015 when he and his colleague Bruce Tanhoff made their first big independent business move. They bought Courtland Mini Max Storage in Courtland, Minn., (which they later sold) and shortly after bought My Mankato Storage in Mankato (which they still own).

“I wanted to buy some real estate, and a commercial realtor advised us that storage units are a safe investment and recession proof,” said Massad, who also now owns A-1 Storage of Mankato with Tanhoff.

Massad decided to get his real estate license and leave Olives to form the George Massad Team under True Real Estate in Mankato in 2018. Tanhoff got his license as well and joined the business, and they did residential and commercial real estate and gained experience while building their brand.

“At that point we had been in business a couple of years with the storage and rental properties, and I saw that we had a good thing going. It was a no-brainer,” Tanhoff said about leaving to join Massad. “We work well together and complement each the family values that have always been a part of Vetter Stone. other’s personalities. We both balance each other by enhancing our strengths and minimizing our weaknesses.”

“That was a critical piece, and he’s doing absolutely amazing,” he said.

Kaus is committed to honoring the company’s legacy as he looks to the future.

A couple of years later, the team left True to start their own company, Massad Real Estate. Massad said while some agents get a bad reputation by being “transactional” and focusing on rushing to the sale, Massad’s philosophy is the opposite, focusing on being “relational” and serving the community. They hold a coat drive every year and are big supporters of Greater Mankato Area United Way.

“We’re there to serve our clients and put their needs first, no matter what, and to make sure they reach their goals,” Massad said. “We’re their advisors. We want to make sure they are satisfied at the end of the day.”

Tanhoff said Massad is dedicated to his clients.

“He’s fiercely loyal,” Tanhoff said. “In a business setting, he’s always working toward gaining your trust and vice versa.”

“My vision for the company is to continue strong growth focused on our attention to quality, efficiencies and building strong relationships with our customers,” Kaus said.