Richard “Dick” Hanzel brings decades of real estate experience paired with strategic executive skills that make him able to offer clients and investors great places to call home.
Dick was born and raised in Richland Center, Wisconsin, where he attended Richland Center High School. Upon his graduation in 1966, he attended college in Richland Center and in La Crosse. His professional career began in 1971 with a position at First Federal Savings and Loan in Madison. He started a management training program that covered all entry-level and middle management tasks. His responsibilities increased over the course of several promotions, to the point where he supervised 12 brand locations and 135 employees, in addition to developing operating procedures for the entire bank system.
Dick eventually took charge of the subsidiary operations for First Federal, which included the ownership of insurance agencies, appraisal companies, mortgage banking and land development. He also was the officer in charge of any loan request larger than $500,000. As such, all income-producing property loans were subject to his review, underwriting and approval. It was during this time that Dick honed his knowledge of operating income-producing real estate assets.
Joining the senior executive team at First Federal marked another significant move in Dick’s career, this time affording him more say over the strategic direction of the bank. Dick was involved with the merger between First Federal Madison and La Crosse. He also contributed to the bank’s conversion from a mutual ownership entity to a publicly traded stock.
Upon Dick’s departure from First Federal in 1990, he acquired several projects and entities from the bank, including Madison’s Wexford Village property. Dick was able to develop and market this site, eventually building a 129-unit apartment complex with a clubhouse and swimming pool. More land development followed.
In addition to Wexford Village, Dick’s real estate credentials include building and developing another 140-unit apartment project in Madison; developing 208 multifamily units in the Green Bay area; operating another 246 units across 6 buildings in Madison; and building 140,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial property in Monona.
Dick possesses a varied list of tenants, including banks, dentists, oral surgeons, money managers and small restaurants.
In total, Dick has developed and sold in excess of 2,500 single-family lots, plus land for approximately 1,500 multifamily units.
