Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class into its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Here is a look at the career of one of our newest inductees, Deno Bistolarides, managing partner with Encore Real Estate Investment Services in the Detroit area.
The first in the office and the last to leave. That’s how the colleagues of Deno Bistolarides, Managing Partner at Encore Real Estate Investment Services, would describe his work ethic. Throughout his 17 years in CRE, Bistolarides has made a positive impact throughout multiple facets of the real estate community and has played a pivotal role in the personal and professional development of countless young people.
Bistolarides spent most of his life in between Detroit, Michigan, and Toronto, Canada. After graduating from the University of Michigan and beginning his career in investment real estate as an intern at Marcus & Millichap, Detroit, he hit the ground running, quickly earning the firm’s Pace Setter Award, given to young agents that exhibit strong activity levels at the forefront of their career. The financial crisis of 2008—and the down market that ensued—was critical to his future success, enabling him to build strong relationships with clients and brokers alike.
In 2016, Bistolarides continued on to start Encore Real Estate Services alongside Brandon Hanna and Ryan Vinco, and though the firm had modest beginnings, Encore has expanded to over 40 agents with multiple offices across the U.S. The firm has set a year-over-year record for sales volume at collectively just under $1 billion dollars in 2022.
Apart from the company’s measurable success, Bistolarides is known for fostering a spirit of cooperation, rather than competition, at Encore. “Reputation” is a simple word but attaining a positive one requires a complex set of standards, and Bistolarides did so amongst his business early on. It’s this cooperation among those he works with to which he credits his success.
“Without Brandon and Ryan and our agents, support staff, clients, colleagues and my mentors, nothing would be possible,” Bistolarides said. “The key to success is surrounding yourself with the right people but also staying consistent, grounded and operating with high integrity. We live in a world of instant gratification. Because of this, it’s easy to forget that success is not instant and is only achieved with a long view. As the old saying goes, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint.’”
Yet the business has resulted in more than success—it’s led to lifelong friendships, which he said is the most valuable part. “My favorite part of the business is the opportunities I’ve had to build relationships with people from across the world,” he said. “Deal making enables us to meet and connect with a diverse audience, and I’ve had the pleasure of making lifelong friendships throughout my career, which is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
Bistolarides is a recipient of the Crexi Platinum Broker Award (2021) the CoStar Power Broker Award (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and the National Achievement Award (2012, 2013, 2014) and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, or ICSC.
