BUILDING THE FOUNDATION
1979
Three 20-year old college students (Jim Schloemer, Rich Bell, Steve Wagner) establish Continental Properties.
1980
First commercial project, an 8,000 square foot office building, opens in West Bend, Wisconsin.
1982
Through purchase, first shopping center is acquired in West Bend, Wisconsin.
1989
First grocery-anchored shopping center is developed in Monona, Wisconsin.
1990
First apartment community, Dale Creek, is developed in Greendale, Wisconsin.
1991
Continental’s first business park is developed in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
GAINING GROUND: RETAIL DEVELOPMENT GOES NATIONAL
1992
Continental ventures out of Wisconsin for the first time to develop a retail center in Greenville, Michigan.
1994
Annual development reaches 1,000,000 square feet for the first time.
1995
First retail power center is developed in Beaver Creek, Ohio.
1996
- Continental develops its 16th freestanding Kmart store in Kenton, Ohio.
- New corporate headquarters in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin is completed.
PORTFOLIO EXPANSION: IT’S NOT JUST RETAIL ANYMORE
1999
Multifamily development office is established in Jacksonville, Florida.
2001
- High-rise office building for State Justice Center is developed for the State of Wisconsin.
- Retail leasing office is established in Scottsdale, Arizona.
2002
- Real estate investment exceeds $500 million.
- Shopping centers in Arizona mark Continental’s entry into the Southwest.
- The first two Springs® apartment projects are launched in Bradenton, Florida.
CONTINUED DIVERSIFICATION: OPPORTUNITIES IN HOSPITALITY
2004
- Continental Hospitality is formed to pursue opportunities in the hotel market.
- The Springs at Bandera opens. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this is the first Springs apartment community developed outside of Florida.
2005
- Continental acquires and later rennovates its first full service hotel, the Hilton Deerfield Beach - Boca Raton.
- Continental becomes a preferred developer for Starwood’s new “aloft” hotel brand.
2006
- Continental expands the Springs apartments into a third state, with the opening of the Springs at Greystone in Birmingham, Alabama.
- Continental develops its 20th Kohls store in Valdosta, Georgia. Three additional Kohl’s stores were also opened in 2006
2007
- The Springs expands into a fourth state with the opening of the Springs at Chatham Parkway in Savannah, Georgia.
- Continental Properties receives recognition from the Milwaukee Business Journal for its Fountain Square retail center in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
2008
- Continental celebrates the grand opening of the aloft Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. It is one of Starwood’s first aloft brand hotels to open in the United States.
- Continental opens three new Springs communities. With the addition of locations in Tennessee and North Carolina, the Springs has 11 communities in 6 states.
- Continental is recognized as one of the “2008 Best Places to Work” on SE Wisconsin by Milwaukee Magazine. The Milwaukee Business Journal also names Continental as a “Top Milwaukee Workplace”.