Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — What was once a merger has now become a division.

Nine months after Romick and Associates merged with Prudential Steamboat Realty, it has become a separate division in one of Steamboat's largest real estate companies.

The logo and name has changed to Prudential Steamboat Realty Romick Ranch Division, but what used to be Romick and Associates is still led by Brent and Robin Romick.

Joan Shenfield, a lead Realtor with Romick and Associates, said since the merger it has always been a vision to form the ranch and land division.

"We still keep the authenticity of what we do best and that is land and ranch sales," Shenfield said. "Now it is a specific division that people know about."

Over the years, the desire to buy ranch land has increased and Shenfield said it helps to have a division that knows about water rights, land preservation, conservation easements and hay production.

"You meet a lot of people who want to get into ranching not for the profit, but for conservation and preservation," Shenfield said. "You need someone who understands the language. It's being able to walk the walk and talk the talk."

Owner Brent Romick said that the same group of aqua and wildlife biologists that worked with Romick and Associates in the past will be used and under contract with the Romick Ranch Division.

Romick Signature Developments like Creek Ranch and Lynx Basin Estates will also be exclusively listed through the ranch division.

Romick said ranches from 100 to 30,000 acres would be sold through the division.

He believes that large parcels of land in the hundreds and thousands acres are more valuable than if the land was divided and sold.

"What we are tying to do is look at stuff in the hundreds and thousands and with that comes a lot of value," he said. "It is something that is more than the sum of the parts."