The president of a Rich Products subsidiary and grandson of the company founder has purchased a 7,400-square-foot Amherst home from the former CEO of Columbus McKinnon for just under $1.2 million.
Robert E. Rich III, president of ROAR Logistics, used Three Sticks Amherst LLC to purchase the home on Contessa Court from Mark D. and Laura Morelli, according to a deed filed with the Erie County Clerk’s Office.
“It is extraordinary,” said Barbara Baker of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, who listed the property. “They kept it in perfect shape.”
The home has a traditional, colonial-style exterior and sits near the Great Baehre Swamp in a cul de sac off Youngs Road.
It has seven bedrooms; four full bathrooms and two partial bathrooms; an updated kitchen; wood molding, hardwood floors, fireplaces and natural light throughout; a basement billiards room and walk-in wine cellar; and saltwater pool with a waterfall, water slide and nearby gazebo.
The Morellis listed the home for nearly $1.3 million after purchasing the property in August 2017 for $1.1 million.
Mark Morelli had served as CEO of the Amherst-based manufacturer since February 2017. He quit in mid-January to take the top job at an industrial products company split off by Fortive Corp.
Rich runs ROAR Logistics, which connects manufacturers with the shipping, trucking, rail or air carriers that can transport their products. It’s a subsidiary of the privately owned, $4 billion food products company founded by his grandfather.
Rich, who gained a brief moment of fame and a lifetime of residual checks when he played Robert Redford’s son in “The Natural,” said he and his girlfriend, Christine Cardarella, were planning to build a slightly bigger home than their current residence for their blended family.
He said they weren’t looking for a house of this scale and they didn’t set out to make a splashy purchase.
However, he said, “This is less expensive than building and it’s much better value.”
Posted by The Buffalo News
