About Sugar Magnolia Homes

Derek Pommerenck - President Derek Pommerenck grew up in Huntington, West Virginia and moved to Nashville in 1993. He attended Vanderbilt University, where he graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering and was commissioned into the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1997.

After three years and many missions in Germany, Derek was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. While there, Derek completed a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Missouri at Rolla. Once that training was complete, Derek was sent to Fort Stewart and put on the Engineer Brigade staff. He was then a part of the original deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom and acted as the Brigade Logistics Officer. Upon his return from the long deployment, Derek and Amanda started planning his departure from the Army and eventual role as a business owner in Richmond Hill. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Bryan County Chapter of the Greater Savannah Homebuilders Association. With a love of construction, building homes seemed to be a natural fit, as is evident with the success of Sugar Magnolia Homes!

Amanda Pommerenck - Vice President Amanda Pommerenck attended Vanderbilt University and received a degree in Civil Engineering and a commission into the US Army in 1997. After graduation, Derek and Amanda were married and sent to their first duty station in Germany. During their time in Germany, Amanda went on several deployments.

As a construction platoon leader, she oversaw construction of everything from helicopter landing pads to barracks for soldiers. This unique experience really got Amanda interested in construction. After three years in Germany, Amanda & Derek moved back to the states and eventually ended up in Richmond Hill, where she currently serves as the chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Amanda left the Army in 2001 and began working for a local Savannah homebuilder. After several years of experience in the industry, Amanda and Derek decided it was time to branch out on their own. She became the VP of Sugar Magnolia and has loved every minute of it! Amanda currently serves on an Advisory Board to the Board of Directors for a local bank in Richmond Hill and also as the Chairman of Planning and Zoning Commission of Richmond Hill.

David Barnes – Construction Manager Dave Barnes, married with two children, is a Savannah area native. His first homebuilding experience was at the young age of eight, when he actually helped to build a house. Dave’s interest in the construction business carried on from that age, and he continued to build homes until he joined the Navy. Dave was in the Navy for five years that brought him travels around the world.

In 2000, Dave started his own business, Barnes Outdoor Living, which is still thriving today under his leadership and with the skills of his oldest son. He has known the Pommerencks since 2002, and joined their company because of their trust in him as a detailed craftsman and his belief in Sugar Magnolia Homes. Dave looks forward to the opportunity to expand his knowledge of homebuilding with a growing company, while building many homes for very satisfied Sugar Magnolia customers!

Nancy’s experience in financial affairs for the construction industry is vast. She worked for 7 years at Savannah News Press in the advertising department, and for a local CPA firm for 6 years. Nancy worked for a large Savannah homebuilder for 10 years. While working in Savannah she was the Office Manager and Director of Accounting. She was responsible for all aspects of accounting, finance and human resources.

"I got into construction 10 years ago with a small, family owned business. The organization grew from 2 companies in 1997 to 14 companies in 2006. In 2006 the organization sold 220 homes. The company has now become one of the largest and most successful in Savannah. This experience was invaluable and has allowed me to make many professional contacts as well as personal friends in the Savannah/Richmond Hill construction industry.

I am so excited to become part of the Sugar Magnolia Homes family. I believe Derek and Amanda have structured an organization that has the potential to become one of the premier homebuilders in the area. I hope that my past experience will contribute to what is already a great team.”

Gary Rauch joins Sugar Magnolia Homes with experience in the custom home building industry and an 18 year run with Home Depot. In the home building realm, Gary held positions ranging from Foreman to Purchasing Executive, which involved negotiating pricing and contracts will all vendors and subcontractors.

Home Depot saw Gary develop from a sales clerk in the paint department to Store Operations Manager for multiple stores all along the East Coast, from Florida to Connecticut. Gary was born in Boca Raton, Florida and has lived in Savannah for the past 8 years. One of his passions is called K-9 Service Dogs, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of American K-9 units. During the first deployment from Ft Stewart for Operation Iraqi Freedom, animal shelters and humane societies became inundated with abandoned pets from soldiers sent overseas. Gary saw a real need to help these animals re-purpose themselves as blind, deaf, or military service dogs and even search and rescue team members. What began as a placement operation soon turned into a charitable organization that provides specialized training, equipment, protective gear, kennels, vehicle upgrades and more to America’s police and military K-9 forces. K-9 Service Dogs, Inc even sends care packages to 3rd Brigade’s 20 K-9 units on duty in Iraq. They need toys and goodies, too! Gary serves Sugar Magnolia Homes as the Director of Estimating and Purchasing. Gary and his wife Tina share their home with Pepper, a 4 year old female German Sheppard.

Brian Baraniak - Principal, Tidewater Real Estate Brian Baraniak, a diehard Steelers fan, was raised in Indiana, PA, just outside of Pittsburgh. He attended The Citadel and earned a BS in Civil Engineering and met his future wife, Tara. They have been together ever since! Brian was commissioned in the Army, married Tara, and moved overseas to Germany. That's where he met Derek and Amanda.

He and Tara spent four years in Europe. They moved back to the US in 2001 and were stationed in Missouri. In 2002 Brian left the military for a position with Target Corporation as an operations manager in Lugoff, South Carolina. Later he was promoted to Regional Transportation Supervisor, a position which handled logistics for a whopping 68 stores! Brian left Target in August to join the Sugar Magnolia team. He and Tara have a little girl, Camryn and a German Shepherd, Molly.

Being able to be a part of construction has always been a desire of mine. I’ve always found myself drawn to some aspect of construction. I have various family members that work in different fields and trades in residential construction, and they have instilled a lot of useful knowledge into me. I have also had experience in various parts of construction, both commercial and residential through previous jobs and school. I am always eager to learn as much as I can about the industry, for the purpose of bettering myself as well as the company that I work for. In my spare time I enjoy hunting, fishing, boating, camping, and pretty much anything outdoors. I also enjoy watching college football, and Georgia is my favorite team.