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David Bode, managing partner of the company, said Rock recently hired five new people, including two brokerage advisers, a brokerage assistant, a property manager and a research analyst, to push the firm’s team up to 30.

A sixth person moved from property management to brokerage adviser to beef up the sales team.

“We’re transitioning for the future,” Bode said.

Over the last two years, the 18-year-old company has been going through some staff transitions. Two of the firm’s original partners — Dave Keech and Sandy Rotz — retired. Meanwhile, CFO Barry Wildasin bought in as a partner. 

Rock also saw a few agents leave last year to join True Commercial Real Estate in Lancaster County. True was started in 2017 by former Rock COO Blaze Cambruzzi, former Rock brokerage adviser Darin Wolfe and another partner.

But as sales and leasing activity has grown with the economy, Bode said, Rock has been picking up steam again and adding new agents. He and his partners see room to expand the company’s reach in Central Pennsylvania.

Rock is starting in Lancaster, where the company had been operating out of a one-room office at 252 Harrisburg Ave. Rock is now leasing a 1,200-square-foot office at 313 W. Liberty St., part of Liberty Place. The new space can support about seven agents.

“We have been active in Lancaster, but want to be more active in Lancaster,” Bode said, noting the firm also has its sights on the Harrisburg area. As of now the firm has offices in York and Lancaster. 

The new hires and office were part of a broader rebranding announcement on Monday by Rock. The effort includes a new logo and website. As part of the new website, Rock is expanding its research reports on local real estate trends, which are based on its tracking of property transactions.

Bode said the goal is to provide investors with more accurate data on local market conditions, which can help them make more informed real estate decisions. He said large third-party listing services like CoStar and LoopNet can be expensive and not always accurate for marketing properties in smaller cities like York and Lancaster.

“Our long-term vision would be to continue to grow,” Bode said.

Founded in 2001, Rock is one of the largest commercial real estate companies in Central Pennsylvania, finishing 2018 with $158 million in sales and leases.