WATCH: Highlights from our 2022 All In celebration

Kia Fenty trains, tests out five new managers in 2022

TCG associates fuel CKA fall events, future growth

The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners, recently honored by The Dayton Business Journal as Community Supporter of the Year finalist, grew in size, scope and impact in 2022. And it’s just getting started. In the spring, the organization broke ground on a $50-million campus for The Greater Dayton School. GDS, the state’s first private non-religious school for under-resourced students, opened its doors this summer at a temporary location. “We’re taking a revolutionary long-term approach to educating the whole child,” said Kids & Community Partners director Ryan Ernst. “That said, we’re already seeing dramatic development and improvement in our students. It’s a testament to the model, but more importantly to our founding staff. They’re just an unbelievably talented and committed group of educators.” The permanent campus will open in the fall of 2023 and feature a full-service health and wellness center. Also this summer, Connor Kids Academy expanded to Cincinnati, the program’s second market. CKA is an innovative approach to sports camps that provides kids with a potentially life-changing three-year experience. The program is delivered through partnerships with the University of Dayton and University of Cincinnati men’s basketball programs. Its curriculum, which focuses on creating healthy habits and teaching decision-making […]

The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners, recently honored by The Dayton Business Journal as Community Supporter of the Year finalist, grew in size, scope and impact in 2022. And it’s just getting started. In the spring, the organization broke ground on a $50-million campus for The Greater Dayton School. GDS, the state’s first private non-religious school for under-resourced students, opened its doors this summer at a temporary location. “We’re taking a revolutionary long-term approach to educating the whole child,” said Kids & Community Partners director Ryan Ernst. “That said, we’re already seeing dramatic development and improvement in our students. It’s a testament to the model, but more importantly to our founding staff. They’re just an unbelievably talented and committed group of educators.” The permanent campus will open in the fall of 2023 and feature a full-service health and wellness center. Also this summer, Connor Kids Academy expanded to Cincinnati, the program’s second market. CKA is an innovative approach to sports camps that provides kids with a potentially life-changing three-year experience. The program is delivered through partnerships with the University of Dayton and University of Cincinnati men’s basketball programs. Its curriculum, which focuses on creating healthy habits and teaching decision-making […]

Dec. 12, 2022 –  The Connor Group entered its 17th market Thursday with the purchase of Grand Riviera Miramar, formerly Bell Miramar, in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale region. The property is the Dayton-based real estate investment firm’s third largest acquisition in its 30-year history. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. “We are incredibly enthusiastic about the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market for multiple reasons,” managing partner Larry Connor said. “There’s unprecedented demand, it’s business-friendly, and we are confident we can buy at least one or two properties per year long-term.” The Class A luxury apartment community grows The Connor Group’s portfolio to a total of 13,286 units. Over the past 42 days, the company closed three of its largest acquisitions of all time amid a challenging real estate market. This latest market expansion is part of the company’s 2026 strategic plan. “Strategic planning has been one of our keys to success. Not only doing strategic plans, but executing them,” Connor said. “We expect to expand to 22 markets by 2026.” Grand Riviera Miramar is a 371-unit resort-style property that offers residents best-in-class amenities designed to promote wellness and relaxation. The luxury community sits just minutes away from Florida’s sunny beaches, including […]

Nov. 30, 2022 –  The Connor Group bought five luxury apartment communities and sold one in November, totaling $545.5 million in transactional volume. The Dayton-based real estate investment firm’s latest flurry of activity spanned five different markets – Minneapolis, Raleigh-Durham, Atlanta, Fort Worth and Indianapolis. “Market uncertainty, paired with rapidly rising interest rates, have created tremendous buying opportunities,” managing partner Larry Connor said. “While others are running to the sidelines, we are running towards the opportunities in a disciplined manner.” The acquisitions, The Coil (Indianapolis), Dock Street Flats (Minneapolis), Flats at Perimeter Place (Atlanta), Trinity Commons and Bradford Apartments (Raleigh-Durham), added 1,391 units to the company’s portfolio. Purchase prices were not disclosed. In Fort Worth, the company sold Firestone West 7th. The transaction marks The Connor Group’s 10th property sale of the year. The unique urban luxury apartment community is built around the historic 1920s Firestone Tire Shop in downtown Fort Worth. More than $2.6 million in proceeds from the property sale will directly benefit The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners, the company’s non-profit arm dedicated to serving under-resourced children in Connor Group markets. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate, and we believe we have both the opportunity and obligation to […]

People always have been – and always will be – The Connor Group’s No. 1 key to success. It’s our job to find, interview and evaluate those special people. In recent months we’ve asked recruiters and leaders within the organization about their all-time best hires. Partner and area manager Payton Stone, who oversees our Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham markets, recently told us about his senior lead tech Willie Edmonds … Why was he your best hire?Willie’s been able to show new techs that we hire what is possible when you have a solutions-oriented, optimistic, team-first mentality. What do you remember most from his recruiting process?From the very beginning, he not only said he would be the best, but he backed it up through actions from his day in the field through his first 90 days. He was a servant leader from Day 1. What made you think he would be a good fit?Willie has incredible discipline from his days in the military. He’s also an ultra-competitive human being when it comes to everything that has a winner involved. He hates losing more than he loves winning. Which of his traits do you wish you could find in more candidates?Competitor and […]

Greater Dayton School students, teachers, make their mark on new facility

How Rodney Johnson’s 14-year career prepared him to manage multimillion-dollar projects