About Us

Prairie Real Estate Group is a commercial real estate development and management company headquartered in Benton Harbor, MI. Prairie’s mission is to offer superior commercial and residential space relative to the market and provide the highest quality of life to its tenants. This objective may be comparable to many of its competitors, but it’s the way that Prairie pursues this goal that sets it apart and creates value for its customers and stakeholders.

Prairie Real Estate Group has been involved with commercial real estate since 1996. The first project was 1144 W. Fulton Street in Chicago. This building was to be the model by which all subsequent investments would follow. Situated in the once vibrant Fulton Market district of the West Loop, the building was in need of a complete renovation, as were many of the buildings in the area. Attention to the historic integrity of the building was at the forefront of the entire restoration process. This attention to detail laid the foundation of what would become many of the company’s most important core competencies - creativity, ingenuity, project management, adaptive reuse, sustainability, and property management. By properly bringing back many of the historical elements of the building, along with adding modern features, a great product was created that the market received warmly.

After the completion of 1144 W. Fulton, Prairie has expanded through the years to both Grand Rapids, MI and Benton Harbor, MI. All of the projects Prairie undertakes follow the model described above to a large degree. It is important to identify buildings that have historic significance, are structurally sound and have the potential to be great space which can provide the setting to delivering a high quality of life to our tenants.

As of September 11, 2013, Prairie Real Estate is proud to be spearheading a campaign to raise funds for the development and ongoing maintenance for the 9/11 Resiliency Plaza, which displays the World Trade Center Artifact H-0057b -- Project Resiliency.  It is a tremendous honor to have such an iconic artifact reside in the City of Benton Harbor -- the piece is the ultimate symbol of our nation’s resolve to triumph over adversity and rebuild; a spirit that is very much felt in Benton Harbor as the City continues its own renaissance.

In 2016, the City of Benton Harbor launched a study of the long-term potential of the waterfront within the Harbor with a steering committee comprised of representatives from the City of St. Joseph, the County of Berrien and various other public and private stakeholder groups.  Prairie Real Estate Group is proud to be among the stakeholders in this collaborative group. 

Additionally, a follow-on study as part of the Michigan Sustainable Harbors initiative, executed by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy, Office of the Great Lakes, in coordination with Michigan Sea Grant, researched community preferences.  That effort was designed to help foster economic growth and protect  Michigan’s coastal and Great Lakes resources through education, research and  outreach. Their sustainable small harbors project team led public design workshops to help community members develop meaningful ways to make the St. Joseph/ Benton Harbor waterfront more environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable, while equipping the coastal community leaders with the tools to assess and strengthen waterfront assets.