Profile: Local Man's Personal Vision Makes Business Sense

It’s not often that a shopping center is developed by someone who created it to suit his own interests. But that’s exactly what Greg Yawitz of McKnight Investors and Keat Properties, LLC did when he built The Shoppes at Price Crossing in 2006.

“I had a vision for what we wanted in Olivette and part of that was my selfish vision of what I wanted in that space and what I knew my neighbors wanted,” he said. “I wanted a place where people in the community would congregate, which is what’s behind the extremely large patio in front of the building. I even put in a fountain that shoots down, not up, so water doesn’t blow on customers. I wanted a local hangout, like a Cheers-type environment.”

Formula for success

With 90 percent occupancy of the center, which includes storefronts of mixed businesses and offices on the second floor, Yawitz said he believed it would be successful based on several factors.

“The location is perfect with its proximity to the Innerbelt [I-170] which gave it an attractive desirability for retailers,” he said. “And the demographics of Olivette have changed. I think it’s becoming younger and more affluent than it has been over the past 20 years. You can see it in housing with all the teardowns.”

Nancy Gray, director of the Creve Coeur-Olivette Chamber of Commerce, said the Shoppes have made an impact on the area economy.

"Greg's mall has really revitalized economic development in that area. It has been a motivating factor in Olivette," Gray said. "After the Shoppes, we got a CVS pharmacy and there are some other things in the works. I think there are some wonderful things happening in Olivette."

Ladue ties

A native of metro St. Louis, Yawitz, 43, moved into Olivette in the mid-1990s for the central location and the , of which Olivette is part.

“Even when we needed more room we didn’t want to move out of Olivette. We like the schools, the diversity, the people and the openness.”

Yawitz’s company is one of the offices located in Price Crossing. Helmkampf Construction, the builder that's part of McKnight Investors, is also located in Olivette.

Community man

Yawitz’s involvement in his community extends beyond residing and working in it. He’s participated in a couple of sessions of the University City and City of Olivette I-170/Olive Redevelopment Task Force (see the upcoming story about this task force) and he is a member of a student services subcommittee for the Ladue School District. He’s been a member of the Dad's Club as well as the one for Old Bonhomme Elementary School.

Yawitz is on the board of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, is first vice president for Shaare Emeth Congregation and is the corporate fundraising chair for Autism Speaks.