business

Building On
A Legacy

Jewish builders
and developers
continue to
innovate in the
region.

SUSAN PECK
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

A

nyone house hunting today will recognize the phenom-
enal impact of the many successful Jewish builders and
developers in Southeastern Michigan. A great portion of
the most coveted homes, condominiums and apartment com-
plexes in the area for more than 70 years are a source of pride for
those within the industry.
“In many cases, Jewish builders and developers are second-
and sometimes third-generation in the business,” said Jim
Galbraith, president of Lautrec Ltd., a development and real
estate management company. “These families
were entrepreneurs early on and saw the need
and opportunity in the emerging suburbs for
housing, retail and industrial growth following
WW II and the Korean War.”
Galbraith works closely with Lautrec owner,
Mickey Shapiro, 70, a patriarch in the industry,
whose father, Asa, a Holocaust survivor, began
with a lumber yard in 1949, supplying wood
Mickey Shapiro
trim to tradesmen in the area. It’s still operat-
ing today as ASA Builders Supply in Walled
Lake, and Mickey’s brothers Steve and Edward took over after

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May 3 • 2018

jn

ShearWater Apartment Homes in Commerce Township: (top) a living
room, (center) a kitchen and (bottom) an exterior shot.