Longstanding Ray White Barossa Valley business owners Darren Pratt and Jamie Wood have taken over ownership of Ray White Clare Valley, alongside Connor Young, after Ray White Clare Valley’s Mark O’Meagher decided to take a step back and focus on listing and selling property.
Mr O’Meagher, who has been part of the Clare Valley office for 13 years and owned it for the past five and a half years, said the change marks an exciting new chapter for the business.
“My partner and I decided late last year it was time to step back from ownership, and we approached Ray White South Australia CEO Matt Lindblom to explore options,” Mr O’Meagher said.
“I’m really proud of the strong market share and community connection we’ve built. I look forward to continuing in a sales capacity and supporting the team through this next phase.”
Mr Pratt said the opportunity to bring the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley offices closer together made perfect sense.
“Mark has led an incredibly successful business and built a strong foundation. We’ve admired the Clare Valley business for some time, so when the opportunity arose, we jumped at it,” Mr Pratt said.
“The two markets complement each other, and we’re excited to share resources and grow together.
“Plus, we’ve always had good red wine here in the Barossa – now we’ve got the summer riesling too!”
A highlight of the expansion is the elevation of Connor Young into business ownership, after nearly seven years in the business as a sales agent. Mr Young will be based at the Clare Valley office and living locally.
“This has been a goal of mine for a few years now, and I feel incredibly privileged to be going into business with Darren and Jamie, who have been such great mentors to me,” Mr Young said.
Mr Young said he was most looking forward to building his own team in Clare.
“After everything we’ve accomplished together in Barossa and Two Wells, I’m really looking forward to bringing those opportunities and that energy to the Clare Valley,” he said.
“Working alongside Mark, who is so well-respected locally, we will continue the tradition of strong community involvement and further grow our market presence.”
Mr Lindblom congratulated Mr Pratt, Mr Wood, Mr Young and Mr O’Meagher on their new venture.
“Mark has run a fantastic business over the last five and a half years, maintaining a great market share alongside his strong relationship with the community,” Mr Lindblom said.
“Darren, Jamie and Connor are some of the most committed operators in our network and I know they will do great things in Clare Valley.”
“With their strengths combined, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Ray White Clare Valley over the next 12 months, and into the future.”
