John Coleman began his career in real estate 38 years ago. His first venture was in the residential market. After graduating from Shippensburg University, he bought and rehabbed an abandoned home in Norristown Pa turning it into three apartments. In 1984 he sold this property and used the proceeds to start a new retail lumber yard called Cottman Building Materials in North East Philadelphia while continuing to invest in duplexes in that same area.
In 1990, John made a shift in his investment philosophy and changed his focus from residential to commercial real estate. He sold his residential investments and purchased a commercial property that had an existing lumberyard and additional commercial space for lease. This property was located in Bristol Pa and is where he relocated his retail operations to begin doing business as Cottman Stoneback Inc.
In 1996, the lumberyard was destroyed by fire but due to his resilient nature, John took a devastating experience and turned it into a new opportunity to rebuild Cottman Stoneback. Although the fire was a step back, he took two steps forward by adding more rental space on the property. As independent lumber yard began to decline, John decided to close his retail store and market the entire location for rental units. With a firm foundation in growing a business and investing successfully he continued to grow his portfolio in order to offer quality, affordable space to a variety of small and medium size businesses.
Over 55% of his tenants have been with him for over ten years. He attributes this to his desire to listen to his customer's needs and working with them to provide the right space at the right price. He currently has 60+ tenants with over 500,000 sq feet of occupied units.
John has been married for 34 years, has three sons, and is very family oriented. He works hard but also likes to play hard. He loves to travel with his family and friends and enjoys planning tennis and bike riding to stay active.