Affiliate Spotlight: JP Plunkett of Red Dome Realty
- Commercial Brokers International
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
★ BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
At the CRE Affiliate Network, we’re going beyond the map to introduce the people behind our growing network. Through our Affiliate Spotlight series, we’re taking a closer look at our affiliates across the country—how they built their careers, what shaped their businesses, what makes their markets unique, and why they chose to become part of the CRE Affiliate Network.
For this edition, we head to Boston, Massachusetts, to meet Joseph “JP” Plunkett, Principal and Managing Principal of Red Dome Realty.
From more than 100 cold calls at the beginning of his career to 16 years at Cushman & Wakefield and ultimately building his own boutique brokerage, JP’s path reflects a career grounded in relationships, persistence, and an appreciation for the entrepreneurial side of commercial real estate.
Getting Started in Commercial Real Estate
Commercial real estate wasn’t necessarily JP’s original plan.
After graduating from Boston College, he had considered law school and was exploring several different industries. A conversation with one of his father’s longtime friends, who worked for a regional commercial real estate firm, ultimately pointed him in a different direction.
The firm wasn’t hiring at the time, but that meeting gave JP something arguably more valuable: a printed cooperating broker list and a simple piece of advice—call everyone on it.
“I called over a hundred people and I got three interviews—and three offers. So it was three for three, although I made over 100 calls.”
Those offers presented three very different entry points into the industry: research, an internship with a respected boutique firm, and an immediate brokerage opportunity.
At 22 years old, JP wanted to be a broker, so he chose the brokerage position.
Looking back, he recognizes that any of the three paths could have created a strong foundation. But the one he chose ultimately brought him to Cushman & Wakefield at just 23 years old, beginning what would become a 16-year chapter of his career.
And professionally and personally, it became a defining one.
“That was just a magical, magical time. I met my wife there. I made some of my very best friends in the whole world while I was there. We got all sorts of deals done. We had fun. We learned, we struggled, we succeeded.”
Building a Brokerage of His Own
The idea of owning a boutique brokerage didn’t come from a single moment.
It developed gradually as JP built his career in Greater Boston.
At Cushman & Wakefield, he focused heavily on Boston’s South market—a submarket he describes as less glamorous and more old-school than areas such as Back Bay, Cambridge, or Route 128. It was there that he began working alongside independent brokerage owners who would quietly shape the direction of his career.
Many were technically competitors. But over time, they also became mentors, collaborators, and examples of the kind of professional JP eventually wanted to become.
“I always just said, ‘I want to be like them someday.’”
What appealed to him wasn’t simply owning a company. It was the kind of work those brokers were able to do.
Instead of focusing exclusively on the largest institutional transactions, JP found himself drawn to deals where the impact was much more personal—helping a longtime business owner sell a warehouse, helping a family transition out of a property they had owned for decades, or helping a local company make its next move.
“You can really help a company, help a family.”
Those experiences showed him that an independent brokerage could build a successful business through local relationships, specialization, and hands-on service.
After his time at Cushman & Wakefield, JP spent approximately four years with another established local firm. Moving from a global platform to a smaller organization gave him additional confidence that a boutique brokerage could compete without the infrastructure—or the name recognition—of one of the industry's largest firms.
About 11 years ago, he took the final step and founded Red Dome Realty.
Today, the Boston-based firm provides services across industrial, office, retail, tenant and landlord representation, user sales, multifamily, and an expanding property management practice. Its sweet spot, however, remains serving small and midsize clients with the level of attention they may not always receive at a larger institution.
JP describes the model simply:
“We do all the exact same things as a C&W and as a JLL, but just in a more crisp, dig-in-the-corner, smaller scale. And there’s a lot of demand for that.”
A Career That Never Gets Routine
Decades into the business, JP still talks about commercial real estate with the enthusiasm of someone early in his career.
Part of that comes from Red Dome’s summer internship program.
Working with younger professionals gives JP an opportunity to revisit the fundamentals of brokerage and see the industry through a fresh perspective. He describes the experience as almost a reinvestment in his own career: teaching younger people forces him to sharpen his own skills and reconnect with the habits that built his business in the first place.
