Over the past five decades, Whitson Properties has developed land from Toledo Ohio, to Florence Kentucky, along the Interstate 75 corridor. The company, based in Findlay, has also developed many sites in other areas of Ohio and Kentucky. Whitson Properties has built, owned and managed shopping plazas, hotels, restaurants, retail stores and gas stations. The company has the flexibility and financial capability to get involved in projects in a variety of ways, whether it be a direct sale, a build-to-suit lease, or a partnership.

Whitson Properties was founded in 1965 by George and Shirlee Whitson. The move was a leap of faith for the couple who had four young children and a fifth on the way. At the time, George had resigned from a secure job as Real Estate Manager with Marathon Oil Company, which is based in Findlay, Ohio.

While there was faith involved, the move to start a private commercial real estate development company was based on George’s observations during his time with Marathon. For six years, George led the company’s efforts in identifying and purchasing viable sites for retail Marathon gas stations along highways throughout the Midwest.

In the mid-1960s, interstate highway travel was still a somewhat new concept, and a commercial network to support the traveling American public was not in place.

Highway interchanges lacked a sufficient number of gas stations. And just as cars and trucks needed gas stations, people needed places to eat and sleep as they traveled from Michigan to Florida and back.

Over the past five decades, Whitson Properties has developed land from Toledo, Ohio, to Florence, Kentucky, along the Interstate 75 corridor. The company, based in Findlay, has also developed many sites in other areas of Ohio and Kentucky.

Whitson Properties has built, owned and managed shopping plazas, hotels, restaurants, retail stores and gas stations. The company has the flexibility and financial capability to get involved in projects in a variety of ways, whether it be a direct sale, a build-to-suit lease, or a partnership.

George and Shirlee’s son, John Whitson, and grandson, Kyle Hite, now work in the family business. Over the past decade, the bulk of Whitson Properties projects have been concentrated in its hometown of Findlay, with many parcels still available in the northwest corner of I-75 and U.S. 224 (Exit 159). The company owns and operates four hotels and a shopping plaza in that quadrant and owns and leases space to two restaurants.

In recent years, Whitson Properties has also sold property at the same interchange to a 12-screen cinema, two other hotels, three other restaurants, a furniture store, and a bank. Extremely high-profile parcels at the interchange remain in the company’s portfolio, and Whitson Properties welcomes development inquiries.

We take great pride in developing first-class commercial projects. Thank you for taking the time to investigate the Whitson Properties sites throughout Ohio and Kentucky.