Page 38 - EZ Australia Issue 21-20

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Cover Story
Number 8 Grattan Luxury Residences Hawthorn
Being the eldest of three brothers, Romano led his younger brother to take reign of the Romano construction and development family business to form RPG in 2005. In a decade, the brothers delivered over AUD400m worth of projects across medium-density residential, retail, student accommodation, commercial o ces and high-rise medical within the Melbourne metropolitan area. The longevity and trust in RPG within the property market has also enabled it to attract foreign capital from a myriad of international investors. After a fruitful partnership of 10 years, the Romano brothers decided to pursue separate business interests in 2015.
In the spirit of continuing the Romano legacy, Romano then moved RPG to Collins Street and restructured the company to operate under a triumvirate division structure through RPG Capital, RPG Projects and RPG Real Estate. Where RPG capital facilitates debt and equity funding structures for high net worth investors, RPG projects are focused on sourcing, planning and construction of projects which are then complemented by project marketing delivered by RPG Real Estate. Romano holds a full Real Estate licence and is OIEC of this real estate arm. “Real estate development is not for the faint-hearted. You really need an extraordinary team and some robust nancing behind you.”
Unlike RPG’s competitors who leverage debt and equity capital from other investors to fund their projects, Maurice is a staunch believer in co-investing his own capital with a suite of trusted partners. RPG’s successful 15-year partnership with trusted nancial institutions like the Bank of Melbourne and National Bank is also a testament to RPG being a paragon of excellence and trust within the property development market that is often riddled with volatility. Romano believes that investing 50 percent to 100 percent of RPG’s own capital into every project translates to a symbiotic enhanced cooperation and understanding between the developer and investors.
Adopting both a horizontal and vertical organisational structure enables RPG to focus on core elements of the stages of property development through its “inhouse” sta without losing strategic direction. As “buyers want to deal directly with their developer”, RPG conducts project marketing alongside its inhouse sales team. This successful formula has not only resulted in its developments being sold out 100% but allowed RPG to e ectively build and manage a rent roll of 400 plus properties in a manner that always prioritises customer’s needs.