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
Highlights from the past 12 months: “We started construction on development projects outside of our home state of Wisconsin. We have multiple $100 million-plus 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.”
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.”
Traits you seek for new hires: “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.”
Favorite movie: “‘Office Space.’ It is hilarious.”
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.”