Darrell Plummer, left, owner and real estate broker for the Fallon branch of Sierra Nevada Properties, speaks to agent Carol Arciniega on Jan. 11.
FALLON, Nev. — Real Estate broker and owner Darrell Plummer has a soft spot in his heart for Fallon and the small-community values it represents.
Sierra Nevada Properties, which his father Hal Plummer began 40 years ago, opened an office in Fallon last year on July 16, and recently had a ribbon-cutting and official grand opening for the business on 941 W. Williams Ave.
“My father was born in Fallon, so it's fun to come back to where my father started his life,” Plummer said at the Jan. 11 event.
Hal Plummer was born in Fallon but moved to Reno at an early age. He first started All-State Realty in the San Francisco Bay Area with several friends and returned to Northern Nevada in the late 1970s.
Darrell Plummer joined the business 24 years ago, and he purchased Sierra Nevada Properties in 2001 and has been a broker-owner since. The company also established a real estate office in Fallon, which was known as Coldwell Banker Plummer and Associates.
At the time, another franchise of Coldwell Banker-Ponte was owned by Gary and Cindy Troxel, who recently decided not to renew their franchise.
“When I left Coldwell Banker, Gary and I stayed good friends,” Plummer said.
When Sierra Nevada Properties opened its newest office in the same location, Plummer said Troxel asked if he and Cindy could join the firm as real estate agents.
Ironically, Plummer said the Troxels are both landlords and agents. Before Sierra Nevada Properties occupied the building, Plummer said the Troxels improved the site inside and out.
“We brought in new technology and a new feel to our brand,” Plummer said. “We also brought in furniture and large monitors.”
Plummer said the walls have been painted, new carpeting and lighting installed and new furniture bought for the lobby. The building has a conference room set up for video conferencing. Along the walls are photographs taken by local photographer Skip Reeves.
Plummer said Troxel's agents are also part of Sierra Nevada Properties.
“Gary and his agents have a great reputation,” Plummer said. “We're fortunate to have that base, that foundation.”
This is Sierra Nevada Properties' sixth location, and the company has offices in Fernley, Reno (main office), Midtown Reno, Incline Village and the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.
Overall, Plummer said the company employs about 120 agents, and in the Churchill County area, they will specialize in land, ranch and home and also small businesses in both Fallon and Fernley.
Plummer described the six properties as the Interstate 80 corridor of economic vitality with Incline Village and Fallon becoming the folded ends of a straight line.
Currently, Plummer said Fallon has eight agents, an office assistant and a full-time person in marketing. A central administration staff that deals with marketing, internet technology and accounting are based in Reno. He said Sierra Nevada Property takes pride in its professional development.
“We have a slogan,” Plummer said. “We paint the town orange.”
Plummer said Sierra Nevada Properties has aggressive marketing tools and touts excellent professional standards, training and staying current by providing the best representation of the client.
“We have a good track record and good reputation,” Plummer said.
In addition to their real estate services, Plummer said the company has three 15-foot moving trucks including one in Fallon to assist clients with moving. He said clients are responsible only for the fuel they use.
Plummer's roots with Fallon also extend to the days when he first met the late Shirley Walker, executive director of the Churchill Economic Development Authority in the 1990s.
At the time, Plummer was director of economic development for a power company from 1988 to 1995. He also developed a friendship with Mayor Ken Tedford and Councilman Bob Erickson.
Before Sierra Nevada Properties conducted its ribbon-cutting, Plummer sat down with Tedford and Nathan Strong, CEDA's executive director, to discuss his company, and afterward, Tedford drove Plummer around the city.
“The mayor showed me a lot of shovel-ready land for housing,” added Plummer, who now serves as 2019 chair of the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce Board.
Additionally, Plummer sees a strong connection developing between the city and Sierra Nevada Properties, and it was gratifying to see Fallon and the changes that have occurred in the area.
Plummer noted the number of opportunities that exist in Fallon for housing, specifically with the growth of TRIC. Although Plummer said about 70-80 percent of the workers live in the Reno-Sparks area, he would like to see more families move east to Fernley or Fallon.
