When Brace Helgeson and Ryan Platzke each started out as real estate agents in Eden Prairie, their perspectives on the city were influenced by where they grew up.
Helgeson, 59, got to Eden Prairie in 1985, a couple decades before the 37-year-old Platzke. Helgeson grew up in St. Cloud, which reminded him of Eden Prairie at the time. In that sense, he felt right at home, as the southwestern metro suburb had only 10,000 residents or so.
The city is a lot bigger now with a population of 63,456, and was already well into growth mode when Platzke got to town in the early 2000s. He grew up in the Michigan village of Ontonagon, which had a population of about 1,600 when Platzke was a kid. For him Eden Prairie was the largest city he’d ever been in.
Today, the two men are partners in the Helgeson/Platzke Real Estate Group, which is affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In 2019, they were the brokerage’s top selling team in Minnesota for the fifth consecutive year. They closed $208.3 million in sales involving more than 490 homes.
