History of McGrew Real Estate
McGrew Real Estate was established in 1951 when Conrad McGrew started McGrew Investment Company at 806 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence. Three agents produced a total of $100,000 in sales that first year.
Conrad died suddenly in 1953 forcing his widow, Viola McGrew to take over until 1960 when their son, John McGrew became President and Managing Broker.
In 1965, John entered into a partnership with Bob Billings to develop and market a 400-acre golf course project called Alvamar. Today, Alvamar and its related developments encompass over 3000 acres in West Lawrence.
The company grew steadily and moved to a new location at 900 Indiana in 1967. Six agents did $800,000 in sales that year.
In 1970, the company merged with the real estate operation of Lawrence Real Estate and Insurance while simultaneously spinning off the insurance business. McGrew Real Estate, Inc. moved their twelve agents into new offices at 901 Kentucky.
The Bicentennial year of 1976 was also an exciting year for the company. Twenty agents produced $10,000,000 in sales. In addition, we moved into a new building on the western edge of Lawrence at 1505 Kasold Drive. Ten years later, McGrew constructed and moved into our current main office at 1501 Kasold Drive. Thirty-six agents produced $30,000,000 in sales in 1986.
In 1996, Gary Nuzum became President of McGrew Real Estate and Mike McGrew was named Vice Chairman. The company had grown to 50 agents and $46,000,000 in sales.
In 1997, the company began construction of a second Lawrence office at 4100 W. 6th. That fall, we entered into a merger with Coldwell Banker Gill Real Estate. Gill was founded in 1925 and had offices in Lawrence and Eudora. On December 1, 1997 Coldwell Banker McGrew Real Estate was formed.
On July 1, 2007, John McGrew retired from management of the company and was succeeded by his son Mike McGrew as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of McGrew Real Estate.
Today, McGrew has 4 offices serving the greater Douglas County area. Three Lawrence offices and one office in Eudora are the home to a staff of more than 100 agents and support personnel. We have been ranked in the Real Trends list of Top 500 Real Estate companies, and we are proud to have been named a Coldwell Banker Chairman's Circle Company 3 times.
As of December 1, 2007 Coldwell Banker McGrew Real Estate merged with Lawrence Realty Associates to become McGrew Real Estate.
History of Lawrence Realty Associates, Inc.
The origin of the agency dates back to 1931. Claude Scott, a former manager of the Chamber of Commerce, was appointed by Travelers to sell primarily personal accident insurance.
Joe Taylor and Clifton Calvin, Kansas University roommates in 1925, had frequently discussed becoming partners in some type of business. Through correspondence during the war these two men agreed that after it was over they would form a partnership and operate an insurance and real estate agency. "Taylor and Calvin" was formed in 1945 but did not publicly open for business until June 1946. They entered in to a lease for the building at 1026 Massachusetts Street which had been a bus station and a restaurant.
Glenn L. Kappelman joined the firm February 1, 1957 to manage the real estate business. Calvin kept a hand in real estate until his retirement.
On September 1, 1964 Bill Eddy joined the agency with an agreement to become a partner after January 1, 1965. Eddy had been employed by Travelers as a fire and inland marine representative for 8.5 years. With Calvin nearing retirement age, he and Eddy needed another person to join the firm. They easily agreed on Thomas H. Groene, another Travelers man, who was a special risks manager in St. Louis, Missouri. His background was strong in casualty insurance. Groene joined the agency July 1, 1968.
Patrick J. Flavin joined the firm in 1977 as a real estate Associate. In 1978 Calvin, Eddy and Kappelman, Inc. split into two distinctively different corporations: Calvin, Eddy and Kappelman, Inc. (insurance); and Calvin, Eddy and Kappelman Real Estate, Inc.
In March of 1983 Dave Billings joined the real estate operation. He had five years previous experience in the Lawrence real estate market. Billings later concentrated principally on commercial/investment properties from 1985 until his departure in the spring of 1990.
In July of 1984, a new location was purchased at 1011 Westdale Road (formerly the Hillcrest Sentry Hardware Building). Effective January 1, 1985, fifteen people were involved in both the real estate and insurance operations. Don Theno joined the firm in late 1985 with emphasis on commercial/investment/multi-family. Don brought a wealth of experience having owned his own real estate brokerage business for several years previously.
Terry L. Gittins joined the firm in April 1987, as a real estate Associate. In April 1989, Gittins purchased Kappelman's interest and joined Eddy, Groene and Flavin as a partner in Calvin, Eddy and Kappelman Real Estate, Inc.
In April 1992, John Bush joined the real estate operation as a salesperson. John had spent 15 years in the banking business after graduating from KU. Pat Flavin, by now an owner by virtue of buying shares from Groene, Eddy and Kappelman, was named president of the real estate firm. Eventually, John Bush, Pat Flavin and Terry Gittins purchased respective one-thirds in ownership.
In late 1993, early 1994, Terry Gittins was diagnosed with cancer. He struggled valiantly but subsequently the disease proved fatal -he passed away in June 1997. Bush and Flavin, according to a buy-sell agreement, purchased Terry's one-third interest from Terry's widow, Joni.
Bush, Flavin and Gittins had been looking for an expansion of real estate operations. In 1999, Bush and Flavin decided to move to a new facility. Concurrent with the move was a decision to change Calvin, Eddy and Kappelman Real Estate, Inc. (later CEK Real Estate, Inc.) to Lawrence Realty Associates, Inc.
As of January 2002, LRA had grown to 4 full time staff, 1 part-time and 32 licensees. Sales volume in 2001 was over 33 million dollars. As of December 1, 2007 LRA merged with Coldwell Banker McGrew Real Estate to become McGrew Real Estate.