Those fundamentals haven't changed much.
“You never stop canvassing. You never stop making the calls. You never stop doing your basic push-ups.”
Even when transactions slow down or a week's calendar isn't filled with showings, there is always another opportunity to pursue—researching companies, reviewing local business news, prospecting, creating content, or simply strengthening relationships.
That constant movement is part of what has kept the industry interesting for JP.
“There’s always something to do. It never loses its freshness. And you’re touching so many different parts of the economy.”
His advice to interns captures how he continues to view the business:
“It’s not a job. This is a career.”
What Makes Boston Different
Boston may be an internationally recognized city, but its commercial real estate market retains a distinctly local character.
According to JP, one of its defining characteristics is the prevalence of multigenerational property ownership.
Throughout Greater Boston, properties remain in families for decades. Some owners inherited buildings from parents or grandparents; others grew up working inside the same properties they now control.
That creates a different kind of transaction environment.
“You’re not necessarily every time speaking to a master's-degree asset manager who's running a portfolio of buildings. You’re talking about someone whose grandfather owned it, and they grew up sweeping the floors in the 1970s, and now they own it.”
For JP, those histories add nuance to the business. A property isn't always simply another asset in a portfolio. In many cases, it represents decades of family ownership, operating history, and personal connection.
Boston also rewards brokers willing to consistently pursue smaller and midsize transactions.
JP, an avid baseball fan, compares building a successful brokerage career in the market to constructing a winning season.
Home runs happen. So do triples. But most of the game is won somewhere else.
“You’re going to hit singles and doubles. You’re going to pile them up.”
In his view, brokers who dismiss those opportunities in favor of constantly “swinging for the fences” often struggle to build sustainable businesses.
“For a big market, there’s a lot of small mom-and-pop landlords, and you better be okay doing small and medium-small deals. That’s what makes Boston different than the other big markets.”
Finding the Right Network
JP's decision to join the CRE Affiliate Network also developed organically.
Red Dome had previously represented Boston within another commercial real estate network. What was initially expected to be a temporary relationship lasted nearly four years and gave JP firsthand experience with the advantages a national affiliation could bring to a boutique brokerage.
When that affiliation eventually came to an end, several organizations approached him about what might come next. JP explored the options, but nothing immediately felt right.
Then came an unexpected phone call.
A CBI broker was looking for assistance with a tenant requirement in Boston and had been referred to JP through industry colleague Linda Harrison.
The transaction itself never materialized.
The relationship did.
That introduction eventually connected JP with Joe Killinger and the CRE Affiliate Network.
It was an arrangement that aligned naturally with how JP already viewed the future of independent brokerage: remain local, remain entrepreneurial, but build relationships that extend well beyond one market.
“Technology helps a lot. You can play outside your sandbox a bit more, but that’s why it’s so important and blessed to have a partnership with the Affiliate Network.”
Today, JP represents the network in Boston—and his enthusiasm about what comes next is unmistakable.
“I’m honored. It’s really just the beginning. This thing is already great. I have all the confidence in the world that it’s going to disrupt the industry in a good way for all of us.”
Local Expertise, Connected Nationwide
JP's career has taken him from one of the largest names in commercial real estate to the boutique firm he once imagined building himself.
Along the way, the common thread has remained remarkably consistent: relationships.
Relationships opened the door to his first interviews. Competitors became mentors. Local property owners became longtime clients. A referral for a transaction that never happened eventually became the introduction to a new national network.
That combination of local knowledge, independent entrepreneurship, and broader collaboration is also at the heart of the CRE Affiliate Network.
Your Business Doesn't Stop at State Lines. Neither Does Our Network.
Looking to buy, sell, lease, or explore commercial real estate opportunities outside of California? Through the CRE Affiliate Network, we have relationships with local professionals who understand their markets and can help you navigate what comes next.
And if you're an independent brokerage looking to expand your reach, learn more about becoming a CRE Affiliate Network member: here.
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