Whitson Properties was founded in 1965 by George and Shirlee Whitson. At the time, George had a secure job as Real Estate Manager for Marathon Oil Company based in Findlay, Ohio. While scouting to locate the best places to purchase land for Marathon gas stations, George realized that traveling habits were changing and that a “commercial network” was not established for the regular travelers that would go north and south along Interstate 75 from Michigan to Florida and back.

With a lot of faith, over the past five decades, Whitson Properties has developed land from Toledo, Ohio to Florence, Kentucky along the I-75 corridor. Whitson Properties has built, owned and managed everything from shopping plaza, hotels, restaurants, retail stores and gas stations. With its flexibility and financial capability, Whitson Properties is able to get involved in projects in a variety of ways from direct sale, build-to-suit lease or a partnership.

George and Shirlee’s two sons, John and Paul, managed the day-do-day operations of the business until Paul lost his battle with cancer in July 2020. In late 2021, grandson Kyle Hite joined the business to form a bridge to a third generation of family members involved with Whitson Properties.