First real estate office in Sauk Rapids open for business

by Tracy Lee Karner

news@thenewsleaders.com

The Godzala Brenny Team of Edina Realty celebrated its well-attended grand opening on June 30. The seven-member team recently moved its Waite Park offices to 22 N. Benton Drive in downtown Sauk Rapids.

Recent census records report Benton County has a population of roughly 39,000, and yet there had been only one small real-estate office within its boundaries. Mike LuConic, a realtor with Century-21 New Horizons Realty of Little Falls, said while their main office is in Morrison County, they do have a satellite office in Rice, managed by broker Tom Sherwin.

When Godzala Brenny officially opened its doors in downtown Sauk Rapids, hundreds of residents showed up to welcome and support them.

“I posted on Facebook and told everybody at Shopko where I come to work,” said Jenny Svihel, who is a cousin of one of the team members, Jonathan Brenny. “They’re a good group.”

Three members of the team — Jesse Godzala, Jonathan Brenny, Sam Lieser — combined resources to invest in the historic building that now houses their Sauk Rapids office. They might have chosen to build new, Godzala said, but they felt preserving part of Sauk Rapids’ history would be important for the city.

Godzala said they purchased a 1946 building and preserved as much of the original structure as they could. They had to order custom windows to maintain the character of the building. They also exposed as much of the original brick and wood as they could.

Lieser said the building began as Hermy’s bar, according to information passed on to the team by Hermy’s daughter. Around 1962, the building was sold to Hart’s shoe store. Sometime in the 1990s, it became a floral shop. Now, it’s the home of the first bricks-and-mortar real-estate office in Sauk Rapids.

“We are choosing Sauk Rapids for the family-esque atmosphere,” Brenny said, “and because the people of Benton County are loyal. They care about supporting their businesses.”

Melissa Brenny is the current Mrs. Minnesota and attended the open house. She also owns Refresh Nutrition in Sauk Rapids. Her husband, Michael Brenny, is a distant cousin of Jonathan’s.

Lieser said many local business owners, as well as the mayor and city-council members, came to the open house to show their support.

“We’re moving to where our business already is,” Godzala said. “To be closer to our customers is a benefit. Benton County is our hub and our niche. But we also like the idea money we earn from this community will go back into the community.”

But supporting this city “wasn’t a business strategy,” he said. “It wasn’t by design that we’ve always been involved in (the Sauk Rapids and Benton County) community. It’s who we are.”

Jonathan Brenny grew up in Foley and serves on the Benton County Economic Development Board. His parents, Barb and Mark, own Brenny Oil Co., which was started by Mark’s grandfather.

Godzala was Brenny’s tennis coach and his high-school history teacher in Foley before Godzala left teaching to become a realtor/broker. The two became an Edina Real Estate team after Brenny’s 2009 graduation from St. Cloud State University. Lieser joined them in 2011. Four more have since joined the team: Marc VanHerr, Mike Haehn, Brian Kron and Clovis Gray.

When the realtors found themselves unable to keep up with the demands of running a busy office while also managing their renovation project, they called in Brenny’s mother, Barbara. She has a background in interior design.

Brenny explained the view out the front window of the train tracks and bridge inspired an industrial-interior design. Tones are neutral, surfaces include wood and metal, ceiling pipes and ducts are exposed. The concept is open, which fits the way the team collaborates. She would have liked to include a basketball hoop, but that was beyond the budget. At the center of the room, however, is a pool table.

“Sauk Rapids’ community renewal has been beautiful,” she said, referring to the redevelopment and revitalization of the downtown area.

The Godzala Brenny team wants to build on that momentum.

“We want to participate in making Benton County a great place to live and do business for present and future generations,” Godzala said.

The Godzala Brenny team has also worked to support Sauk Rapids and Benton County businesses. For example, they bought their office television from Minnesota Electronics on Benton Drive and hired Alliance Building Corp. to renovate their new offices. Henry’s catering from Foley provided the open-house food, including chips and roasted red hummus, turkey and ham roll-ups, and Cuban sandwiches.

“Long-standing relationships and people who give back make communities like Foley and Sauk Rapids special,” Barbara Brenny said. “Giving back is something you can do even without a lot of money. You can give back time and talent.”