Founder and CEO
J. Jeffers & Co. | Milwaukee
Milwaukee-based developer
Josh Jeffers’ transactional experience has included over $2 billion of commercial real estate investments in U.S. and international markets, spanning office, retail, multifamily housing, industrial, hospitality and mixed-use asset types. After getting his start in the acquisitions department of Walton Street Capital in Chicago, Jeffers founded his own real estate development firm,
J. Jeffers & Co., in 2012. Among the firm’s prominent projects are the 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, Harvard University
What has been your/your company’s most significant success over the last 12 months?
“In 2023, we started construction on development projects outside of our home state of Wisconsin. We have multiple $100 million+ developments in Texas and Illinois, a smaller project in Michigan, and a much larger one in the works in Massachusetts. All of these are major rehabilitations of historic buildings and sites. It hasn’t been easy, given the challenges of being in a niche industry. The company’s current development team is comprised of the most talented people that I’ve had the honor of working with. I still wish interest rates were lower, but our team’s experience, ingenuity, and hard work has propelled the company forward all the same.”
How do you see the future of your industry?
“I think over the next 20-30 years we are going to see commercial real estate continue to be shaped more and more by the public sector – by local, state, and even the federal government.”
If you could choose any other career path, what would you want to do?
“I would be an economic or housing policymaker. I'm an unusual combination of a numbers person and a people person. The core outcomes that motivate me - revitalization of cities, economic development, environmental clean-up and sustainability, etc. - are best achieved through the public sector. J. Jeffers & Co. is a private sector firm that achieves these outcomes through real estate development on a small scale. But to achieve broad-based changes in these areas, the public sector is the place to go.”
Do you have a secret talent?
“Enormous amounts of positive energy.”
If you could time travel for one day, when and where would you go?
“I would go 1,000 years into the future - just to see if anyone is still around.”
What advice would you give to someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
“It’s not about you.”
What is your definition of success?
“Creating and building an organization of people/processes/technology that can live on without me. As a founder, a lot goes into the realization of a personal vision, but the end result is that “success” means that I’m also working myself out of a job.”
What are the most important traits you look for when hiring a new employee?
“I look for people that don't care about titles and just want to come into a physical office every day to do the work. This is how I'm wired and I'm best at managing people that are wired the same way.”
What’s your favorite movie and why?
“’Office Space.’ It is hilarious.”
What’s your favorite part of the workday?
“The afternoons. I get in early and try to get 4-5 hours of computer work done before transitioning to being present and people-focused for the rest of the day – which to me is the good part.”
Is there a buzzword you never want to hear again?
"Thought leader"
2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile
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.”
