Real Estate and Development | Real Estate
Founder and CEO
Jeffers & Co. | Milwaukee
Josh Jeffers founded Milwaukee-based real estate development firm J. Jeffers & Co in 2012, following his earlier career in the private equity real estate industry. His firm has been involved in several prominent developments in southeastern Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee Athletic Club renovation, 11-story downtown Milwaukee Huron Building, redevelopment of the former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel buildings and redevelopment of the former Horlick Malted Milk Co. complex in Racine.
Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; master’s in public policy, Harvard University
Favorite destination: “I take my family to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine, every summer. It feels like a special part of the planet where mountains, rainforest and ocean all interconnect. My kids love it. Plus, the food is incredible.”
Toughest business challenge you’ve ever faced: “Scaling my business. To do so, we’ve had to exponentially grow from under 10 people to almost 40 people in a short time and radically rethink internal managerial strategies, investment process and procedures, risk management and company culture.”
Top of your bucket list: “I’d like to take my family skiing in Japan. It’s just an extraordinary place – the people, the culture, the history, the food, etc. Tokyo is unlike any other city I’ve visited. Then separately, my kids, who are 6 and 8, are learning to ski and getting pretty capable. I decided to learn how to snowboard when I turned 40, and I’m getting to be ‘capable’ myself.”
Best career advice you’ve ever received: “Someone told me early on something to the effect that, ‘Integrity is what you do when no one is looking.’ That has always stuck with me, and it has helped me form the relationships that have propelled my business from nothing to what it is today.”