Gerald Grewe has a last name many Shrewsbury residents probably recognize by now.
His company, G. J. Grewe Inc., is behind the plans to redevelop Kenrick Plaza into a new commercial venture with a Walmart Supercenter as its ancor.
The development has been controversial, . Others though say it's a good plan, and critical to improving the city's lean financial situation.
Patch wants to help you learn more about Grewe's company. To do that, we've pulled together information some different sources in one place.
Find out more in another Patch article about Grewe's involvement in Fenton's Gravois Bluffs development, Watson Plaza in Crestwood and the failed Columbia Crossing project in Illinois.
The Company
G. J. Grewe Inc. has its headquarters near Crestwood Commons, just about three miles from Kenrick Plaza.
It has developed more than 4,000,000 square feet of retail, office and warehouse space in fifteen shopping centers. It has properties listed both in Missouri and in Illinois, according to the company's website.
"Our development team fully understands the needs of tenants and property-related issues," the website states. "G. J. Grewe, Inc. focuses on integrating their experience into relationships that last."
Charitable Contributions
Grewe's family also runs a non-profit organization, the G.J. Grewe Family Foundation. Its assests, mostly corporate stock, have a fair-market value of more than $760,000 according to its 2009 IRS Form 990, available at Guidestar.
On that same report, it lists $37,600 in charitable contributions. Two-thirds of that went to the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shrewsbury.
The group's three directors, all Grewe family members, recieve no compensation, according to the tax document.
Related:
Plans and other documents can be found on the city's website.
How is it that Shrewsbury citizens are on the hook for cleaning up a commercial property and making it viable for tenants when the previous owner and property manager seemed to have done nothing to keep it up?