Testimonials
For over a decade, Jack Kay, President and CEO of Susquehanna Real Estate, has been a well-known developer and real estate consultant in York with the help of PeoplesBank.
As the long-time President and CEO of York-based Susquehanna Real Estate, Jack Kay has had a hand in planning, developing, or consulting on some of the most iconic projects throughout York City and the surrounding region.
The Yorktowne Hotel, The Lofts on George Street, and Susquehanna Commerce Center are just a few of the highlights in his extensive portfolio.
His latest endeavor is building luxury apartments at 50 N. Duke St. in York, a building that formerly housed WellSpan offices. When the COVID-19 pandemic shifted focus to remote work, Jack saw an opportunity to create upscale downtown living space.
“We felt there was a resurgence of interest in people wanting to live downtown,” he says.
The location, which will be home to 18 apartments of varying sizes, offers walkability to restaurants, Central Market, The Appell Center for the Performing Arts, and PeoplesBank Park.
“This type of development is also important for economic development for the city,” Jack says. “In order for anchor businesses to thrive downtown, having people work and live downtown is important. Adding to that, it helps the city thrive, furthering diversity and furthering institutions downtown.”
A Supportive Partnership
When Jack needed financing for the Duke Street project, he turned to PeoplesBank. He’s been working with PeoplesBank since he purchased Susquehanna Real Estate almost a decade ago.
At that time, Susquehanna Real Estate was a division of the Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Company, but Pfaltzgraff was looking to sell off that part of the business.
Jack, who had been with the company since 1981 and was serving as the Susquehanna Real Estate Division President, began putting together an investor group to buy the company. He reached out to Larry Miller, who was then President of PeoplesBank.
“He was very welcoming to the idea,” Jack says. “What was most appealing was having a hometown, locally owned institution where you could literally pick up the phone and call the president of the bank. He always figured out a way to make things work. I view it as not a traditional banker-client relationship but more like a supportive partnership.”
After buying Susquehanna Real Estate from Pfaltzgraff, Jack wanted to ensure that his new company continued to uphold the quality and integrity that had been ingrained in the company culture over the decades. With every project he took on, whether as a planner, a consultant, or a developer, Jack made upholding the brand quality a priority.
“I wanted us to be recognized as a quality developer,” he says. “The projects we’ve taken on follow a theme of permanence and long-lasting value. We want to create a high-quality product that, from an architectural point of view, contributes to downtown York.”
For every project Jack develops in York, his goal remains to make the community where he raised his family even stronger.
“York is a kind of place where you can make a difference,” he says. “It has the resources and infrastructure to do things at a scale where your involvement really makes a difference. If you want to do it, in York you can.”
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