CITY OF STOCKTON
special promotional section
Launch Pad Foundation received a
$15,000 Business Entrepreneurship Grant
from the city in 2019. “This private-public
collaboration is both inspiring and key to
our growth,” says Driscoll. “The leader-
ship of Mayor (Michael) Tubbs and the
community in Stockton we have experi-
enced is a critical piece to the city’s future
success.”
Residential renewal
As more businesses have come to down-
town Stockton, some of the city’s historic
buildings have been refurbished as office
and retail space and also residential units.
Creating mixed-used spaces moved busi-
nesses and people back to the city’s core,
a sign of growth for downtown.
“We’re seeing a lot more market-
Cort Companies
NOT YOUR ORDINARY REAL ESTATE COMPANY
C
ort Companies is dedicated to the revival of American historic downtowns. This
full-service real estate brokerage and development firm’s 30-year presence and
experience is incomparable to any other company within the downtown district.
“We specialize in downtown commercial and residential properties. No other company
can match our knowledge when it comes to downtown Stockton,” says Mahala Burns, Cort
Companies’ senior broker. “We were the first developers to come downtown and encourage
other businesses to do the same.”
Since 1990, Cort Companies has developed more than 1 million square feet of historic
property, including the first charter schools in downtown, artist spaces, small tech firms,
government agencies and numerous small businesses.
One of the company’s goals is to redefine downtown Stockton as an educational hub with
businesses that complement our local charter schools. Cort will also be supporting the
development of downtown’s first market-rate and work-live housing developments, using its
reach to expose outside investors to the opportunities in downtown.
“With downtown Stockton’s walkability, restaurants, entertainment venues, character of
architecture and affordability, it’s rightfully overcoming any preconceived notions of the
past,” says Josh Cort, Cort Companies’ project manager. “The downtown has a bright future,
and businesses looking for success have an opportunity to join this revival.”
343 E. Main St. - 10th Floor | Stockton, CA 95202 | 209.235.5222 | CortCo.com
SPONSORED PROFILE
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comstocksmag.com | May 2020
rate housing going in, and we’re running
out of first-level retail space, and those
are great indicators of economic develop-
ment,” says Huber of the DSA. “Stockton’s
bankruptcy in 2012 put us behind other
California cities on redeveloping down-
towns, but buying into those cities now
is more expensive because they’re ahead
with redevelopment. With opportunity
zones, low interest rates and downtown
Stockton properties available, investors are
swarming here for return-on-investment
properties.”
Tom Romeo with his Bearpaw Equities,
headquartered in Citrus Heights, sees the
value in Stockton and is heeding the call for
more live-work capacity.
Bearpaw has three downtown projects
underway or finishing up. Hunter Square
Lofts on Weber Avenue, formerly the
historic Mansion House, is a mixed-use
project with 26 rental residential units on
two floors with commercial space on the
first floor. Recently finished, it’s already full.
The adjoining Tretheway Lofts began as the
Argonaut Hotel in the late 1800s and has
seen many uses over the years. Now it of-
fers 14 residential units on two floors above
street-level commercial space. Opened for
tenants in February, only two units remain
to be leased at press time. CalMain Lofts
on East Main Street began as a theater,
became a department store, then offices,
and now offers 30 residential units for rent
with unique views of historic downtown.
“The opportunity to breathe new life
into these historic buildings is phenome-
nal,” says John Richey, Bearpaw chief legal
officer and general counsel. “We’re pleased
that the city and many longtime local
business owners have responded so posi-
tively to our projects. There is tremendous
demand, with people flocking to downtown
Stockton, even from the Bay Area. It’s
starting to resemble the surge in popularity
that Midtown Sacramento has.”
Jennifer von Geldern is a freelance writer who
covers regional businesses, charities, events
and the people who enrich our communities.