JAG Development
Generations in the making.
Although JAG Development got its official start in 1999, the foundation for the business was created generations ago. Each piece of the Gutkin family history shows a dedication to real estate in the urban core whether across the country or in the heart of Phoenix.
In 1935, Russian immigrant and maternal grandfather of Allan and Benjamin Gutkin, Jerome Klein uprooted his family once again, and moved from Chicago to Phoenix. Klein purchased a service station/parking lot on the corner of First Avenue and Madison, right in the city center. This station served as Klein’s livelihood for decades and provided the young Gutkin brothers with their first link to downtown Phoenix.
Across the country in Wisconsin, the Gutkin’s paternal grandfather was also building a business that would one day influence JAG Development. Throughout the 1950s, David Gutkin built duplexes in Milwaukee. His love for and success in the real estate business was passed along to his son, Jerry, and then a generation later, to his grandsons Allan and Benjamin. After marrying a native Phoenician, Jerry Gutkin moved to Phoenix in 1965. He practiced law for 20 years, only to retire from that profession to follow his true passion — real estate.
With a family as closely tied to real estate and to central Phoenix, it’s easy to understand the motivation and dedication Allan and Benjamin bring to JAG Development. They have seen Phoenix grow and change over time, but their passion for a dynamic urban core has never faded. The Gutkins believe the best and most important part of the city is its heart. The more people live in the city center, the stronger it — and the entire metropolitan area — will be. They know there is a place and a need for suburban production homes and national franchise restaurants. But, the heart of Phoenix with its increasing array of creative locally owned businesses, is exactly where JAG wants to be.