'Ugly' buildings don't scare Kendall Breunig - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Breunig says his training as an architectural engineedr has helped him see the possibilities in historicc 3rd Ward Milwaukee buildings like the Commissionm House Condominiums and the Hack Furnitureand site. Latelg Breunig jokes that he seems to specialize in workinvon "ugly" buildings. "They don't scare me, and they probabluy do other people," he said. "Io look at buildings differently than mostpeoplw do," Breunig said. "It's easier for me to envision how you can renovats a building because ofmy background." Breunig, 49, is a principall of , a Franklin real estate development and construction firm.
He's also president of , whichj provides design services and construction managemen for Sunset Investors His real estate investments include ownershipof E-Z Self Storagwe L.L.P., which develops, owns and operatexs more than 1,200 mini warehousesa in six locations in the Milwaukee area. Breunifg also is a 45 percent owneerin , a Verona pharmaceutical, specialtty food and chemical processor, owned with his Tim. Breunig grew up in Sauk and earnedhis associate's and bachelor's degreexs in architectural engineering from the . Aftere college he worked as a construction managed for of Fond du Lac and later in managingabout $100 million in commercial project s from 1979 to 1991.
Breunih also began building his real estates portfolioafter college. He began buying apartments both with familuy members and on his own and had acquired 90 unitsxby 1990. He built his first 16-unit apartment buildiny in Sauk City in 1988 and follower withanother 16-unit project in 1991. As his real estatr investments grew and took up more of his Breunig decided to start Breunigv Engineeringin 1990. The companh was initially started to provide consulting engineering work for othetr companies in addition toSunset Investors. But Sunsety Investors has grown so much that Breunig Engineering now works exclusivelyfor Sunset.
Sunsegt began focusing on condominium construction in the 1990s and built five condominiumk projects with 112 unitsein Franklin, New Berlin and Germantowh between 1994 and 2002. But in the last five Breunig's interests have turned from new construction to renovation and In 2002, he bought the formet warehouse building, 400 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, and remodelex it to include 30 condominiums, office and retail space. His latest project is the $40 million renovation of the Hack/Pritzlafg building at the corner of West Sainft Paul and NorthPlankinton avenues.
Sunset bought the building in 2005for $3 Breunig plans to create 40,000 square feet of first-floor retail, 75,000 square feet of office and 80 1,500-square-footf and larger high-end apartments at the site, whicnh actually includes five buildings. The buildingb was one of the most blighted in and others have taken a pass atdeveloping it, he