Peter Kapuranis, Steve Peckar, Brent Delehoy, Margaret Hansen, Tamara Evans, Mindy Levy and Burton Levy are all part of the J&B Building Company family. Photo by Peter Jones
By Jeffrey V. Smith
For more than four decades, J&B Building Company employees have exemplified the positive characteristics of a family business. Not only do actual relatives run the business, but all company employees and clients are considered, and treated, as members of the family lending to its motto of managing commercial property with a “pride-in-ownership attitude, as if it was our own.”
Originally founded in 1969 as a construction management and property management firm by Jay Levy, the business became a true family-run company when his brother Burton came on-board as a partner and giving birth to the J&B name (Jay and Burton). Since then, J&B Building Company has broadened its focus into developments, management and brokerage of commercial properties, including retail, industrial, office and mini storage.
The company now manages more than 500,000 square feet of commercial property along the Front Range and offers brokerage services, such as commercial sales and leasing and tenant and buyer representation. The business employs nine people and manages 17 commercial properties, single-family residences and six vacant-land parcels.
Jay, who died on March 2, 2001, was the company’s president from the beginning and originally worked as general contractor, and began building houses, small strip shopping centers and apartment buildings.
Burton, with his brother, developed, syndicated and constructed numerous commercial and multifamily projects. Burton received a BS, with a major in Accounting, from the University of Colorado in 1963, a JD from the University of Denver School of Law in 1966 and an LLM in taxation from NYU School of Law in 1967. Prior to J&B, he worked in Los Angles for the tax department of Arthur Anderson. After Jay died, Burton became – and remains – president.
The family business extended to the next generation when Jay’s daughter Mindy joined the business in 1995 in the accounts payable/accounts receivable position. She earned a M.B.A. degree from University of Denver in Real Estate and Construction Management in 1988 and spent several years working in commercial banking and as a commercial real estate appraiser. Mindy is now CFO of the business, its corporate secretary and treasurer as well as the office manager.
Additionally, Mindy holds an active Colorado Real Estate Broker’s license.
“I really never wanted to join [the family business] because I had no idea what I would do,” Mindy said.
In 1995, however, the national appraisal firm she was working for closed its Denver office, she decided to give her family’s business a try.
“I love working in the family business,” she said, “and feel that not only are my relatives in the business family but everyone who works with us is family. Most of our employees stay with us a long time.”
One of Mindy’s cousins joined the business as property manager but eventually left. One family member, however, was swapped for another when Jay asked Mindy’s husband Steve Peckar to join the team in 2002.
“We had just gotten married, and I did not think us being newlyweds and working together was such a good idea,” Mindy said. “After my dad passed away, and I got over grieving, I starting thinking that when my uncle [Burton] retired, I would be running the business by myself and I did not look forward to that, even though it was probably years in the future. I starting talking to both Steve and Burton, and over a period of about a year and a lot of meetings… Steve decided to give up his career and come work with us. During the first couple of years we had some rough patches but after that everyone embraced Steve and he is really running the company.”
Peckar left behind 18 years of experience in the commercial banking industry in areas of real estate finance, construction lending and debt restructuring. He earned a BS in Accounting from Colorado State University in 1984 and worked toward an MBA in Finance from 1986-1987 at University of Colorado Denver. He directs the property underwriting and acquisitions, treasury management, investments, leasing and construction management areas of the business. He also assists with strategic business decisions regarding commercial property acquisitions, sales, leasing and financial management. Steve holds an active Colorado Real Estate Broker’s license and is the managing broker for J&B Realty.
Some highlights for the company include a recent $1 million renovation of two old Boy Scouts buildings at 2901 and 2929 West 19th Avenue, across the street from Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The renovation involved asbestos removal and turned the 1970s-era building into a modern office building with magnificent views of downtown and Sports Authority Field. J&B is now actively trying to sell or lease the property.
The company’s “core business of property management,” however, still is its main focus and, as Mindy said, “we keep getting better at it.
“The real estate business is very cyclical and we see it really being played out during these tough economic times,” she said. “Centers that were struggling a few years ago are doing well now and ones that were in good shape in the past are now struggling. Overall our business is good and we are coping with the times and will forge ahead in the future.”
One of the properties managed by J&B is the Union Exchange Building in Greenwood Village. Among other businesses, the property is home to Villager Publishing, the publisher of the Colorado Gambler as well as J&B’s main offices.
Some other members of the J&B extended family include Brent Delehoy, hired April 2007 as the company’s property manager. He holds a Real Estate Broker’s license and brings years of property maintenance and property management experience to the firm.
Tamara Evans joined the company’s accounting department in March 2010. She is primarily responsible for accounts receivable and accounts payable along with collections. Evans has more than 20 years of accounting experience to offer.
Peter Kapuranis joined J&B in April 2010 as a commercial real estate broker and property manager. He earned a MBA from the University of Denver in 2008 as well as a BS in Real Estate and Finance with a minor in Construction Management from DU in 2007.
Marketing and Real Estate Assistant Margaret Hansen joined J&B in July 2011. She also manages the company’s executive suites, designs and updates its marketing materials, updates databases, handles mailing projects, does market research, coordinates any print and web advertising and provides assistance to our property managers and brokers.
Related to the founders or not, no matter who’s involved at J&B Building Company, it’s a family affair – and positive business experience.
