Mini-Biographies

Steve Pierce, broker

Before forming Zane MacGregor & Co., Steve was a Senior Real Estate Consultant with SRI (Stanford Research Institute). He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley and a masters in City Planning. He has conducted over $700M in real estate transactions, and helps clients add value and obtain entitlements. Steve has developed several proprietary market tracking systems and authors periodic commentaries on market trends. Steve has served on several city task forces and committees related to zoning and development issues.

Carolyn Pierce, agent

Carolyn has been a sales agent since 1997 and partners with Steve. She lends the insight, creativity, and warmth. Carolyn was an English major at the University of Oregon and home schooled the four Pierce boys. Carolyn has served on the board of directors of Palo Alto Stanford Heritage (PAST), as a former docent for historical and walking tours.

Steve Niethammer, agent

A transplant from the landscaping business, Steve Niethammer is a prolific producer. He is a lifelong Palo Alto resident and followed his three brothers into the real estate business. He majored in landscape design at Cal Poly SLO and majors in creativity for his clients. Steve and his wife, Kristen, have two children.

Paul McCarthy, broker associate

A native San Franciscan, Paul migrated south for Stanford and sunshine. As a real estate broker Paul has extensive experience in residential income property management, sales and leasing. Paul and his wife, Betsy have three children and live in Palo Alto.

Mary Runkel Chacon, agent

Following a sales career in the high tech sector, Mary joined the team in 2010. She has lived in Palo Alto for many years. With her husband, architect, Michael Chacon, she has purchased and remodeled several local homes. Due to her breadth of experience, she is professionally connected to the local real estate market. Mary and her husband have two children.

Adam M. Touni, broker associate, attorney at law

Adam is a longtime resident of the Bay Area, growing up in Mountain View and then attending Bellarmine College Prep. for high school. He attained a BA in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations from UCSB and his law degree at Golden Gate University's School of Law in San Francisco. Adam worked in both private and public sector legal settings and in a variety of real estate areas including: landlord/tenant law, land use, real estate transactions and litigation. He is currently pursuing his passion for real estate with Zane, MacGregor & Co..

Celeste McDonnell, agent

Celeste has over eight years of experience in real estate and even more experience on the family front lines. Raising seven children has given her the opportunity to participate in many school activities, including fund-raising. In her spare time she has volunteered at local agencies such as Art in Action and the Ronald McDonald House.

Gordon Hovey, assistant

An alum of USC's School of Business, Gordon manages the complexities of each transaction and controls the bewildering flurry of documents. All is good with Gordon at the helm. He was the PAC-10 discus champion and Zane MacGregor's unofficial bouncer.

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