Rudy Grommen: Finding strength in family and team

In an industry known for hustle, headlines, and high turnover, Rudy Grommen is rewriting the playbook.

The Principal of Harcourts Greater Springfield isn’t just navigating a 25-year real estate career — he’s facing the fight of his life with stage four colorectal cancer and choosing to do it in full view of the industry he’s helped shape.

And instead of retreating, Rudy is building. Stronger relationships. A tighter team. And a legacy that won’t flinch in the face of adversity.

“I didn’t even know it was cancer,” Rudy says. Fit, active, cycling hundreds of kilometres a week — he chalked the symptoms up to something minor. By the time he got the diagnosis, it had already spread.

But that wasn’t the end. Not for Rudy.

What followed wasn’t fear — it was fuel.

Rather than keep it quiet, Rudy shared his journey publicly. Stoma, surgeries, chemo, setbacks — all of it. “We’re all human,” he says. “Get checked. Don’t wait. Look after yourself.”

And look after others — because that’s exactly what his team did.

When competitors saw weakness and circled, Rudy’s agents stood firm. No one left. Not one.

Other agencies made offers. They underestimated the power of what Rudy had built — a true family business.

His wife. His daughter, a former elite gymnast. His son, who gave up pro football overseas to be part of something greater at home.

“That moment hit me hard,” Rudy reflects. “We must have done something right.”

The culture he’s created? Unshakeable. The loyalty? Bulletproof.

“If it wasn’t for the cancer,” he says, “I probably would’ve coasted. But now? Now I want to grow. The people here deserve that.”

He means it.

On 28 September, Rudy and his team will host a 10km charity run aiming to raise $10,000 for cancer research through the ICON Centre in Springfield.

Just weeks after major surgery, he’s aiming to run it himself.

“Mentally, I’m already on that treadmill,” he says.

And so is his team — running beside him, building alongside him, proving that success in real estate isn’t just about listings, commissions, or awards.

It’s about legacy.

And Rudy Grommen? He’s just getting started.