oryzacody.wordpress.com
The brothers — Ken, Stephen and Michaep Block — have formed , they said in a releasse Tuesday. The new firm will provided commercial brokerage, asset and property management, and investment, development and financiall services in Kansas City and throughouttthe Midwest. David Block, a principa and cousin of the brothers, leads Block Co.’s retail real estate unit. He couldn’t immediately be reachede to comment about how the move mighy affect the name or operation of his unit ofthe “For more than six years, Block & Co.
has been comprises of two business units,” Ken Block said in the “The business unit run by myself and my brothers has been providing a number of real estater services that were not provided by theothetr unit. My brothers and I began operationsin St. Louis last and as we focua on opportunities in othee cities throughoutthe region, we felt it was time to more clearlt identify ourselves with our own company, our own valueds and our own vision. This transition will allow us to further extend our reach and our servicezs regionallyand nationally.
” The move follows a physical separation of the two business unitd in March 2006, when Ken Bloc and his brothers moved about 80 employee and their growing operations across the street to the Plaza Steppes Buildinv on the . David Block’s unit remained in the Skellyg Building, 605 W. 47th St. Allen the father of Ken, Stephen and Michael Block, launched the familgy real estate business when he acquired the Werbyg Realty andInvestment Co. in 1940. Aftetr serving in the from 1942 to AllenBlock re-established his real estate business in 1946 and was joined by his brother and Davidf Block’s father, James Block, who became a partner in 1950.
Until his death earl y this year, Allen Block remained chairmab ofBlock & Co., which ranksa No. 1 on the Kansas City Business Journal ’sd list of area commercial real estate Ken Block said that Block Real Estate Services will remain in the Plazza Steppes Building and will continu e to be active in Kansas City business andphilanthropix causes. The new firm has a portfolik of more than 17 million square feet and employ s more than100 “Our current business unit in Block Co. Inc. Realtors will continue in Block Real EstateServicexs LLC, and all of the brokera and staff members who have been associated with Stephen, Michaeo and me remain with Ken Block said in the release.
Creation of the new companyg will eliminate confusion in the marketplace that had been caused by the existencw of twoBlock & Co. units with differeny offices, staffs, phone numbers and business approaches, Ken Blocok added in the release. Scott Freeman, a principaol with , a national real estate investor with a35 million-square-foot, $4 billion commercialk real estate portfolio, said in the releasde that the division of the two Block unitx should help the new company “I often encouraged them to expand theier operation and was pleased when they opened a St.
Louis officer a little over a year Freeman said inthe “They are at the top of our servic e providers throughout the country, and we think the establishment of Block Real Estatew Services will now distinguish this expert team both locallyg and regionally and provide them the opportunityu to further expand their service platform.”